Merge pull request #1463 from Runfusion/gsxdsm/issue-1455-initialize-git-repository

fix(FN-1455): initialize git during project registration

packages/cli/src/commands/__tests__/ensure-project-registered.test.ts

@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ describe("ensureCwdProjectRegistered", () => {
     });
 
     expect(result).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(existsSync(join(cwd, ".git"))).toBe(true);
     expect(existsSync(join(cwd, ".fusion"))).toBe(true);
     expect(existsSync(join(cwd, ".fusion", "fusion.db"))).toBe(true);
     expect(ensureSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
@@ -156,6 +157,7 @@ describe("ensureCwdProjectRegistered", () => {
     expect(errorSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       expect.stringContaining("[serve] Failed to auto-register current project: boom"),
     );
+    expect(readProjectIdentity(cwd)).toBeNull();
 
     await central.close();
   });

packages/cli/src/commands/__tests__/init.test.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { join } from "node:path";
 import { runInit } from "../init.js";
 import { exec } from "node:child_process";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
+import { GitRepositoryInitializationError } from "@fusion/core";
 
 const execAsync = promisify(exec);
 
@@ -158,6 +159,14 @@ describe("init command", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("propagates Git initialization failures instead of reporting local init success", async () => {
+    const error = new GitRepositoryInitializationError(tempProjectDir, "git is not installed");
+    mockEnsureProjectForPath.mockRejectedValueOnce(error);
+
+    await expect(runInit({ path: tempProjectDir })).rejects.toBe(error);
+    expect(mockCentralClose).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("should be idempotent - report already initialized", async () => {
     // First init
     await runInit({ path: tempProjectDir });
@@ -358,7 +367,7 @@ describe("init command", () => {
     expect(Number(commitCount)).toBe(1);
   });
 
-  it("does not create git repository without --git and logs a hint", async () => {
+  it("delegates registration without --git and does not log a manual git hint", async () => {
     const originalLog = console.log;
     const logs: string[] = [];
     console.log = (...args: unknown[]) => {
@@ -372,6 +381,41 @@ describe("init command", () => {
     }
 
     expect(existsSync(join(tempProjectDir, ".git"))).toBe(false);
-    expect(logs.join("\n")).toContain("Not a git repository. Run 'fn init --git' to auto-initialize one.");
+    expect(mockEnsureProjectForPath).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        path: tempProjectDir,
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(logs.join("\n")).not.toContain("Not a git repository");
+  });
+
+  it("logs when shared registration initializes git without --git", async () => {
+    mockEnsureProjectForPath.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+      outcome: "registered",
+      gitRepository: "initialized",
+      project: {
+        id: "proj_test",
+        name: "test-project",
+        path: tempProjectDir,
+        isolationMode: "in-process",
+        status: "initializing",
+        createdAt: "",
+        updatedAt: "",
+      },
+    });
+
+    const originalLog = console.log;
+    const logs: string[] = [];
+    console.log = (...args: unknown[]) => {
+      logs.push(args.join(" "));
+    };
+
+    try {
+      await runInit({ path: tempProjectDir });
+    } finally {
+      console.log = originalLog;
+    }
+
+    expect(logs.join("\n")).toContain("Initialized git repository");
   });
 });

packages/cli/src/commands/__tests__/project.test.ts

@@ -164,7 +164,12 @@ describe("project commands", () => {
     const { runProjectAdd } = await import("../project.js");
     await runProjectAdd("demo", ".", { force: true });
 
-    expect(mockRegisterProject).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(mockEnsureProjectForPath).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        name: "demo",
+        path: process.cwd(),
+      }),
+    );
     const lines = consoleSpy.mock.calls.map((call) => String(call[0]));
     expect(lines.some((line) => line.includes("Registered project 'demo'"))).toBe(true);
     expect(lines.some((line) => line.includes("Location:"))).toBe(true);
@@ -339,9 +344,9 @@ describe("project commands", () => {
     expect(output).toContain("Completed: 10");
   });
 
