User: Hey so I want to make the best of Raycast as part of Mac experience. Recommend me some good shortcuts I should add
Assistant: Absolutely! Raycast is a super powerful productivity tool on Mac, and creating smart shortcuts can significantly speed up your workflows. Here are some great shortcut ideas you can add to get the best out of Raycast:

### 1. **Quick App Launcher**
- **Shortcut:** Launch your most-used apps instantly.
- **Example:** Set shortcuts for apps like Terminal, VSCode, Safari, or Slack.
- **How:** Create a Raycast Script Command that opens apps via `open -a "AppName"` or just add them to Raycast's built-in app launcher.

### 2. **Clipboard Manager Access**
- **Shortcut:** Open clipboard history to quickly paste recent items.
- **Benefit:** Saves time digging through clipboards, especially when multitasking.

### 3. **Create New Note**
- **Shortcut:** Quickly create a new note in your preferred note-taking app (Apple Notes, Obsidian, Evernote, etc.)
- **Example:** Use a custom Script Command to launch a note with the current date/time or quick input text.

### 4. **Search Google / Wikipedia / StackOverflow**
- **Shortcut:** Quickly search selected text or query keywords without opening a browser first.
- **Sample Script:** Open URLs like `https://google.com/search?q={query}`

### 5. **Toggle Dark Mode**
- **Shortcut:** Switch macOS between dark and light mode rapidly.
- **How:** Use a Script Command (`osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to tell appearance preferences to set dark mode to not dark mode'`)

### 6. **Control Music Playback**
- **Shortcut:** Play/Pause or skip tracks in Apple Music, Spotify, etc.
- **Raycast Extensions:** Use built-in Music Player commands or create automation scripts.

### 7. **Send Predefined Messages or Emails**
- **Shortcut:** Quickly send templated emails or Slack messages.
- **Use Case:** Daily check-ins, standups, or quick replies.

### 8. **Run Terminal Commands**
- **Shortcut:** Quick access to your favorite or repetitive terminal commands without opening Terminal.
- **Example:** Run git pull/push, launch docker containers, start local servers.

### 9. **Manage Reminders / To-Do Lists**
- **Shortcut:** Quickly add or view reminders from Apple Reminders or Todoist if integrated.

### 10. **Window Management Shortcuts**
- **Shortcut:** Move and resize windows to specific positions or desktops.
- **Example:** Maximize current window, move to second monitor, etc.
- **How:** Use tools like `yabai` with Raycast extensions or AppleScript.

---

### Bonus: Popular Raycast Extensions You Can Tie Shortcuts To
- **1Password**: Fill passwords or copy OTP codes.
- **GitHub**: Quick access to repos, issues, PRs.
- **AWS**: Check resources or trigger scripts.
- **Notion**: Create pages or search your workspace.
- **Calendar**: Quickly create or view events.

---

### How to Add Shortcuts in Raycast

1. Open Raycast (`Cmd + Space` default).
2. Go to **Extensions** or **Script Commands**.
3. Create or install desired commands.
4. Assign **Hotkeys** in Raycast Preferences → Extensions or Script Commands.

---

If you want, I can help you write some sample Raycast Script Commands to get started with any of these! Just let me know which ones sound most useful.
User: Could you teach me git
Assistant: Absolutely! I’d be happy to teach you Git. Git is a powerful version control system that helps you track changes in your code, collaborate with others, and manage your projects efficiently.

### Let’s start with the basics:

---

## 1. What is Git?

- Git is a **distributed version control system**, meaning every developer has a full copy of the code repository locally.
- It tracks changes in your files and helps you revert, branch, and merge code easily.
- Used widely in software development to collaborate and manage code history.

---

## 2. Key concepts in Git

- **Repository (repo):** A folder where your project’s code and Git history live.
- **Commit:** A snapshot of changes you’ve made with a message describing the changes.
- **Branch:** A separate line of development (think of it like a parallel universe of your code).
- **Merge:** Combine changes from one branch into another.
- **Remote:** A copy of your repo hosted elsewhere (e.g., GitHub, GitLab).
- **Clone:** Downloading a remote repository to your local machine.

---

## 3. Basic Git Workflow

### Step 1: Initialize a Git Repo (if you don’t already have one)

```bash
git init
```

This creates a hidden `.git` folder that tracks changes.

