6 git-submodule - Initialize, update or inspect submodules
12 'git submodule' [--quiet] [--cached]
13 'git submodule' [--quiet] add [<options>] [--] <repository> [<path>]
14 'git submodule' [--quiet] status [--cached] [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]
15 'git submodule' [--quiet] init [--] [<path>...]
16 'git submodule' [--quiet] deinit [-f|--force] (--all|[--] <path>...)
17 'git submodule' [--quiet] update [<options>] [--] [<path>...]
18 'git submodule' [--quiet] set-branch [<options>] [--] <path>
19 'git submodule' [--quiet] set-url [--] <path> <newurl>
20 'git submodule' [--quiet] summary [<options>] [--] [<path>...]
21 'git submodule' [--quiet] foreach [--recursive] <command>
22 'git submodule' [--quiet] sync [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]
23 'git submodule' [--quiet] absorbgitdirs [--] [<path>...]
28 Inspects, updates and manages submodules.
30 For more information about submodules, see linkgit:gitsubmodules[7].
34 With no arguments, shows the status of existing submodules. Several
35 subcommands are available to perform operations on the submodules.
37 add [-b <branch>] [-f|--force] [--name <name>] [--reference <repository>] [--depth <depth>] [--] <repository> [<path>]::
38 Add the given repository as a submodule at the given path
39 to the changeset to be committed next to the current
40 project: the current project is termed the "superproject".
42 <repository> is the URL of the new submodule's origin repository.
43 This may be either an absolute URL, or (if it begins with ./
44 or ../), the location relative to the superproject's default remote
45 repository (Please note that to specify a repository 'foo.git'
46 which is located right next to a superproject 'bar.git', you'll
47 have to use `../foo.git` instead of `./foo.git` - as one might expect
48 when following the rules for relative URLs - because the evaluation
49 of relative URLs in Git is identical to that of relative directories).
51 The default remote is the remote of the remote-tracking branch
52 of the current branch. If no such remote-tracking branch exists or
53 the HEAD is detached, "origin" is assumed to be the default remote.
54 If the superproject doesn't have a default remote configured
55 the superproject is its own authoritative upstream and the current
56 working directory is used instead.
58 The optional argument <path> is the relative location for the cloned
59 submodule to exist in the superproject. If <path> is not given, the
60 canonical part of the source repository is used ("repo" for
61 "/path/to/repo.git" and "foo" for "host.xz:foo/.git"). If <path>
62 exists and is already a valid Git repository, then it is staged
63 for commit without cloning. The <path> is also used as the submodule's
64 logical name in its configuration entries unless `--name` is used
65 to specify a logical name.
67 The given URL is recorded into `.gitmodules` for use by subsequent users
68 cloning the superproject. If the URL is given relative to the
69 superproject's repository, the presumption is the superproject and
70 submodule repositories will be kept together in the same relative
71 location, and only the superproject's URL needs to be provided.
72 git-submodule will correctly locate the submodule using the relative
75 status [--cached] [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]::
76 Show the status of the submodules. This will print the SHA-1 of the
77 currently checked out commit for each submodule, along with the
78 submodule path and the output of 'git describe' for the
79 SHA-1. Each SHA-1 will possibly be prefixed with `-` if the submodule is
80 not initialized, `+` if the currently checked out submodule commit
81 does not match the SHA-1 found in the index of the containing
82 repository and `U` if the submodule has merge conflicts.
84 If `--cached` is specified, this command will instead print the SHA-1
85 recorded in the superproject for each submodule.
87 If `--recursive` is specified, this command will recurse into nested
88 submodules, and show their status as well.
90 If you are only interested in changes of the currently initialized
91 submodules with respect to the commit recorded in the index or the HEAD,
92 linkgit:git-status[1] and linkgit:git-diff[1] will provide that information
93 too (and can also report changes to a submodule's work tree).
