Git Command Reference

A general-purpose baseline for now — the plan is to trim this down to the commands and flags I actually use day to day, and drop the rest.

Setup & config

Command	Description
git init	Create a new repository here.
git clone <url>	Clone a remote repository.
git config --global user.name "<name>"	Set your commit author name.
git config --global user.email "<email>"	Set your commit author email.
git config --list	Show effective config.

Everyday snapshot

git status

Show the state of the working tree: staged, unstaged, and untracked changes.

Flag	Description
-s, --short	Compact one-line-per-file output.
-b	Show branch and tracking info (used with -s).

git add

Stage changes for the next commit.

Flag	Description
-A, --all	Stage everything (new, modified, deleted).
-p, --patch	Interactively choose hunks to stage.
-u	Stage modifications and deletions only, not new files.

git commit

Record staged changes to the repository.

Flag	Description
-m "<msg>"	Commit message inline.
-a	Auto-stage tracked, modified files before committing.
--amend	Rewrite the previous commit instead of creating a new one.
--no-verify	Skip pre-commit/commit-msg hooks.

git diff

Show changes between commits, the working tree, and the index.

Flag	Description
--staged, --cached	Diff what’s staged against the last commit.
<file>	Limit the diff to one file or path.
<branch>..<branch>	Diff between two branches.

Branching & merging

Command	Description
git branch	List local branches.
git branch <name>	Create a new branch.
git branch -d <name>	Delete a branch (safe — refuses if unmerged).
git branch -D <name>	Force-delete a branch.
git switch <branch>	Switch to an existing branch.
git switch -c <branch>	Create and switch to a new branch.
git checkout <branch>	Older equivalent of switch (also used for restoring files).
git merge <branch>	Merge <branch> into the current branch.
git rebase <branch>	Replay the current branch’s commits on top of <branch>.

Inspecting history

git log

Show commit history.

Flag	Description
--oneline	One line per commit.
--graph	Draw an ASCII branch/merge graph.
-p	Show the full diff for each commit.
-n <count>	Limit to the last <count> commits.
--author="<name>"	Filter by author.

git show

Show the details and diff of a single commit, tag, or object.

Working with remotes

Command	Description
git remote -v	List remotes and their URLs.
git remote add <name> <url>	Add a new remote.
git fetch <remote>	Download objects/refs without merging.
git pull	Fetch and merge (or rebase, with --rebase) into the current branch.
git push	Push the current branch to its upstream.
git push -u <remote> <branch>	Push and set the upstream tracking branch.
git push --force-with-lease	Force-push safely — fails if the remote has commits you haven’t seen.

Undoing things

Command	Description
git restore <file>	Discard unstaged changes to a file.
git restore --staged <file>	Unstage a file, keeping the changes.
git reset --soft <commit>	Move HEAD, keep changes staged.
git reset --mixed <commit>	Move HEAD, keep changes unstaged (default mode).
git reset --hard <commit>	Move HEAD and discard all changes — destructive.
git revert <commit>	Create a new commit that undoes <commit>.

Stashing

Command	Description
git stash	Shelve uncommitted changes.
git stash -u	Also stash untracked files.
git stash list	List stashes.
git stash pop	Reapply the most recent stash and drop it.
git stash apply	Reapply the most recent stash but keep it in the list.

Tags

Command	Description
git tag	List tags.
git tag <name>	Create a lightweight tag.
git tag -a <name> -m "<msg>"	Create an annotated tag.
git push <remote> <tag>	Push a single tag.
git push <remote> --tags	Push all tags.