diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
 table.update(debugcommandsmod.command._table)
 
 command = registrar.command(table)
-readonly = registrar.command.readonly
+INTENT_READONLY = registrar.INTENT_READONLY
 
 # common command options
 
@@ -1083,7 +1083,8 @@
       _('show only branches that have unmerged heads (DEPRECATED)')),
      ('c', 'closed', False, _('show normal and closed branches')),
     ] + formatteropts,
-    _('[-c]'), cmdtype=readonly)
+    _('[-c]'),
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def branches(ui, repo, active=False, closed=False, **opts):
     """list repository named branches
 
@@ -1282,7 +1283,8 @@
     ('', 'decode', None, _('apply any matching decode filter')),
     ] + walkopts + formatteropts,
     _('[OPTION]... FILE...'),
-    inferrepo=True, cmdtype=readonly)
+    inferrepo=True,
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def cat(ui, repo, file1, *pats, **opts):
     """output the current or given revision of files
 
@@ -1633,7 +1635,8 @@
      ('l', 'local', None, _('edit repository config')),
      ('g', 'global', None, _('edit global config'))] + formatteropts,
     _('[-u] [NAME]...'),
-    optionalrepo=True, cmdtype=readonly)
+    optionalrepo=True,
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def config(ui, repo, *values, **opts):
     """show combined config settings from all hgrc files
 
@@ -1802,7 +1805,8 @@
     ('c', 'change', '', _('change made by revision'), _('REV'))
     ] + diffopts + diffopts2 + walkopts + subrepoopts,
     _('[OPTION]... ([-c REV] | [-r REV1 [-r REV2]]) [FILE]...'),
-    inferrepo=True, cmdtype=readonly)
+    inferrepo=True,
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def diff(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     """diff repository (or selected files)
 
@@ -1895,7 +1899,8 @@
     ('', 'switch-parent', None, _('diff against the second parent')),
     ('r', 'rev', [], _('revisions to export'), _('REV')),
     ] + diffopts + formatteropts,
-    _('[OPTION]... [-o OUTFILESPEC] [-r] [REV]...'), cmdtype=readonly)
+    _('[OPTION]... [-o OUTFILESPEC] [-r] [REV]...'),
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def export(ui, repo, *changesets, **opts):
     """dump the header and diffs for one or more changesets
 
@@ -1990,7 +1995,8 @@
     [('r', 'rev', '', _('search the repository as it is in REV'), _('REV')),
      ('0', 'print0', None, _('end filenames with NUL, for use with xargs')),
     ] + walkopts + formatteropts + subrepoopts,
-    _('[OPTION]... [FILE]...'), cmdtype=readonly)
+    _('[OPTION]... [FILE]...'),
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def files(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     """list tracked files
 
@@ -2371,7 +2377,8 @@
     ('d', 'date', None, _('list the date (short with -q)')),
     ] + formatteropts + walkopts,
     _('[OPTION]... PATTERN [FILE]...'),
-    inferrepo=True, cmdtype=readonly)
+    inferrepo=True,
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def grep(ui, repo, pattern, *pats, **opts):
     """search revision history for a pattern in specified files
 
@@ -2617,7 +2624,8 @@
     ('a', 'active', False, _('show active branchheads only (DEPRECATED)')),
     ('c', 'closed', False, _('show normal and closed branch heads')),
     ] + templateopts,
-    _('[-ct] [-r STARTREV] [REV]...'), cmdtype=readonly)
+    _('[-ct] [-r STARTREV] [REV]...'),
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def heads(ui, repo, *branchrevs, **opts):
     """show branch heads
 
@@ -2693,7 +2701,8 @@
      ('s', 'system', [], _('show help for specific platform(s)')),
      ],
     _('[-ecks] [TOPIC]'),
-    norepo=True, cmdtype=readonly)
+    norepo=True,
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def help_(ui, name=None, **opts):
     """show help for a given topic or a help overview
 
@@ -2735,7 +2744,8 @@
     ('B', 'bookmarks', None, _('show bookmarks')),
     ] + remoteopts + formatteropts,
     _('[-nibtB] [-r REV] [SOURCE]'),
-    optionalrepo=True, cmdtype=readonly)
+    optionalrepo=True,
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def identify(ui, repo, source=None, rev=None,
              num=None, id=None, branch=None, tags=None, bookmarks=None, **opts):
     """identify the working directory or specified revision
@@ -3312,7 +3322,8 @@
      _('do not display revision or any of its ancestors'), _('REV')),
     ] + logopts + walkopts,
     _('[OPTION]... [FILE]'),
-    inferrepo=True, cmdtype=readonly)
+    inferrepo=True,
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def log(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     """show revision history of entire repository or files
 
@@ -3480,7 +3491,8 @@
     [('r', 'rev', '', _('revision to display'), _('REV')),
      ('', 'all', False, _("list files from all revisions"))]
          + formatteropts,
-    _('[-r REV]'), cmdtype=readonly)
+    _('[-r REV]'),
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def manifest(ui, repo, node=None, rev=None, **opts):
     """output the current or given revision of the project manifest
 
@@ -3758,7 +3770,7 @@
     displayer.close()
 
 @command('paths', formatteropts, _('[NAME]'), optionalrepo=True,
-    cmdtype=readonly)
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def paths(ui, repo, search=None, **opts):
     """show aliases for remote repositories
 
