On 30/07/2025 07:27, Tach via GitGitGadget wrote:
> From: tacherasasi <[email protected]>
> > Add a new --json flag to 'git status' that outputs repository state
> in a structured JSON format. This enables reliable machine parsing
> of status information for tools and automation.
> > The JSON output includes:
> - Branch information (name, detached state, ahead/behind counts)
> - Staged files array
> - Unstaged files array
> - Untracked files array
> - Ignored files array (with --ignored flag)
> > Implementation details:
> - Add STATUS_FORMAT_JSON to wt_status_format enum
> - Add JSON output option to git status and git commit
> - Implement JSON formatting helpers for arrays and branch info
> - Structure output for easy parsing and future extensibility
> > Example:
>    $ git status --json
>    {
>      "branch": {
>        "current": "main",
>        "detached": false
>      },
>      "staged": ["file1.txt"],
>      "unstaged": ["file2.txt"],
>      "untracked": ["file3.txt"]
>    }
> > This provides a robust alternative to parsing traditional output
> formats, making it easier to build reliable tools and automation
> around Git status information.

What problem are you having paring the current output? You say this patch provides a robust alternative but I'm afraid it does not seem to handle filenames containing newlines or double quotes and it assumes they are utf-8 encoded. It also seems to print a trailing comma if an array has more than one item which is not allowed by the json spec. We already have support for generating json output as documented json-writer.h which will help with most of that but not the filename encoding problem. New features should also be accompanied by tests to prevent future regressions. I'm not opposed to adding json output if it is robust and handles non utf-8 filenames but it would be helpful to understand what problems you are having parsing the output of "git status --porcelain[=v2]".

