--- title: "Git Commands Cheatsheet" slug: "git-commands" category: "cheatsheets" tags: ["cheatsheets", "git", "reference", "version-control", "cli"] status: "stable" last_updated: 2026-05-14 summary: "Common git commands grouped by intent: inspect, undo, branch, sync, rebase, stash, recover. The flags that matter and the ones that bite." related: [ "[[coding/git]]", "[[tooling/github]]", "[[cheatsheets/bash-one-liners]]", "[[tooling/claude-code-workflow]]", "[[cheatsheets/index|Cheatsheets]]", ] --- ## Overview This card collects the git commands worth memorizing, grouped by intent. The full reference is `git help `; this page is the one to skim when you need the right invocation in under ten seconds. For the principles behind these commands (rebase vs merge, conventional commits, fixups), see [[coding/git]]. ## Inspect Read state before you change it. These are the read-only commands. | Command | What it does | | --------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | `git status -sb` | Short branch summary; one line per file. | | `git log --oneline -20` | Last 20 commits, terse. | | `git log --oneline --graph --all` | Branch topology across all refs. | | `git log -p ` | Full diff history for one file. | | `git log -S "needle"` | Commits that added or removed the literal "needle". | | `git log --grep "pattern"` | Commits whose message matches the pattern. | | `git blame -L 10,20 ` | Annotate lines 10 to 20 with the last commit that touched each. | | `git diff` | Unstaged changes. | | `git diff --staged` | Changes already in the index. | | `git diff main...HEAD` | What this branch adds on top of `main`. | | `git show ` | Show a commit, tag, or tree object. | | `git reflog` | Local history of HEAD moves; the recovery log. | Reach for `git log --oneline --graph --all` when a teammate says "my branch is gone." It rarely is. ## Undo Choose the undo that matches the scope. The wrong one rewrites public history. | Command | What it undoes | | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `git restore ` | Discard unstaged changes in working tree. | | `git restore --staged ` | Unstage; leave working tree alone. | | `git restore --source=HEAD~1 ` | Roll one file back to the previous commit. | | `git commit --amend` | Replace the tip commit. Local only. | | `git reset --soft HEAD~1` | Undo the last commit; keep changes staged. | | `git reset --mixed HEAD~1` | Undo the last commit; keep changes unstaged. | | `git reset --hard HEAD~1` | Undo the last commit; throw the work away. | | `git revert ` | Create a new commit that inverts an old one. Safe on shared branches. | | `git clean -fd` | Delete untracked files and directories. No undo. | Never `--amend` or `reset` a commit that has been pushed to a shared branch. Use `revert` there. ## Branch Branches are pointers. Treat them like cheap bookmarks. | Command | Effect | | ---------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | `git switch ` | Move HEAD; modern replacement for `checkout`. | | `git switch -c ` | Create and switch in one step. | | `git switch -c origin/` | Track a remote branch. | | `git branch -d ` | Delete a merged branch. | | `git branch -D ` | Delete a branch regardless of merge state. | | `git branch --merged main` | List branches fully merged into `main`. | | `git branch -m old new` | Rename a branch. | | `git worktree add ../wt branch` | Check out a second working copy. | Prefer `switch` and `restore` over the older `checkout`. They do not overload one verb for two operations. ## Sync Fetch, then decide. `pull` is `fetch` plus a merge or rebase; the merge surprises people. | Command | Effect | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | `git fetch --all --prune` | Update remote-tracking refs; drop deleted ones. | | `git pull --ff-only` | Refuse to merge; abort if a fast-forward is impossible. | | `git pull --rebase` | Replay local commits on top of the remote tip. | | `git push -u origin ` | Push and set upstream. | | `git push --force-with-lease` | Force-push but refuse if the remote moved. | Configure `pull.ff = only` globally; require explicit intent when a merge is wanted. ## Rebase, stash, recover Rewrite history locally; rescue work from the reflog. | Command | Effect | | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | `git rebase main` | Replay this branch on top of `main`. | | `git rebase -i HEAD~5` | Edit the last 5 commits (squash, reorder, drop). | | `git commit --fixup=` | Mark a commit as fixup for ``; autosquash later. | | `git rebase -i --autosquash main` | Apply fixups automatically. | | `git stash push -m "wip"` | Stash with a label. | | `git stash list` | List stashes. | | `git stash pop` | Apply the top stash and drop it. | | `git reflog` | Show every HEAD move; the lifeline for "lost" commits. | | `git reset --hard ` | Resurrect a discarded commit. | The reflog keeps entries for 90 days by default. Almost nothing in git is permanently lost. ## Common gotchas - `git pull` defaults to a merge; configure `pull.ff = only` or `pull.rebase = true` so it cannot create a surprise merge commit. - `git reset --hard` discards uncommitted work without confirmation. Run `git stash` first if you might want it back. - `git push --force` overwrites the remote even if a teammate pushed since you fetched. Use `--force-with-lease`. - `git rebase` of a branch already pushed to a shared remote forces collaborators to recover. Rebase locally; merge after pushing. - `git clean -fd` deletes untracked files including `.env`. Run `git clean -nd` first to see what it would remove. ## Related - [[coding/git]] - [[tooling/github]] - [[cheatsheets/bash-one-liners]] - [[tooling/claude-code-workflow]] - [[cheatsheets/index|Cheatsheets]]