---

### Step 2: Add Files to the Staging Area

Before committing, you add files to the staging area:

```bash
git add filename        # adds a specific file
git add .               # adds all changes in current folder
```

---

### Step 3: Commit Your Changes

```bash
git commit -m "Your descriptive commit message"
```

This saves a snapshot of your staged changes.

---

### Step 4: Connect to a Remote Repository

If you want to push your code to GitHub or another host:

```bash
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repo.git
```

---

### Step 5: Push Your Commits to Remote

```bash
git push -u origin main
```

This uploads your local commits to the remote `main` branch.

---

### Step 6: Pull Latest Changes from Remote

```bash
git pull origin main
```

Fetches and merges changes from the remote to your local branch.

---

## 4. Useful Git Commands Cheat Sheet

| Command                       | What it does                                         |
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| `git status`                  | Shows changes and current branch                   |
| `git log`                     | Shows commit history                                |
| `git branch`                  | Lists branches; `git branch new-branch` creates one|
| `git checkout branch-name`   | Switch to another branch                            |
| `git checkout -b new-branch` | Create and switch to a new branch                   |
| `git merge branch-name`       | Merge changes from `branch-name` into current branch|
| `git diff`                    | Show unstaged changes                               |

---

## 5. How to Use Git with Raycast?

You can create shortcut scripts in Raycast for common Git tasks, such as:

- Quickly check `git status`
- Pull or push changes
- Create new branches
- Open your repo on GitHub in the browser

Would you like me to help you set up some Raycast shortcuts for Git commands? Or maybe we can practice some example workflows?

---

Feel free to tell me what your current level is or what you want to focus on: basic version control, branching, collaboration with remotes, conflict resolution, or something else!
User: Let's focus on branching
Assistant: Great choice! Branching is one of Git’s most powerful features. It allows you to create independent lines of development so you can work on new features, fix bugs, or experiment without affecting the main codebase.

---

## Understanding Branching in Git

- The **default branch** is usually called `main` or `master`.
- A **branch** is simply a pointer to a commit.
- When you create a new branch, Git creates a new pointer to the current commit, so you can start making changes separately.
- You can switch between branches and merge branches to incorporate changes.

---

## Common Branching Commands and Workflows

### 1. List branches

```bash
git branch
```

- Shows all local branches.
- The current branch is marked with an asterisk (`*`).

---

### 2. Create a new branch

```bash
git branch new-branch
```

- Creates a branch called `new-branch` based on the current HEAD.
- It does **not** switch to it automatically.

---

### 3. Switch to a branch

```bash
git checkout new-branch
```

- Moves your working directory to that branch.

Alternatively (Git 2.23+), you can combine create + switch:

```bash
git switch -c new-branch
```

---

### 4. Create and switch to a new branch (one step)

```bash
git checkout -b new-branch
```

or

```bash
git switch -c new-branch
```

---

### 5. Merge a branch into the current branch

Suppose you want to merge changes from `new-branch` into your current branch (`main` for example):

```bash
git checkout main          # switch to main if not on it
git merge new-branch       # merge changes from new-branch
```

- If everything merges cleanly, Git completes automatically.
- If conflicts happen, Git will prompt you to resolve them manually.

---

### 6. Delete a branch

After merging, to delete a branch locally:

```bash
git branch -d new-branch
```

If the branch hasn’t been merged and you want to delete it forcibly:

```bash
git branch -D new-branch
```

---

## Example Branching Workflow

1. Start on the main branch:

   ```bash
   git checkout main
   git pull origin main    # make sure it's updated
   ```

2. Create and switch to a new feature branch:

   ```bash
   git checkout -b feature-x
   ```

3. Make changes and commit on `feature-x`:

   ```bash
   git add .
   git commit -m "Add feature X"
   ```

4. Switch back to main and merge:

   ```bash
   git checkout main
   git merge feature-x
   ```

5. Push changes to remote:

   ```bash
   git push origin main
   ```

6. Delete `feature-x` if no longer needed:

   ```bash
   git branch -d feature-x
   ```

---

## Using Branching With Raycast

You can set up Raycast shortcuts or Script Commands for things like:

- Creating & switching branches (`git checkout -b {branchName}`)
- Listing branches
- Merging branches
- Deleting branches

Would you like me to help you write some Raycast Script Commands for common branching tasks? Or maybe walk you through resolving merge conflicts if they come up?
User: How would you structure git for absolute non-coders like writers who also need to do version control with their written material etc.
Assistant: Great question! Git isn’t just for code — it can be a powerful version control system for any type of text-based files, including writing projects like articles, novels, research papers, or scripts.