Thanks

Phillip

> Signed-off-by: Tachera Sasi <[email protected]>
> Signed-off-by: tacherasasi <[email protected]>
> ---
>      status: add --json output format to git status
> > Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-1937%2FtacheraSasi%2Ffeature%2Fjson-status-output-v1
> Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-1937/tacheraSasi/feature/json-status-output-v1
> Pull-Request: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/pull/1937
> >   builtin/commit.c |  9 ++++-
>   wt-status.c      | 98 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>   wt-status.h      |  1 +
>   3 files changed, 107 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
> > diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
> index fba0dded64a..f1db4fdfd9a 100644
> --- a/builtin/commit.c
> +++ b/builtin/commit.c
> @@ -1540,6 +1540,9 @@ struct repository *repo UNUSED)
>   		OPT_SET_INT(0, "long", &status_format,
>   			    N_("show status in long format (default)"),
>   			    STATUS_FORMAT_LONG),
> +		OPT_SET_INT(0, "json", &status_format,
> +		    N_("show status in JSON format"),
> +		    STATUS_FORMAT_JSON),
>   		OPT_BOOL('z', "null", &s.null_termination,
>   			 N_("terminate entries with NUL")),
>   		{
> @@ -1603,7 +1606,8 @@ struct repository *repo UNUSED)
>   		       prefix, argv);
>   >   	if (status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN &&
> -	    status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2)
> +	    status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2 &&
> +	    status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_JSON)
>   		progress_flag = REFRESH_PROGRESS;
>   	repo_read_index(the_repository);
>   	refresh_index(the_repository->index,
> @@ -1735,6 +1739,9 @@ int cmd_commit(int argc,
>   		OPT_SET_INT(0, "long", &status_format,
>   			    N_("show status in long format (default)"),
>   			    STATUS_FORMAT_LONG),
> +		OPT_SET_INT(0, "json", &status_format,
> +		    N_("show status in JSON format"),
> +		    STATUS_FORMAT_JSON),
>   		OPT_BOOL('z', "null", &s.null_termination,
>   			 N_("terminate entries with NUL")),
>   		OPT_BOOL(0, "amend", &amend, N_("amend previous commit")),
> diff --git a/wt-status.c b/wt-status.c
> index 454601afa15..7192fb4d057 100644
> --- a/wt-status.c
> +++ b/wt-status.c
> @@ -2564,6 +2564,101 @@ static void wt_porcelain_v2_print(struct wt_status *s)
>   	}
>   }
>   > +
> +static void wt_json_print_string_array(struct wt_status *s, const char *name, struct string_list *list)
> +{
> +	int i;
> +	fprintf(s->fp, "  \"%s\": [", name);
> +	for (i = 0; i < list->nr; i++) {
> +		if (i > 0)
> +			fprintf(s->fp, ", ");
> +		fprintf(s->fp, "\"%s\"", list->items[i].string);
> +	}
> +	fprintf(s->fp, "]");
> +}
> +
> +static void wt_json_print_change_array(struct wt_status *s, const char *name, int change_type)
> +{
> +	int i;
> +	struct string_list files = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
> +
> +	for (i = 0; i < s->change.nr; i++) {
> +		struct wt_status_change_data *d;
> +		struct string_list_item *it;
> +		it = &(s->change.items[i]);
> +		d = it->util;
> +
> +		if ((change_type == WT_STATUS_UPDATED && d->index_status &&
> +		     d->index_status != DIFF_STATUS_UNMERGED) ||
> +		    (change_type == WT_STATUS_CHANGED && d->worktree_status &&
> +		     d->worktree_status != DIFF_STATUS_UNMERGED)) {
> +			string_list_append(&files, it->string);
> +		}
> +	}
> +
> +	wt_json_print_string_array(s, name, &files);
> +	string_list_clear(&files, 0);
> +}
> +
> +static void wt_json_print_branch_info(struct wt_status *s)
> +{
> +	struct branch *branch;
> +	const char *branch_name;
> +	int ahead = 0, behind = 0;
> +
> +	fprintf(s->fp, "  \"branch\": {\n");
> +
> +	if (s->branch && !s->is_initial) {
> +		if (!strcmp(s->branch, "HEAD")) {
> +			fprintf(s->fp, "    \"current\": \"HEAD\",\n");
> +			fprintf(s->fp, "    \"detached\": true");
> +		} else {
> +			if (skip_prefix(s->branch, "refs/heads/", &branch_name)) {
> +				fprintf(s->fp, "    \"current\": \"%s\",\n", branch_name);
> +				fprintf(s->fp, "    \"detached\": false");
> +
> +				branch = branch_get(branch_name);
> +				if (branch && branch->merge && branch->merge[0] && branch->merge[0]->dst) {
> +					if (!stat_tracking_info(branch, &ahead, &behind, NULL, 0, 0)) {
> +						fprintf(s->fp, ",\n    \"ahead\": %d,\n    \"behind\": %d", ahead, behind);
> +					}
> +				}
> +			} else {
> +				fprintf(s->fp, "    \"current\": \"%s\",\n", s->branch);
> +				fprintf(s->fp, "    \"detached\": false");
> +			}
> +		}
> +	} else {
> +		fprintf(s->fp, "    \"current\": null,\n");
> +		fprintf(s->fp, "    \"detached\": false");
> +	}
> +
> +	fprintf(s->fp, "\n  }");
> +}
> +
> +static void wt_json_status_print(struct wt_status *s)
> +{
> +	fprintf(s->fp, "{\n");
> +
> +	wt_json_print_branch_info(s);
> +	fprintf(s->fp, ",\n");
> +
> +	wt_json_print_change_array(s, "staged", WT_STATUS_UPDATED);
> +	fprintf(s->fp, ",\n");
> +
> +	wt_json_print_change_array(s, "unstaged", WT_STATUS_CHANGED);
> +	fprintf(s->fp, ",\n");
> +
> +	wt_json_print_string_array(s, "untracked", &s->untracked);
> +
> +	if (s->ignored.nr > 0) {
> +		fprintf(s->fp, ",\n");
> +		wt_json_print_string_array(s, "ignored", &s->ignored);
> +	}
> +
> +	fprintf(s->fp, "\n}\n");
> +}
> +
>   void wt_status_print(struct wt_status *s)
>   {
>   	trace2_data_intmax("status", s->repo, "count/changed", s->change.nr);
> @@ -2583,6 +2678,9 @@ void wt_status_print(struct wt_status *s)
>   	case STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2:
>   		wt_porcelain_v2_print(s);
>   		break;
> +	case STATUS_FORMAT_JSON:
> +		wt_json_status_print(s);
> +		break;
>   	case STATUS_FORMAT_UNSPECIFIED:
>   		BUG("finalize_deferred_config() should have been called");
>   		break;
> diff --git a/wt-status.h b/wt-status.h
> index 4e377ce62b8..e929af832b2 100644
> --- a/wt-status.h
> +++ b/wt-status.h
> @@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ enum wt_status_format {
>   	STATUS_FORMAT_SHORT,
>   	STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN,
>   	STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2,
> +	STATUS_FORMAT_JSON,
>   >   	STATUS_FORMAT_UNSPECIFIED
>   };
> > base-commit: cb3b40381e1d5ee32dde96521ad7cfd68eb308a6

