Git

FAQ

Remote: error: failed to lock refs/heads/…

• See https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11228436/failed-to-lock-refs-heads-master

Ignoring files without adding them to .gitignore

To ignore untracked files, you have a file in your git folder called .git/info/exclude. This file is your own gitignore inside your local git folder, which means is not going to be committed or shared with anyone else. You can basically edit this file and stop tracking any (untracked) file.

• Source: https://luisdalmolin.dev/blog/ignoring-files-in-git-without-gitignore/

My basic configuration for a new device

git config --global user.name "Claus Conrad"
git config --global user.email XXXXXXXXX+cconrad@users.noreply.github.com
git config --global core.autocrlf false

• Source: https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/getting-started-with-git/configuring-git-to-handle-line-endings

Get list of accessible repositories

ssh git@git.bekey.dk info

• Source: Serhii Ch.

Pull and merge remote branch “origin/main” into current

git pull origin main

Rollback to previous commit

Revert your repo to an older commit and preserve all intervening work:

git checkout 307a5cd        # check out the commit that you want to reset to
git checkout -b fixy        # create a branch named fixy to do the work
git merge -s ours master    # merge master's history without changing any files
git checkout master         # switch back to master
git merge fixy              # and merge in the fixed branch
git push                    # done, no need to force push!

Done! Replace 307a5cd with whatever commit you want in your repo.

Source: Stack Overflow

How to use git stash

Think of Git stash like a pocket where you can quickly put away your work when you need to switch to something else.

Imagine you’re working on a craft project (your code changes) and suddenly your mom calls you to help with groceries. You need to stop what you’re doing, but you don’t want to lose your progress.

With Git stash:

1. You put your unfinished work in your pocket (git stash save)
2. Go help with groceries (switch branches, pull updates, etc.)
3. When you’re done, you take your work back out of your pocket (git stash apply or git stash pop)

The main commands are:

• git stash save "message" - Put your changes away with a note
• git stash list - See all your pockets of saved work
• git stash apply - Take out your work but keep a copy in your pocket
• git stash pop - Take out your work and empty that pocket
• git stash drop - Throw away what’s in your pocket

It’s super useful when you need to quickly switch context without committing half-finished work!

Ignoring commits that only reformatted code during git blame

• Add the commit ID to .git-blame-ignore-revs
• Use git config blame.ignoreRevsFile .git-blame-ignore-revs to enable it by default

Delete local branches merged to main

git branch --merged main | grep -v "^\*\|  main" | xargs git branch -d

Worktree cheatsheet

Function	Example
Start working on a branch in a new directory	git worktree add DIRECTORY BRANCH
List all linked directories	git worktree list
Remove a worktree	git worktree remove DIRECTORY
Create a branch and worktree at the same time, from outside the main repo location	git -C SOURCE_FOLDER worktree add TARGET_FOLDER -b NEW_BRANCH

Resources

• Introduction to GitHub and Open-Source Projects > How To Create a Pull Request on GitHub
• Git Forks and Upstreams: How-to

Alternatives

• Mercurial
• Pijul