Status distinguishes untracked files, staged changes and unstaged changes. A file can appear in more than one category when you edit it after staging. Read the category before deciding whether the next action is add, restore or commit. A clean state means the tracked working tree and index agree with the current snapshot, not that the directory contains no files. These tasks ask you to inspect the current evidence and leave that report visible. For example, a modified tracked path belongs under the unstaged section until you add it. An untracked scratch note has no earlier snapshot. The next safe action depends on which condition you see.