Hi Tachera

On 30/07/2025 10:15, Tachera W sasi wrote:
> > For v2, I will:
>    * Rework the patch to use `json-writer.h` so escaping and JSON > compliance are handled
>      properly.

That will handle the escaping problems but we still have the problem that filenames and refnames are not guaranteed to be utf-8 encoded. I think the only way to handle that is to base64 encode them so that the caller can retrieve the raw bytes. See https://lore.kernel.org/git/[email protected]/ for a previous discussion about this.

>    * Add tests covering filenames with quotes, newlines, and non-UTF-8 > cases.
>    * Include tests under `t/` to prevent future regressions.

That's great, you should update Documentation/git-status.adoc as well to document the new option and output format

Thanks

Phillip

> Thanks again for your review and for pointing me towards the proper helpers.
> > Best regards,
> Tachera Sasi
> > On Wed, Jul 30, 2025 at 12:01 PM Phillip Wood <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
> >     On 30/07/2025 07:27, Tach via GitGitGadget wrote:
>      > From: tacherasasi <[email protected]
>     <mailto:[email protected]>>
>      >
>      > Add a new --json flag to 'git status' that outputs repository state
>      > in a structured JSON format. This enables reliable machine parsing
>      > of status information for tools and automation.
>      >
>      > The JSON output includes:
>      > - Branch information (name, detached state, ahead/behind counts)
>      > - Staged files array
>      > - Unstaged files array
>      > - Untracked files array
>      > - Ignored files array (with --ignored flag)
>      >
>      > Implementation details:
>      > - Add STATUS_FORMAT_JSON to wt_status_format enum
>      > - Add JSON output option to git status and git commit
>      > - Implement JSON formatting helpers for arrays and branch info
>      > - Structure output for easy parsing and future extensibility
>      >
>      > Example:
>      >    $ git status --json
>      >    {
>      >      "branch": {
>      >        "current": "main",
>      >        "detached": false
>      >      },
>      >      "staged": ["file1.txt"],
>      >      "unstaged": ["file2.txt"],
>      >      "untracked": ["file3.txt"]
>      >    }
>      >
>      > This provides a robust alternative to parsing traditional output
>      > formats, making it easier to build reliable tools and automation
>      > around Git status information.
> >     What problem are you having paring the current output? You say this
>     patch provides a robust alternative but I'm afraid it does not seem to
>     handle filenames containing newlines or double quotes and it assumes
>     they are utf-8 encoded. It also seems to print a trailing comma if an
>     array has more than one item which is not allowed by the json spec. We
>     already have support for generating json output as documented
>     json-writer.h which will help with most of that but not the filename
>     encoding problem. New features should also be accompanied by tests to
>     prevent future regressions. I'm not opposed to adding json output if it
>     is robust and handles non utf-8 filenames but it would be helpful to
>     understand what problems you are having parsing the output of "git
>     status --porcelain[=v2]".
> >     Thanks
> >     Phillip
> >      > Signed-off-by: Tachera Sasi <[email protected]
>     <mailto:[email protected]>>
>      > Signed-off-by: tacherasasi <[email protected]
>     <mailto:[email protected]>>
>      > ---
>      >      status: add --json output format to git status
>      >
>      > Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/
>     pr-1937%2FtacheraSasi%2Ffeature%2Fjson-status-output-v1 <https://
>     github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/
>     pr-1937%2FtacheraSasi%2Ffeature%2Fjson-status-output-v1>
>      > Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git
>     <https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git> pr-1937/tacheraSasi/feature/
>     json-status-output-v1
>      > Pull-Request: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/pull/1937
