---
id: TASK-015
title: >-
  Make glint the editor for prose-based editor calls ($EDITOR dispatcher +
  per-tool)
status: "\U0001F7E6 Backlog"
assignee: []
created_date: '2026-06-29 16:36'
updated_date: '2026-06-29 16:41'
labels:
  - feature
  - release-2
dependencies: []
priority: medium
ordinal: 15000
---

## Description

<!-- SECTION:DESCRIPTION:BEGIN -->
Adoption feature. $EDITOR is one slot for everything, so a coder keeps their code editor there — but the prose-oriented editor calls (git commit/rebase/merge/tag messages, jj describe, AND gum/huh 'open in editor' prompts, crontab -e, etc.) should be able to reach glint without taking over $EDITOR for code. There is no OS-level text-vs-code split; it must be done per-tool or via a dispatcher.

Two complementary approaches, ideally both offered by a glint setup step (glint -c or a command), idempotent + reversible, documented in the README:

1) Per-tool config (precise, no extension guessing):
   - git: 'git config --global core.editor glint'
   - jj:  'jj config set --user ui.editor glint'
   These leave $EDITOR alone.

2) $EDITOR dispatcher wrapper (general — covers ANY tool that calls $EDITOR, including gum/huh Text fields, crontab -e):
   A small script set as $EDITOR that routes by the temp file's extension/name — prose (*.md, *.markdown, *.txt, *COMMIT_EDITMSG*, generic temp) -> glint; everything else -> the user's code editor (nvim/etc.). glint ships/generates the script and points $EDITOR at it. Caveat: extension-based, so tools using an unhinted generic temp name hit the fallback; huh apps can set EditorExtension('.md') but the end user doesn't control that.

One-shot editor mode already works: a tool calls 'glint <tmpfile>', user edits, Ctrl+S saves, Ctrl+Q exits, the tool reads the saved file. Verify glint opens/edits/saves cleanly on non-.md tmpfiles (git COMMIT_EDITMSG); consider a save-on-quit safety so an unsaved message isn't silently empty. Positioning: glint is the terminal WRITING app owning prose edits, not the universal default editor.
<!-- SECTION:DESCRIPTION:END -->

## Acceptance Criteria
<!-- AC:BEGIN -->
- [ ] #1 A glint command / config step sets git core.editor (and jj ui.editor) to glint, leaving $EDITOR untouched
- [ ] #2 It is idempotent and offers an undo/unset
- [ ] #3 glint opens, edits, and saves cleanly when invoked one-shot on a non-.md tmpfile (e.g. git COMMIT_EDITMSG)
- [ ] #4 README documents the manual git/jj one-liners
- [ ] #5 glint setup can install a $EDITOR dispatcher wrapper that routes prose temp files to glint and code to the user's editor (covers gum/huh, crontab, git)
<!-- AC:END -->