Git Steps

Collection of useful commands when using Git, GitHub and/or Gerrit

View project on GitHub

Welcome to GitSteps.com!

This is simply a collection of commands to help you get around Git, GitHub and/or Gerrit. It’s a single page, so your browser’s “Find” command is your friend. Pull requests are welcome at the GitHub repo.

Except for instances of “HEAD”, anything in ALL CAPS should be substituted with the actual value.

General Git Steps

Goal: Stage all changes

i.e. get ready to commit all outstanding changes

$ git add .

Goal: Save outstanding changes but don’t commit them

This is useful if you want to merge in code from the remote repo or work in a different branch than you are currently in

$ git stash

and then when you’re ready to bring those changes back in:

$ git stash pop

Goal: I want to just type ‘git push’ instead of ‘git push origin master’

Run this command once from the root of your project:

$ git push -u origin master

Goal: Stop this error when trying to pull from a remote origin:

You asked me to pull without telling me which branch you want to merge with, and ‘branch.master.merge’ in your configuration file does not tell me either.

Add this to your .git/config file for your project:

[branch "master"]
  remote = origin 
  merge = refs/heads/master

Goal: Search git logs

$ git log --grep="search term"

Goal: Blow away all local changes

$ git reset --hard HEAD

Goal: Update to latest code from the remote origin

$ git pull

Goal: Have ‘git pull’ do a rebase instead of a merge by default

Add this to your .git/config file for your project:

[pull]
  rebase = true

Goal: Get rid of the “Your branch and ‘origin/master’ have diverged…” status message

If you’re really confident your code actually matches what is at the remote origin/master

$ git reset --hard origin/master

Goal: Fix a merge conflict by accepting changes

Accept changes on the remote server:

$ git checkout --theirs PATH_TO_FILE

Accept your changes:

$ git checkout --ours PATH_TO_FILE

Goal: Merge in a specific commit from one branch to another

If you’re really confident your code actually matches what is at the remote origin/master

$ git checkout BRANCH_NAME
$ git cherry-pick SHA_HASH
$ git push origin HEAD:refs/for/BRANCH_NAME

Goal: Stats on number of commits by committer

$ git shortlog -sne --after=2013-07-01 --until=today

Goal: Remove Edits Not Staged for Commit (permanently)

First run this to make sure you’ll be removing the changes you think you’re removing

$ git status | grep modified | awk '{print $3}'

This run this to actually blow away the changes in those files

$ git checkout -- `git status | grep modified | awk '{print$3}'`

Goal: Edit the last commit

$ git commit --amend

Goal: Undo the last commit

$ git reset --soft HEAD^

Goal: Get rid of the last commit for good

$ git reset --hard HEAD~1

Goal: Show remote repo URL:

$ git remote show origin

Goal: Stats on number of commits by committer

$ git shortlog -sne --after=2013-07-01 --until=today

Goal: Display git details in terminal

Check out Trevor Menagh’s .bashrc to see how to have your terminal add details of the current branch, if there are any changes (marked by an “*”), and if you’re in the middle of a rebase

Goal: Use a different email for a specific folder of git projects

in ~/.gitconfig:

[includeIf "gitdir:~/path/to/folder/"]
    path = ~/path/to/folder/.gitconfig_include

in ~/path/to/folder/.gitconfig_include:

[user]
  email = your.other@email.com

Note: the above requires at least git v2.13

GitHub Steps

Goal: Move an existing git repo to GitHub:

First create a new repo at GitHub, then:

$ git clone SSH_CLONE_URL_FROM_GITHUB_REPO
$ git remote rename origin upstream
$ git remote add origin URL_TO_GITHUB_REPO
$ git push origin master

Goal: Undo a GitHub push:

$ git reset --hard SHA_HASH
$ git push -f origin stable

Goal: Merge in code from originally forked repo:

Short version:

$ git fetch upstream
$ git merge upstream/master
$ git push origin master

Much more detailed version is available at GitHub Help: Syncing a fork

Gerrit Steps

Goal: I want to just type ‘git p’ instead of ‘git push origin HEAD:refs/for/master’

Add this to your ~/.gitconfig

[alias]
    p = push origin HEAD:refs/for/master

Goal: Resolve a Gerrit conflict

$ git fetch COMMAND_FROM_GERRIT
$ git fetch
$ git rebase origin/master
$ git status

Then go and fix the conflict(s) listed in status as unmerged

$ git add FILE_YOU_FIXED
$ git rebase --continue
$ git push origin HEAD:refs/for/master

You may want to checkout these steps as well after resolving a conflict:

  • Restore your local git repo after reviewing a gerrit changeset
  • Get rid of the “Your branch and ‘origin/master’ have diverged…” status message

Goal: Restore your local git repo after reviewing a gerrit changeset:

$ git checkout master

Goal: Rebase a commit that is dependent on an abandoned change:

$ git fetch origin
$ git rebase origin/master -i
$ git commit --amend
$ git push origin HEAD:refs/for/master

Goal: Fix SSL certificate problem error

If you get an error along these lines:

error: SSL certificate problem, verify that the CA cert is OK. Details: error:14090086:SSL routines:SSL3_GET_SERVER_CERTIFICATE:certificate verify failed while accessing GERRIT_REPO fatal: HTTP request failed

Run this from the project root:

$ git config http.sslVerify "false"