>     <https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/pull/1937>
>      >
>      >   builtin/commit.c |  9 ++++-
>      >   wt-status.c      | 98 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>     +++++++
>      >   wt-status.h      |  1 +
>      >   3 files changed, 107 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
>      >
>      > diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
>      > index fba0dded64a..f1db4fdfd9a 100644
>      > --- a/builtin/commit.c
>      > +++ b/builtin/commit.c
>      > @@ -1540,6 +1540,9 @@ struct repository *repo UNUSED)
>      >               OPT_SET_INT(0, "long", &status_format,
>      >                           N_("show status in long format (default)"),
>      >                           STATUS_FORMAT_LONG),
>      > +             OPT_SET_INT(0, "json", &status_format,
>      > +                 N_("show status in JSON format"),
>      > +                 STATUS_FORMAT_JSON),
>      >               OPT_BOOL('z', "null", &s.null_termination,
>      >                        N_("terminate entries with NUL")),
>      >               {
>      > @@ -1603,7 +1606,8 @@ struct repository *repo UNUSED)
>      >                      prefix, argv);
>      >
>      >       if (status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN &&
>      > -         status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2)
>      > +         status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2 &&
>      > +         status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_JSON)
>      >               progress_flag = REFRESH_PROGRESS;
>      >       repo_read_index(the_repository);
>      >       refresh_index(the_repository->index,
>      > @@ -1735,6 +1739,9 @@ int cmd_commit(int argc,
>      >               OPT_SET_INT(0, "long", &status_format,
>      >                           N_("show status in long format (default)"),
>      >                           STATUS_FORMAT_LONG),
>      > +             OPT_SET_INT(0, "json", &status_format,
>      > +                 N_("show status in JSON format"),
>      > +                 STATUS_FORMAT_JSON),
>      >               OPT_BOOL('z', "null", &s.null_termination,
>      >                        N_("terminate entries with NUL")),
>      >               OPT_BOOL(0, "amend", &amend, N_("amend previous
>     commit")),
>      > diff --git a/wt-status.c b/wt-status.c
>      > index 454601afa15..7192fb4d057 100644
>      > --- a/wt-status.c
>      > +++ b/wt-status.c
>      > @@ -2564,6 +2564,101 @@ static void wt_porcelain_v2_print(struct
>     wt_status *s)
>      >       }
>      >   }
>      >
>      > +
>      > +static void wt_json_print_string_array(struct wt_status *s,
>     const char *name, struct string_list *list)
>      > +{
>      > +     int i;
>      > +     fprintf(s->fp, "  \"%s\": [", name);
>      > +     for (i = 0; i < list->nr; i++) {
>      > +             if (i > 0)
>      > +                     fprintf(s->fp, ", ");
>      > +             fprintf(s->fp, "\"%s\"", list->items[i].string);
>      > +     }
>      > +     fprintf(s->fp, "]");
>      > +}
>      > +
>      > +static void wt_json_print_change_array(struct wt_status *s,
>     const char *name, int change_type)
>      > +{
>      > +     int i;
>      > +     struct string_list files = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
>      > +
>      > +     for (i = 0; i < s->change.nr <http://change.nr>; i++) {
>      > +             struct wt_status_change_data *d;
>      > +             struct string_list_item *it;
>      > +             it = &(s->change.items[i]);
>      > +             d = it->util;
>      > +
>      > +             if ((change_type == WT_STATUS_UPDATED && d-
>      >index_status &&
>      > +                  d->index_status != DIFF_STATUS_UNMERGED) ||
>      > +                 (change_type == WT_STATUS_CHANGED && d-
>      >worktree_status &&
>      > +                  d->worktree_status != DIFF_STATUS_UNMERGED)) {
>      > +                     string_list_append(&files, it->string);
>      > +             }
>      > +     }
>      > +
