Mini Sync — Dual-Push Repo Setup

Auto-sync a laptop repo to the Mac mini on every git push. Pattern: dual push URL + post-receive hook + updateInstead.

When to Use

• "sync this repo to the mini"
• "set up auto-push to mac mini"
• "replicate the agent-config sync pattern"
• Setting up a new dev tool / fork that Chip needs

Prerequisites

• SSH access: ssh mini-ts works (Host mini-ts in ~/.ssh/config → chipcarman@chips-mac-mini)
• Repo exists on GitHub (or other remote)
• You know the target path on the mini

Steps

1. Clone on the mini (if not already there)

ssh mini-ts "cd ~/dev && git clone <GITHUB_URL> <DIRNAME>"
ssh mini-ts "cd ~/dev/<DIRNAME> && git checkout <BRANCH>"

2. Enable push-to-working-tree

ssh mini-ts "cd ~/dev/<DIRNAME> && git config receive.denyCurrentBranch updateInstead"

This tells git to accept pushes to a non-bare repo and auto-update the working tree.

3. Add dual push URL on the laptop

cd /path/to/local/repo

# ⚠️ IMPORTANT: set-url --add --push REPLACES on first call, ADDS on second.
# Always add the SSH URL first, then re-add GitHub.
git remote set-url --add --push origin ssh://mini-ts/<MINI_FULL_PATH>
git remote set-url --add --push origin <GITHUB_URL>

Verify with git remote -v — you should see:

origin  <GITHUB_URL> (fetch)
origin  ssh://mini-ts/<MINI_PATH> (push)
origin  <GITHUB_URL> (push)

4. Create post-receive hook on the mini

This hook fires after receiving a push. The working tree is already updated by updateInstead — the hook handles any post-update tasks (npm install, build, etc.).

ssh mini-ts 'mkdir -p ~/dev/<DIRNAME>/.git/hooks && cat > ~/dev/<DIRNAME>/.git/hooks/post-receive << '\''HOOK'\''
#!/usr/bin/env bash
unset GIT_DIR GIT_WORK_TREE
REPO_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
cd "$REPO_DIR"

info()  { echo -e "\033[0;34m▸ <DIRNAME> (mini-ts):\033[0m $1" >&2; }
ok()    { echo -e "\033[0;32m✓ <DIRNAME> (mini-ts):\033[0m $1" >&2; }
warn()  { echo -e "\033[1;33m⚠ <DIRNAME> (mini-ts):\033[0m $1" >&2; }

needs_install=false
while read oldrev newrev refname; do
    if git diff --name-only "$oldrev" "$newrev" 2>/dev/null | grep -q "^package\.json$"; then
        needs_install=true
    fi
done

if [[ "$needs_install" == true ]]; then
    info "package.json changed — running npm install"
    if npm install --omit=dev >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        ok "npm install complete"
    else
        warn "npm install failed — run manually: cd $REPO_DIR && npm install"
    fi
fi

ok "Post-receive sync complete"
exit 0
HOOK
chmod +x ~/dev/<DIRNAME>/.git/hooks/post-receive'

Adapt the hook body for non-Node projects (e.g., run install.sh for agent-config).

5. Test

# Dry run — verify both URLs respond
git push --dry-run origin <BRANCH>

# Real test — make a trivial commit, push, verify mini, then revert
echo "" >> README.md && git add README.md && git commit -m "test: verify sync"
git push origin <BRANCH>
ssh mini-ts "cd ~/dev/<DIRNAME> && git log --oneline -1"  # should match
git reset --soft HEAD~1 && git checkout README.md
git push --force origin <BRANCH>

Currently Synced Repos

Repo	Laptop Path	Mini Path	Branch
agent-config	~/.agent-config	~/.agent-config	main
pi-messenger (fork)	~/...Projects/dev/pi-messenger	~/dev/pi-messenger-fork	feat/002-multi-runtime-support

Update this table when adding new repos.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Push rejected	Check receive.denyCurrentBranch is updateInstead
Hook doesn't fire	Check chmod +x on post-receive
Working tree not updated	unset GIT_DIR in hook is critical — git sets it during hook execution
Wrong branch on mini	Mini must be on the same branch you're pushing
Force push needed	Works fine — updateInstead handles force pushes