-  it("validation exits on missing required args for runProjectAdd", async () => {
+  it("validation exits on invalid project name for runProjectAdd", async () => {
     const { runProjectAdd } = await import("../project.js");
-    await expect(runProjectAdd("", "/tmp")).rejects.toThrow("process.exit:1");
+    await expect(runProjectAdd("bad name", "/tmp")).rejects.toThrow("process.exit:1");
   });
 
   it("validation exits on missing required args for runProjectRemove", async () => {
@@ -398,6 +403,32 @@ describe("project commands", () => {
       expect(output).toContain("Memory: initialized");
     });
 
+    it("shows git initialized message when shared registration creates a git repository", async () => {
+      mockListProjects.mockResolvedValue([]);
+      mockRegisterProject.mockResolvedValue({
+        id: "proj-1",
+        name: "demo",
+        path: "/fake/demo",
+        isolationMode: "in-process",
+      });
+      mockEnsureProjectForPath.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        outcome: "registered",
+        gitRepository: "initialized",
+        project: {
+          id: "proj-1",
+          name: "demo",
+          path: "/fake/demo",
+          isolationMode: "in-process",
+        },
+      });
+
+      const { runProjectAdd } = await import("../project.js");
+      await runProjectAdd("demo", testPath, { force: true });
+
+      const output = consoleSpy.mock.calls.map((call) => String(call[0])).join("\n");
+      expect(output).toContain("Git: initialized");
+    });
+
     it("does not show memory message when memory files already exist", async () => {
       mockListProjects.mockResolvedValue([]);
       mockRegisterProject.mockResolvedValue({

packages/cli/src/commands/init.ts

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { promisify } from "node:util";
 const execAsync = promisify(exec);
 import {
   CentralCore,
+  GitRepositoryInitializationError,
   QMD_INSTALL_COMMAND,
   isQmdAvailable,
   isValidSqliteDatabaseFile,
@@ -105,12 +106,9 @@ export async function runInit(options: InitOptions = {}): Promise<void> {
     console.log(`  ✓ Created .fusion/ directory`);
   }
 
-  const hasGitRepo = await isGitRepo(cwd);
-  if (!hasGitRepo && options.git) {
+  if (options.git && !(await isGitRepo(cwd))) {
     await initializeGitRepo(cwd);
     console.log(`  ✓ Initialized git repository`);
-  } else if (!hasGitRepo) {
-    console.log(`  ⚠ Not a git repository. Run 'fn init --git' to auto-initialize one.`);
   }
 
   // Add local Fusion/Pi storage directories to .gitignore
@@ -169,6 +167,9 @@ export async function runInit(options: InitOptions = {}): Promise<void> {
 
     maybeInstallClaudeSkillForNewProject(cwd);
 
+    if (ensured.gitRepository === "initialized") {
+      console.log(`  ✓ Initialized git repository`);
+    }
     console.log(`  ✓ Registered in central database`);
     console.log(`\n✓ Project "${project.name}" initialized successfully!`);
     console.log(`\n  Next steps:`);
@@ -178,6 +179,10 @@ export async function runInit(options: InitOptions = {}): Promise<void> {
 
     await central.close();
   } catch (err) {
+    if (err instanceof GitRepositoryInitializationError) {
+      await central.close();
+      throw err;
+    }
     // If central DB registration fails, still report success since local files are created
     console.log(`  ⚠ Could not register in central database: ${(err as Error).message}`);
     console.log(`\n✓ Project initialized locally (central registration can be done later)`);

packages/cli/src/commands/project.ts

@@ -394,6 +394,9 @@ export async function runProjectAdd(
     console.log(`    Location: ${formatDisplayPath(project.path)}`);
     console.log(`    ID: ${project.id}`);
     console.log(`    Isolation: ${project.isolationMode}`);
+    if (ensured.gitRepository === "initialized") {
+      console.log(`    Git: initialized`);
+    }
     if (memoryInitialized) {
       console.log(`    Memory: initialized`);
     }

packages/core/src/__tests__/central-core-ensure-project.test.ts

@@ -1,10 +1,26 @@
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
+import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
+import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { CentralCore } from "../central-core.js";
 import { ProjectIdentityConflictError } from "../project-identity.js";
 