>      > +     wt_json_print_string_array(s, name, &files);
>      > +     string_list_clear(&files, 0);
>      > +}
>      > +
>      > +static void wt_json_print_branch_info(struct wt_status *s)
>      > +{
>      > +     struct branch *branch;
>      > +     const char *branch_name;
>      > +     int ahead = 0, behind = 0;
>      > +
>      > +     fprintf(s->fp, "  \"branch\": {\n");
>      > +
>      > +     if (s->branch && !s->is_initial) {
>      > +             if (!strcmp(s->branch, "HEAD")) {
>      > +                     fprintf(s->fp, "    \"current\": \"HEAD\",\n");
>      > +                     fprintf(s->fp, "    \"detached\": true");
>      > +             } else {
>      > +                     if (skip_prefix(s->branch, "refs/heads/",
>     &branch_name)) {
>      > +                             fprintf(s->fp, "    \"current\":
>     \"%s\",\n", branch_name);
>      > +                             fprintf(s->fp, "    \"detached\":
>     false");
>      > +
>      > +                             branch = branch_get(branch_name);
>      > +                             if (branch && branch->merge &&
>     branch->merge[0] && branch->merge[0]->dst) {
>      > +                                     if (!
>     stat_tracking_info(branch, &ahead, &behind, NULL, 0, 0)) {
>      > +                                             fprintf(s->fp, ",
>     \n    \"ahead\": %d,\n    \"behind\": %d", ahead, behind);
>      > +                                     }
>      > +                             }
>      > +                     } else {
>      > +                             fprintf(s->fp, "    \"current\":
>     \"%s\",\n", s->branch);
>      > +                             fprintf(s->fp, "    \"detached\":
>     false");
>      > +                     }
>      > +             }
>      > +     } else {
>      > +             fprintf(s->fp, "    \"current\": null,\n");
>      > +             fprintf(s->fp, "    \"detached\": false");
>      > +     }
>      > +
>      > +     fprintf(s->fp, "\n  }");
>      > +}
>      > +
>      > +static void wt_json_status_print(struct wt_status *s)
>      > +{
>      > +     fprintf(s->fp, "{\n");
>      > +
>      > +     wt_json_print_branch_info(s);
>      > +     fprintf(s->fp, ",\n");
>      > +
>      > +     wt_json_print_change_array(s, "staged", WT_STATUS_UPDATED);
>      > +     fprintf(s->fp, ",\n");
>      > +
>      > +     wt_json_print_change_array(s, "unstaged", WT_STATUS_CHANGED);
>      > +     fprintf(s->fp, ",\n");
>      > +
>      > +     wt_json_print_string_array(s, "untracked", &s->untracked);
>      > +
>      > +     if (s->ignored.nr <http://ignored.nr> > 0) {
>      > +             fprintf(s->fp, ",\n");
>      > +             wt_json_print_string_array(s, "ignored", &s->ignored);
>      > +     }
>      > +
>      > +     fprintf(s->fp, "\n}\n");
>      > +}
>      > +
>      >   void wt_status_print(struct wt_status *s)
>      >   {
>      >       trace2_data_intmax("status", s->repo, "count/changed", s-
>      >change.nr <http://change.nr>);
>      > @@ -2583,6 +2678,9 @@ void wt_status_print(struct wt_status *s)
>      >       case STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2:
>      >               wt_porcelain_v2_print(s);
>      >               break;
>      > +     case STATUS_FORMAT_JSON:
>      > +             wt_json_status_print(s);
>      > +             break;
>      >       case STATUS_FORMAT_UNSPECIFIED:
>      >               BUG("finalize_deferred_config() should have been
>     called");
>      >               break;
>      > diff --git a/wt-status.h b/wt-status.h
>      > index 4e377ce62b8..e929af832b2 100644
>      > --- a/wt-status.h
>      > +++ b/wt-status.h
>      > @@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ enum wt_status_format {
>      >       STATUS_FORMAT_SHORT,
>      >       STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN,
>      >       STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2,
>      > +     STATUS_FORMAT_JSON,
>      >
>      >       STATUS_FORMAT_UNSPECIFIED
>      >   };
>      >
>      > base-commit: cb3b40381e1d5ee32dde96521ad7cfd68eb308a6
> 

