# Mercurial

Distributed version control with sharing phases, suited to an established hg workflow.

ID: mercurial
Language: en
Revision: 1
Translation source revision: 1
Canonical: https://kickoff.jujin.dev/en/catalog/mercurial/

## Why: the goal or problem

A translation tool helps volunteers revise interface strings. Its maintainers already use hg scripts. They need to distinguish revisable work from shared history without migrating that workflow to Git.

## How: work toward a solution

Commit a wording fix locally as draft. Push to the team’s publishing repository: that change becomes public on both sides. Check its phase before rewriting history.

## What: the concept

Mercurial is distributed version control. Phases track sharing, not access permissions: public does not mean an internet-visible repository. Non-publishing remotes can exchange drafts. Git may fit better when required integrations expect Git.

[Source](https://www.mercurial-scm.org/help/topics/phases)

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# Go further

Optional reading · separate from the overview

## Selection & comparison

Both Mercurial and Git support local commits and distributed collaboration. Prefer retaining Mercurial when existing hg automation and team knowledge have value. If required review services accept only Git, compare migration effort explicitly. SVN instead records commits centrally; P4 may fit established binary-asset workflows.

## Applications

The translation tool records a wording fix in a local repository. With default draft commits and a publishing remote, pushing advances its phase to public. A non-publishing collaboration repository can retain draft changes. Public records sharing status; private access controls remain a separate concern.

## Implementation & cautions

Check remote publishing configuration and the phase before using history-editing extensions. Secret changes are not normally exchanged, but phases are not an authorization system or secret store. Verify supported extensions and host compatibility. Test translated text conflicts and history migration with a copy before changing the team’s tools.

## Evidence

- [Mercurial: Working with Phases](https://www.mercurial-scm.org/help/topics/phases) — Draft changes become public on a publishing remote; non-publishing repositories can exchange drafts. (Checked: 2026-09-27)
- [Mercurial Guide](https://www.mercurial-scm.org/guide) — Local commits and exchange through push and pull. (Checked: 2026-09-27)