+const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
+
+async function isGitRepository(path: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    const { stdout } = await execFileAsync("git", ["-C", path, "rev-parse", "--is-inside-work-tree"], {
+      encoding: "utf-8",
+      timeout: 10_000,
+    });
+    return stdout.trim() === "true";
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
 describe("CentralCore.ensureProjectForPath", () => {
   const cleanup: string[] = [];
   afterEach(() => cleanup.splice(0).forEach((p) => rmSync(p, { recursive: true, force: true })));
@@ -22,9 +38,12 @@ describe("CentralCore.ensureProjectForPath", () => {
 
     const first = await central.ensureProjectForPath({ path: p1, name: "A" });
     expect(first.reattached).toBe(false);
+    expect(first.gitRepository).toBe("initialized");
+    await expect(isGitRepository(p1)).resolves.toBe(true);
 
     const existing = await central.ensureProjectForPath({ path: p1, name: "A" });
     expect(existing.outcome).toBe("existing");
+    expect(existing.gitRepository).toBeUndefined();
 
     await central.unregisterProject(first.project.id);
     const events: Array<[string, string]> = [];
@@ -35,6 +54,7 @@ describe("CentralCore.ensureProjectForPath", () => {
       identity: { id: first.project.id, createdAt: first.project.createdAt },
     });
     expect(reattached.reattached).toBe(true);
+    expect(reattached.gitRepository).toBe("existing");
     expect(events).toEqual([[first.project.id, "identity-recovered"]]);
 
     await expect(
@@ -47,4 +67,69 @@ describe("CentralCore.ensureProjectForPath", () => {
 
     await central.close();
   });
+
+  it("leaves already-registered legacy paths untouched", async () => {
+    const globalDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "central-"));
+    const projectPath = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "proj-legacy-"));
+    cleanup.push(globalDir, projectPath);
+
+    const central = new CentralCore(globalDir);
+    await central.init();
+
+    const registered = await central.registerProject({ path: projectPath, name: "Legacy" });
+    expect(existsSync(join(projectPath, ".git"))).toBe(false);
+
+    const ensured = await central.ensureProjectForPath({ path: projectPath, name: "Legacy" });
+
+    expect(ensured.outcome).toBe("existing");
+    expect(ensured.project.id).toBe(registered.id);
+    expect(ensured.gitRepository).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(existsSync(join(projectPath, ".git"))).toBe(false);
+
+    await central.close();
+  });
+
+  it("does not persist fresh registrations when git initialization fails", async () => {
+    const globalDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "central-"));
+    const projectPath = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "proj-fail-"));
+    cleanup.push(globalDir, projectPath);
+
+    const central = new CentralCore(globalDir, {
+      ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath: async () => {
+        throw new Error("Could not initialize Git repository at project: git is not installed");
+      },
+    });
+    await central.init();
+
+    await expect(central.ensureProjectForPath({ path: projectPath, name: "Fail" })).rejects.toThrow(
+      "Could not initialize Git repository",
+    );
+    await expect(central.getProjectByPath(projectPath)).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+
+    await central.close();
+  });
+
+  it("does not persist reattachments when git initialization fails", async () => {
+    const globalDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "central-"));
+    const projectPath = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "proj-reattach-fail-"));
+    cleanup.push(globalDir, projectPath);
+
+    const central = new CentralCore(globalDir, {
+      ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath: async () => {
+        throw new Error("Could not initialize Git repository at project: permission denied");
+      },
+    });
+    await central.init();
+
+    await expect(
+      central.ensureProjectForPath({
+        path: projectPath,
+        name: "Fail",
+        identity: { id: "proj_abcdef1234567890", createdAt: "2026-06-06T00:00:00.000Z" },
+      }),
+    ).rejects.toThrow("Could not initialize Git repository");
+    await expect(central.getProject("proj_abcdef1234567890")).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+
+    await central.close();
+  });
 });

packages/core/src/__tests__/first-run.test.ts

@@ -1,18 +1,34 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdirSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { realpath } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { tempWorkspace } from "@fusion/test-utils";
 import { FirstRunExperience, createFirstRunExperience } from "../first-run.js";
 import { CentralCore } from "../central-core.js";
 
+const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
+
 // Helper to create a fake kb project structure
 function createFakeKbProject(dir: string): void {
   mkdirSync(join(dir, ".fusion"), { recursive: true });
   writeFileSync(join(dir, ".fusion", "fusion.db"), "");
 }
 
+async function isGitRepository(path: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    const { stdout } = await execFileAsync("git", ["-C", path, "rev-parse", "--is-inside-work-tree"], {
+      encoding: "utf-8",
+      timeout: 10_000,
+    });
+    return stdout.trim() === "true";
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
 const TEST_FILE_DIR = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
 
 function getSafeCwd(): string {
@@ -187,6 +203,7 @@ describe("FirstRunExperience", () => {
       expect(result.success).toBe(true);
       expect(result.projects).toHaveLength(1);
       expect(result.projects[0].name).toBe("new-project");
+      await expect(isGitRepository(projectDir)).resolves.toBe(true);
       expect(result.nextSteps.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
     });
 

packages/core/src/__tests__/git-repository.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
+import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { promisify } from "node:util";
+import {
+  ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath,
+  GitRepositoryInitializationError,
+  type GitRepositoryCommandRunner,
+} from "../git-repository.js";
+
+const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
+
+async function git(cwd: string, args: string[]): Promise<string> {
+  const { stdout } = await execFileAsync("git", args, {
+    cwd,
+    timeout: 10_000,
+    encoding: "utf-8",
+  });
+  return stdout.trim();
+}
+
+describe("ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath", () => {
+  const cleanup: string[] = [];
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    cleanup.splice(0).forEach((path) => rmSync(path, { recursive: true, force: true }));
+  });
+
+  function tempDir(prefix: string): string {
+    const path = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), prefix));
+    cleanup.push(path);
+    return path;
+  }
+
+  it("initializes an empty directory without creating commits or files", async () => {
+    const projectPath = tempDir("fusion-git-init-");
+
+    const outcome = await ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath(projectPath);
+
+    expect(outcome).toBe("initialized");
+    expect(existsSync(join(projectPath, ".git"))).toBe(true);
+    await expect(git(projectPath, ["rev-parse", "--is-inside-work-tree"])).resolves.toBe("true");
+    await expect(git(projectPath, ["rev-parse", "--verify", "HEAD"])).rejects.toThrow();
+    expect(existsSync(join(projectPath, ".gitkeep"))).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("leaves an existing repository commits, config, and remotes unchanged", async () => {
+    const projectPath = tempDir("fusion-git-existing-");
+    await git(projectPath, ["init"]);
+    await git(projectPath, ["config", "user.name", "Existing User"]);
+    await git(projectPath, ["config", "user.email", "existing@example.com"]);
+    writeFileSync(join(projectPath, "README.md"), "# Existing\n");
+    await git(projectPath, ["add", "README.md"]);
+    await git(projectPath, ["commit", "-m", "existing commit"]);
+    await git(projectPath, ["remote", "add", "origin", "https://github.com/example/repo.git"]);
+
+    const beforeCommitCount = await git(projectPath, ["rev-list", "--count", "HEAD"]);
+    const beforeUserName = await git(projectPath, ["config", "user.name"]);
+    const beforeRemote = await git(projectPath, ["remote", "get-url", "origin"]);
+
+    const outcome = await ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath(projectPath);
+
+    expect(outcome).toBe("existing");
+    await expect(git(projectPath, ["rev-list", "--count", "HEAD"])).resolves.toBe(beforeCommitCount);
+    await expect(git(projectPath, ["config", "user.name"])).resolves.toBe(beforeUserName);
+    await expect(git(projectPath, ["remote", "get-url", "origin"])).resolves.toBe(beforeRemote);
+  });
+
+  it("treats a linked worktree with .git as a file as an existing repository", async () => {
+    const repoPath = tempDir("fusion-git-worktree-repo-");
+    const worktreeParent = tempDir("fusion-git-worktree-parent-");
+    const worktreePath = join(worktreeParent, "linked");
+    await git(repoPath, ["init"]);
+    await git(repoPath, ["config", "user.name", "Existing User"]);
+    await git(repoPath, ["config", "user.email", "existing@example.com"]);
+    writeFileSync(join(repoPath, "README.md"), "# Existing\n");
+    await git(repoPath, ["add", "README.md"]);
+    await git(repoPath, ["commit", "-m", "existing commit"]);
+    await git(repoPath, ["worktree", "add", worktreePath]);
+
+    const outcome = await ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath(worktreePath);
+
+    expect(outcome).toBe("existing");
+    expect(existsSync(join(worktreePath, ".git"))).toBe(true);
+    await expect(git(worktreePath, ["rev-parse", "--is-inside-work-tree"])).resolves.toBe("true");
+  });
+
+  it("throws an actionable error when git init fails", async () => {
+    const projectPath = tempDir("fusion-git-fail-");
+    const runner: GitRepositoryCommandRunner = async (_command, args) => {
+      if (args.includes("rev-parse")) {
+        throw new Error("not a repository");
+      }
+      throw Object.assign(new Error("spawn git ENOENT"), { stderr: "git is not installed" });
+    };
+
+    await expect(
+      ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath(projectPath, { runner }),
+    ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+      name: "GitRepositoryInitializationError",
+      path: projectPath,
+      causeMessage: "git is not installed",
+    });
+    await expect(
+      ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath(projectPath, { runner }),
+    ).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(GitRepositoryInitializationError);
+  });
+});

packages/core/src/__tests__/migration.test.ts

@@ -3,9 +3,11 @@
  */
 
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { mkdirSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
+import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { tempWorkspace, useIsolatedCwd } from "@fusion/test-utils";
 import {
   FirstRunDetector,
@@ -16,6 +18,8 @@ import {
 } from "../migration.js";
 import { CentralCore } from "../central-core.js";
 
+const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
+
 // Helper to create a fake kb project
 function createFakeKbProject(dir: string): void {
   const kbDir = join(dir, ".fusion");
@@ -24,6 +28,18 @@ function createFakeKbProject(dir: string): void {
   writeFileSync(join(kbDir, "fusion.db"), "");
 }
 
+async function isGitRepository(path: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    const { stdout } = await execFileAsync("git", ["-C", path, "rev-parse", "--is-inside-work-tree"], {
+      encoding: "utf-8",
+      timeout: 10_000,
+    });
+    return stdout.trim() === "true";
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
 function createInvalidKbProject(dir: string): void {
   const kbDir = join(dir, ".fusion");
   mkdirSync(kbDir, { recursive: true });
@@ -469,6 +485,8 @@ describe("MigrationCoordinator", () => {
       expect(result.success).toBe(true);
       expect(result.projectsRegistered).toHaveLength(2);
       expect(result.errors).toHaveLength(0);
+      await expect(isGitRepository(tempProjectDir1)).resolves.toBe(true);
+      await expect(isGitRepository(tempProjectDir2)).resolves.toBe(true);
     });
 
     it("should skip already registered projects", async () => {

packages/core/src/central-core.ts

@@ -93,6 +93,10 @@ import {
   ProjectIdentityConflictError,
   type ProjectIdentity,
 } from "./project-identity.js";
+import {
+  ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath,
+  type GitRepositoryEnsureOutcome,
+} from "./git-repository.js";
 // ── Event Types ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 export interface CentralCoreEvents {
@@ -161,6 +165,11 @@ export interface EnsureProjectForPathResult {
   project: RegisteredProject;
   reattached: boolean;
   outcome: "existing" | "reattached" | "registered";
+  gitRepository?: GitRepositoryEnsureOutcome;
+}
+
+export interface CentralCoreOptions {
+  ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath?: typeof ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath;
 }
 
 export class CentralCore extends EventEmitter<CentralCoreEvents> {
@@ -170,6 +179,7 @@ export class CentralCore extends EventEmitter<CentralCoreEvents> {
   private nodeDiscovery: NodeDiscovery | null = null;
   private discoveryConfig: DiscoveryConfig | null = null;
   private readonly discoveredNodes = new Map<string, DiscoveredNode>();
+  private readonly ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath: typeof ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath;
 
   private readonly onDiscoveryNodeDiscovered = (node: DiscoveredNode): void => {
     void this.handleDiscoveryNodeDiscovered(node).catch((error) => {
@@ -194,10 +204,12 @@ export class CentralCore extends EventEmitter<CentralCoreEvents> {
    * @param globalDir — Directory for central database. Defaults to `~/.fusion/`.
    *                  Accepts a custom path for testing.
    */
-  constructor(globalDir?: string) {
+  constructor(globalDir?: string, options: CentralCoreOptions = {}) {
     super();
     this.setMaxListeners(100);
     this.globalDir = resolveGlobalDir(globalDir);
+    this.ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath =
+      options.ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath ?? ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -424,6 +436,7 @@ export class CentralCore extends EventEmitter<CentralCoreEvents> {
     if (input.identity?.id) {
       const byId = await this.getProject(input.identity.id);
       if (!byId) {
+        const gitRepository = await this.ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath(input.path);
         const reattached = await this.registerProject({
           id: input.identity.id,
           name: input.name ?? basename(input.path),
@@ -433,7 +446,7 @@ export class CentralCore extends EventEmitter<CentralCoreEvents> {
           settings: input.settings,
         });
         this.emit("project:reattached", reattached, "identity-recovered");
-        return { project: reattached, reattached: true, outcome: "reattached" };
+        return { project: reattached, reattached: true, outcome: "reattached", gitRepository };
       }
       if (byId.path !== input.path) {
         throw new ProjectIdentityConflictError(input.identity.id, byId.path, input.path);
@@ -441,6 +454,7 @@ export class CentralCore extends EventEmitter<CentralCoreEvents> {
       return { project: byId, reattached: false, outcome: "existing" };
     }
 
+    const gitRepository = await this.ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath(input.path);
     const registered = await this.registerProject({
       name: input.name ?? basename(input.path),
       path: input.path,
@@ -448,7 +462,7 @@ export class CentralCore extends EventEmitter<CentralCoreEvents> {
       nodeId: input.nodeId,
       settings: input.settings,
     });
-    return { project: registered, reattached: false, outcome: "registered" };
+    return { project: registered, reattached: false, outcome: "registered", gitRepository };
   }
 
   /**

packages/core/src/git-repository.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
+import { promisify } from "node:util";
+
+const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
+const DEFAULT_GIT_TIMEOUT_MS = 10_000;
+
+export type GitRepositoryEnsureOutcome = "existing" | "initialized";
+
+export interface GitRepositoryCommandResult {
+  stdout: string;
+  stderr: string;
+}
+
+export type GitRepositoryCommandRunner = (
+  command: string,
+  args: string[],
+  options: { cwd?: string; timeout: number },
+) => Promise<GitRepositoryCommandResult>;
+
+export interface EnsureGitRepositoryOptions {
+  runner?: GitRepositoryCommandRunner;
+  timeoutMs?: number;
+}
+
+export class GitRepositoryInitializationError extends Error {
+  readonly path: string;
+  readonly causeMessage: string;
+
+  constructor(path: string, causeMessage: string) {
+    super(`Could not initialize Git repository at ${path}: ${causeMessage}`);
+    this.name = "GitRepositoryInitializationError";
+    this.path = path;
+    this.causeMessage = causeMessage;
+  }
+}
+
+export async function ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath(
+  projectPath: string,
+  options: EnsureGitRepositoryOptions = {},
+): Promise<GitRepositoryEnsureOutcome> {
+  const runner = options.runner ?? runGitCommand;
+  const timeout = options.timeoutMs ?? DEFAULT_GIT_TIMEOUT_MS;
+
+  if (await isInsideGitWorkTree(projectPath, runner, timeout)) {
+    return "existing";
+  }
+
+  try {
+    await runner("git", ["-C", projectPath, "init"], { timeout });
+    return "initialized";
+  } catch (error) {
+    throw new GitRepositoryInitializationError(projectPath, extractCommandErrorMessage(error));
+  }
+}
+
+async function isInsideGitWorkTree(
+  projectPath: string,
+  runner: GitRepositoryCommandRunner,
+  timeout: number,
+): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    const result = await runner("git", ["-C", projectPath, "rev-parse", "--is-inside-work-tree"], { timeout });
+    return result.stdout.trim() === "true";
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+async function runGitCommand(
+  command: string,
+  args: string[],
+  options: { cwd?: string; timeout: number },
+): Promise<GitRepositoryCommandResult> {
+  const result = await execFileAsync(command, args, {
+    cwd: options.cwd,
+    timeout: options.timeout,
+    encoding: "utf-8",
+  });
+
+  return {
+    stdout: result.stdout ?? "",
+    stderr: result.stderr ?? "",
+  };
+}
+
+function extractCommandErrorMessage(error: unknown): string {
+  if (error && typeof error === "object") {
+    const maybe = error as { stderr?: unknown; stdout?: unknown; message?: unknown; code?: unknown };
+    for (const value of [maybe.stderr, maybe.stdout, maybe.message]) {
+      if (typeof value === "string" && value.trim().length > 0) {
+        return value.trim();
+      }
+    }
+    if (maybe.code !== undefined) {
+      return `git exited with code ${String(maybe.code)}`;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return String(error);
+}

packages/core/src/index.ts

@@ -112,6 +112,16 @@ export {
   stripMovedSettingsKeys,
   patchContainsMovedKey,
 } from "./moved-settings.js";
+export {
+  ensureGitRepositoryForProjectPath,
+  GitRepositoryInitializationError,
+} from "./git-repository.js";
+export type {
+  GitRepositoryCommandResult,
+  GitRepositoryCommandRunner,
+  GitRepositoryEnsureOutcome,
+  EnsureGitRepositoryOptions,
+} from "./git-repository.js";
 
 // ── Trait model (U2) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 export type {

packages/dashboard/src/__tests__/project-routes.test.ts

@@ -830,6 +830,26 @@ describe("POST /api/projects route handler", () => {
     expect((res.body as any).error).toContain("bad identity json");
   });
 
+  it("does not activate the project when shared registration fails", async () => {
+    const store = new MockStoreForRoutes();
+    const app = await createApp(store);
+    mockEnsureProjectForPath.mockRejectedValueOnce(
+      new Error("Could not initialize Git repository at /tmp: git is not installed"),
+    );
+
+    const res = await request(
+      app,
+      "POST",
+      "/api/projects",
+      JSON.stringify({ name: "Test Project", path: "/tmp" }),
+      { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+    );
+
+    expect(res.status).toBe(500);
+    expect((res.body as any).error).toContain("Could not initialize Git repository");
+    expect(mockUpdateProject).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("calls ensureMemoryFileWithBackend after project activation", async () => {
     const store = new MockStoreForRoutes();
     const app = await createApp(store);