"Tach via GitGitGadget" <[email protected]> writes:

> From: tacherasasi <[email protected]>

> Add a new --json flag to 'git status' that outputs repository state
> in a structured JSON format. This enables reliable machine parsing
> of status information for tools and automation.

The --porcelain format is meant to serve this "parseable for tools
and automation to read" use case.  Was there anything your parser
couldn't fathom out of the format?

> This provides a robust alternative to parsing traditional output
> formats, making it easier to build reliable tools and automation
> around Git status information.

The writer is obviously biased ;-) but I find this a bit hand-wavy
and unconvincing.

> Signed-off-by: Tachera Sasi <[email protected]>
> Signed-off-by: tacherasasi <[email protected]>

It is not like two separate people worked on this patch, or somebody
at ekilie worked on the patch but asked a different person with a
very similar name to send it on their behalf, right?

Perhaps update the user.{name,email} on the in-body From: to match
the one used on the first Sign-off, and drop the second Sign-off?

> diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
> index fba0dded64a..f1db4fdfd9a 100644
> --- a/builtin/commit.c
> +++ b/builtin/commit.c
> @@ -1540,6 +1540,9 @@ struct repository *repo UNUSED)
>  		OPT_SET_INT(0, "long", &status_format,
>  			    N_("show status in long format (default)"),
>  			    STATUS_FORMAT_LONG),
> +		OPT_SET_INT(0, "json", &status_format,
> +		    N_("show status in JSON format"),
> +		    STATUS_FORMAT_JSON),

There are now several ways to set to status_format now.  It could be
a good idea to make a preliminary UI clean-up to introduce a new
option "--format={short,long,porcelain,porcelain-v1,porcelain-v2}"
as a separate step, declare that any new format will use this new
option without adding a separate option on its own, before adding
any new features.  And then on top that, a new format can be
introduced without cluttering the set of options.

Not that I am enthused to see json here, given that we have
introduced porcelain format for the same purpose eons ago.

> @@ -1603,7 +1606,8 @@ struct repository *repo UNUSED)
>  		       prefix, argv);
>  
>  	if (status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN &&
> -	    status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2)
> +	    status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_PORCELAIN_V2 &&
> +	    status_format != STATUS_FORMAT_JSON)
>  		progress_flag = REFRESH_PROGRESS;
>  	repo_read_index(the_repository);
>  	refresh_index(the_repository->index,

Also, we might want to tweak the bit-assignment for the
status_format constants to make this part easier to maintain (e.g.,
ones below 100 are for human consumption and gives progress bar and
ones above 100 are for machine consumption and suppresses progress,
or something like that), again as a separate preliminary clean-up
step before adding any new features.

> @@ -1735,6 +1739,9 @@ int cmd_commit(int argc,
>  		OPT_SET_INT(0, "long", &status_format,
>  			    N_("show status in long format (default)"),
>  			    STATUS_FORMAT_LONG),
> +		OPT_SET_INT(0, "json", &status_format,
> +		    N_("show status in JSON format"),
> +		    STATUS_FORMAT_JSON),

And if we are to clean-up with --format=<name> and build on top,
this part would become somewhat different.  The clean-up would
probably be somewhat like what opt_parse_porcelain() is doing and
"json" or "yaml" or any new format name would join if/else if/
cascade there.

> diff --git a/wt-status.c b/wt-status.c
> index 454601afa15..7192fb4d057 100644
> --- a/wt-status.c
> +++ b/wt-status.c
> @@ -2564,6 +2564,101 @@ static void wt_porcelain_v2_print(struct wt_status *s)
>  	}
>  }
>  
> +
> +static void wt_json_print_string_array(struct wt_status *s, const char *name, struct string_list *list)
> +{

We seem to have a json write-out library-ish helpers already; is it
too tied to its current use (i.e. trace output) and too inflexible
to be used here, or does the status output have so specialized and
unusual need as a normal JSON producing application that we need a
special purpose code here with bunch of fprintf() and manual
formatting?

Thanks.