But since Git was designed with developers in mind, some parts can feel a bit technical or unintuitive for **non-coders like writers**. The key is to simplify the workflow, make branch usage intuitive, and leverage tools/UI that hide the complexity.

---

## How to Structure Git for Writers and Non-Coders

### 1. Keep it Simple: A Single Repository per Project

- One Git repository per writing project (e.g., a novel or book, a series of articles).
- Organize files in folders if needed (chapters, research, drafts).
- Use plain text formats whenever possible (Markdown `.md` or plain `.txt`) — Git tracks text diffs clearly.
- Optionally add a `.gitignore` for ignoring irrelevant files (`*.lock`, temp files, exported PDFs).

### 2. Branching Model: Minimal & Clear

For non-coders, you want to keep branching very simple:

- **`main` branch:** Holds the *final* or *polished* version of the manuscript.
- **`draft` or `working` branch:** Where all active writing and editing happens.
  
Or, if the project is collaborative:

- **One branch per writer/editor (named clearly):** e.g., `alice`, `bob`, where each person works independently.
- Merge to `main` only when the draft is ready or changes approved.

### 3. Commit Frequently With Meaningful Messages

Teach writers to commit often, with simple messages like:

- "Added chapter 2 draft"
- "Fixed typos in introduction"
- "Updated character names"
- "Rewrote ending paragraph"

This helps track progress in small, clear steps.

### 4. Use User-Friendly Git GUIs or Integrations

Because command line can be intimidating, choose easy tools:

- **Git GUI Clients:** Fork, GitHub Desktop, SourceTree — these have visual diffs and easy commit/branch management.
- **Raycast:** You can create simple commands to stage, commit, switch branches without typing commands.
- **VSCode:** Lightweight editor with Git built-in, showing diffs and change history.
- **Zettlr or Typora:** Markdown writers with Git support.

### 5. Collaboration: Use Remotes & Pull Requests for Editors/Authors

If multiple people collaborate:

- Use a Git hosting service like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.
- Use Pull Requests (PRs) or Merge Requests (MRs) so editors can review changes before merging.
- This process can be simplified by tutorials or templates — or done by a tech-savvy team member.

---

## Sample Simple Workflow for Writers (Non-Coders)

1. **Create Repo:** Initialize or clone the project repo.
  
2. **Use Single Branch:** Work on `main` or a `draft` branch.

3. **Make Changes:** Write or edit chapters daily.

4. **Stage & Commit:** Add changed files, commit with clear message.

5. **Push to Remote:** Save backup and share updates.

6. **Review History:** Use GUI or `git log` to track document versions.

7. **Optionally Create a Branch:** For big rewrites or experiments, create and switch to a new branch named e.g., `chapter3-rewrite`.

8. **Merge When Ready:** Merge the branch back to `main` after review.

---

## Example Git Commands Tailored for Writers

```bash
git init                          # create repo once
git add chapter1.md               # stage changes
git commit -m "Added chapter 1 draft"
git checkout -b draft             # optional: create working branch
git checkout main                 # switch back to polished version
git merge draft                   # merge draft work to main
git push origin main              # push to remote backup
```

---

## Tips to Make Git Less Intimidating for Writers

- Use **aliases** or simple shell scripts to simplify commands (e.g., `git-save` to add + commit).
- Create **Raycast script commands** or **macOS Automator actions** with buttons like `Save Draft`, `Switch to main`.
- Avoid branching unless needed to keep things linear and straightforward.
- Encourage frequent commits for checkpoints instead of large dumps.
- Use **visual diff tools** to see changes in familiar text form.
- Educate on resolving basic conflicts only if necessary (usually rare with writing).

---

## Summary

| Concept          | Simplified Example for Writers                   |
|------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| Repo             | One per project; store drafts & chapters         |
| Branches         | Only main & draft (or one per person if needed) |
| Commits          | Frequent saves with clear messages                |
| Tools            | GUI clients, Raycast shortcuts                    |
| Collaboration    | Pull requests or manual merges                    |

---

If you want, I can help you:

- Set up a beginner-friendly Git repository for a writing project
- Create simple Raycast scripts for commits, branch switching, and pushing
- Guide you through installing and using a Git GUI that’s great for writers
- Explain how to handle collaboration in language tailored for writers

Would you like to see example Raycast Script Commands or more user-friendly Git workflows next?
User: Raycast workflow for writers and git
Assistant: