# Checking Every Repo by Hand Every Morning? There's a Faster Way

> cd, git status, open the notes, check the agent's work — ten times. Why the morning status round eats your best hour, and how to replace it with one screen.

- URL: https://shotmatic.app/blog/checking-every-repo-by-hand
- Category: Multi-Project
- Published: 2026-10-11
- Author: Tu Nguyen

## Key takeaways

- Checking each repo by hand every morning — git status, notes, agent output — can eat the first and best hour of the day.
- The round is the same questions every time: where is it, what's next, is it stuck, is it dirty?
- Answer those questions from files in each repo and show them on one screen, instead of visiting each repo.
- Use the saved hour for the decisions only you can make: what's stuck, and which three projects move today.

Morning routine, version one: open the terminal. `cd ~/code/game`. `git status`. Open the notes. What did the
agent do last night? `cd ../app`. `git status`. Open that chat. `cd ../book`…

Forty minutes later you know where everything stands. You haven't moved anything yet, and your freshest hour
is gone.

Part 4 of **Busy, Not Shipping** — the status round that feels like work and isn't.

## The same four questions, every time

Look closely at the round and it's always the same four questions for each repo:

1. **Where is it?** Which phase?
2. **What's next?** The next step.
3. **Is it stuck?** Waiting on something?
4. **Is it dirty?** Uncommitted changes?

None of those need you to visit the repo. They need the answers to be written down and gathered in one place.

## Write the answers where they live

Questions 1–3 come from a small status file the agent keeps in each repo — phase, next step, stuck reason.
Question 4 comes from git itself. Both can be read without opening a terminal in each folder.

Once they're read, show them together:

```text
GAME  Dino Buddies   Phase 8/14   next: test rewarded ad    ● stuck   git: clean
BOOK  Dog Training   Phase 5/9    next: draft section 2               git: 14 files
APP   Tip Split      Phase 5/6    next: 3 screenshot captions         git: clean
```

That's the whole round, on one screen, in the time it takes to read three lines. It's the view described in
[running 10 projects in parallel](https://shotmatic.app/blog/run-10-projects-in-parallel).

## Spend the hour on decisions

With the round gone, the morning becomes the part that actually needs you:

- **Stuck work first** — unblock it or park it on purpose (see
  [the blocker buried in your to-do list](https://shotmatic.app/blog/blocker-buried-in-your-todo-list)).
- **Dirty repos next** — review and push yesterday's leftovers (see
  [uncommitted work](https://shotmatic.app/blog/uncommitted-work-across-repos)).
- **Pick three** projects to move today.

Then start working. The whole thing takes minutes, and all of it is decisions.

## A script is fine to start

You don't need a tool to begin. A shell loop that prints `git status --short` and the first lines of each
state file is a big step up from visiting each repo. The important change is mental: **stop visiting, start
reading.**

## Where ShotMatic fits

ShotMatic is that screen: up to five boards, one line per task with phase and next step, stuck work at the top,
and a GIT strip on every board showing which repos are dirty — all read from the files already in your repos.

## FAQ

**How do I see the status of many git repositories at once?**

Either script a loop over git status for each repo, or use a dashboard that reads each repo's status and shows them together. The key is one view, not ten visits.

**What should a morning check of my projects include?**

For each project: its phase, its next step, whether it's stuck, and whether the repo has uncommitted changes. Anything more belongs in the project itself.

**How long should a daily project review take?**

Around five minutes for a handful of projects, if the status is already written down. If it takes longer, you're rediscovering status instead of reading it.