@@ -4696,7 +4708,7 @@
     return repo.rollback(dryrun=opts.get(r'dry_run'),
                          force=opts.get(r'force'))
 
-@command('root', [], cmdtype=readonly)
+@command('root', [], intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def root(ui, repo):
     """print the root (top) of the current working directory
 
@@ -4790,7 +4802,8 @@
     ('', 'change', '', _('list the changed files of a revision'), _('REV')),
     ] + walkopts + subrepoopts + formatteropts,
     _('[OPTION]... [FILE]...'),
-    inferrepo=True, cmdtype=readonly)
+    inferrepo=True,
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def status(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     """show changed files in the working directory
 
@@ -4958,7 +4971,8 @@
 
 @command('^summary|sum',
     [('', 'remote', None, _('check for push and pull'))],
-    '[--remote]', cmdtype=readonly)
+    '[--remote]',
+    intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def summary(ui, repo, **opts):
     """summarize working directory state
 
@@ -5359,7 +5373,7 @@
     finally:
         release(lock, wlock)
 
-@command('tags', formatteropts, '', cmdtype=readonly)
+@command('tags', formatteropts, '', intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def tags(ui, repo, **opts):
     """list repository tags
 
@@ -5596,7 +5610,8 @@
     """
     return hg.verify(repo)
 
-@command('version', [] + formatteropts, norepo=True, cmdtype=readonly)
+@command('version', [] + formatteropts, norepo=True,
+         intents={INTENT_READONLY})
 def version_(ui, **opts):
     """output version and copyright information"""
     opts = pycompat.byteskwargs(opts)
diff --git a/mercurial/dispatch.py b/mercurial/dispatch.py
--- a/mercurial/dispatch.py
+++ b/mercurial/dispatch.py
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@
     hook,
     profiling,
     pycompat,
-    registrar,
     scmutil,
     ui as uimod,
     util,
@@ -46,8 +45,6 @@
     stringutil,
 )
 
-unrecoverablewrite = registrar.command.unrecoverablewrite
-
 class request(object):
     def __init__(self, args, ui=None, repo=None, fin=None, fout=None,
                  ferr=None, prereposetups=None):
@@ -562,7 +559,7 @@
         return aliasargs(self.fn, args)
 
     def __getattr__(self, name):
-        adefaults = {r'norepo': True, r'cmdtype': unrecoverablewrite,
+        adefaults = {r'norepo': True, r'intents': set(),
                      r'optionalrepo': False, r'inferrepo': False}
         if name not in adefaults:
             raise AttributeError(name)
diff --git a/mercurial/registrar.py b/mercurial/registrar.py
--- a/mercurial/registrar.py
+++ b/mercurial/registrar.py
@@ -138,15 +138,18 @@
     potential repository locations. See ``findrepo()``. If a repository is
     found, it will be used and passed to the decorated function.
 
-    There are three constants in the class which tells what type of the command
-    that is. That information will be helpful at various places. It will be also
-    be used to decide what level of access the command has on hidden commits.
-    The constants are:
+    The `intents` argument defines a set of intended actions or capabilities
+    the command is taking. These intents can be used to affect the construction
+    of the repository object passed to the command. For example, commands
+    declaring that they are read-only could receive a repository that doesn't
+    have any methods allowing repository mutation. Other intents could be used
+    to prevent the command from running if the requested intent could not be
+    fulfilled.
 
-    `unrecoverablewrite` is for those write commands which can't be recovered
-    like push.
-    `recoverablewrite` is for write commands which can be recovered like commit.
-    `readonly` is for commands which are read only.
+    The following intents are defined:
+
+    readonly
+       The command is read-only
 
     The signature of the decorated function looks like this:
         def cmd(ui[, repo] [, <args>] [, <options>])
@@ -161,29 +164,22 @@
     descriptions and examples.
     """
 
-    unrecoverablewrite = "unrecoverable"
-    recoverablewrite = "recoverable"
-    readonly = "readonly"
-
-    possiblecmdtypes = {unrecoverablewrite, recoverablewrite, readonly}
-
     def _doregister(self, func, name, options=(), synopsis=None,
                     norepo=False, optionalrepo=False, inferrepo=False,
-                    cmdtype=unrecoverablewrite):
+                    intents=None):
 
-        if cmdtype not in self.possiblecmdtypes:
-            raise error.ProgrammingError("unknown cmdtype value '%s' for "
-                                         "'%s' command" % (cmdtype, name))
         func.norepo = norepo
         func.optionalrepo = optionalrepo
         func.inferrepo = inferrepo
-        func.cmdtype = cmdtype
+        func.intents = intents or set()
         if synopsis:
             self._table[name] = func, list(options), synopsis
         else:
             self._table[name] = func, list(options)
         return func
 
+INTENT_READONLY = b'readonly'
+
 class revsetpredicate(_funcregistrarbase):
     """Decorator to register revset predicate
 
diff --git a/tests/test-directaccess.t b/tests/test-directaccess.t
--- a/tests/test-directaccess.t
+++ b/tests/test-directaccess.t
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@
   $ hg log -qr 'null:wdir() & 2147483647'
   2147483647:ffffffffffff
 
-Commands with undefined cmdtype should not work right now
+Commands with undefined intent should not work right now
 
   $ hg phase -r 28ad74
   abort: hidden revision '28ad74' was rewritten as: 2443a0e66469!