95 init [--] [<path>...]::
96 Initialize the submodules recorded in the index (which were
97 added and committed elsewhere) by setting `submodule.$name.url`
98 in .git/config. It uses the same setting from `.gitmodules` as
99 a template. If the URL is relative, it will be resolved using
100 the default remote. If there is no default remote, the current
101 repository will be assumed to be upstream.
103 Optional <path> arguments limit which submodules will be initialized.
104 If no path is specified and submodule.active has been configured, submodules
105 configured to be active will be initialized, otherwise all submodules are
108 When present, it will also copy the value of `submodule.$name.update`.
109 This command does not alter existing information in .git/config.
110 You can then customize the submodule clone URLs in .git/config
111 for your local setup and proceed to `git submodule update`;
112 you can also just use `git submodule update --init` without
113 the explicit 'init' step if you do not intend to customize
114 any submodule locations.
116 See the add subcommand for the definition of default remote.
118 deinit [-f|--force] (--all|[--] <path>...)::
119 Unregister the given submodules, i.e. remove the whole
120 `submodule.$name` section from .git/config together with their work
121 tree. Further calls to `git submodule update`, `git submodule foreach`
122 and `git submodule sync` will skip any unregistered submodules until
123 they are initialized again, so use this command if you don't want to
124 have a local checkout of the submodule in your working tree anymore.
126 When the command is run without pathspec, it errors out,
127 instead of deinit-ing everything, to prevent mistakes.
129 If `--force` is specified, the submodule's working tree will
130 be removed even if it contains local modifications.
132 If you really want to remove a submodule from the repository and commit
133 that use linkgit:git-rm[1] instead. See linkgit:gitsubmodules[7] for removal
136 update [--init] [--remote] [-N|--no-fetch] [--[no-]recommend-shallow] [-f|--force] [--checkout|--rebase|--merge] [--reference <repository>] [--depth <depth>] [--recursive] [--jobs <n>] [--[no-]single-branch] [--] [<path>...]::
139 Update the registered submodules to match what the superproject
140 expects by cloning missing submodules, fetching missing commits
141 in submodules and updating the working tree of
142 the submodules. The "updating" can be done in several ways depending
143 on command line options and the value of `submodule.<name>.update`
144 configuration variable. The command line option takes precedence over
145 the configuration variable. If neither is given, a 'checkout' is performed.
146 The 'update' procedures supported both from the command line as well as
147 through the `submodule.<name>.update` configuration are:
149 checkout;; the commit recorded in the superproject will be
150 checked out in the submodule on a detached HEAD.
152 If `--force` is specified, the submodule will be checked out (using
153 `git checkout --force`), even if the commit specified
154 in the index of the containing repository already matches the commit
155 checked out in the submodule.
157 rebase;; the current branch of the submodule will be rebased
158 onto the commit recorded in the superproject.
160 merge;; the commit recorded in the superproject will be merged
161 into the current branch in the submodule.
163 The following 'update' procedures are only available via the
164 `submodule.<name>.update` configuration variable:
166 custom command;; arbitrary shell command that takes a single
167 argument (the sha1 of the commit recorded in the
168 superproject) is executed. When `submodule.<name>.update`
169 is set to '!command', the remainder after the exclamation mark
170 is the custom command.
172 none;; the submodule is not updated.
174 If the submodule is not yet initialized, and you just want to use the
175 setting as stored in `.gitmodules`, you can automatically initialize the
176 submodule with the `--init` option.
178 If `--recursive` is specified, this command will recurse into the
179 registered submodules, and update any nested submodules within.
181 set-branch (-b|--branch) <branch> [--] <path>::
182 set-branch (-d|--default) [--] <path>::
183 Sets the default remote tracking branch for the submodule. The
184 `--branch` option allows the remote branch to be specified. The
185 `--default` option removes the submodule.<name>.branch configuration
186 key, which causes the tracking branch to default to 'master'.
188 set-url [--] <path> <newurl>::
189 Sets the URL of the specified submodule to <newurl>. Then, it will
190 automatically synchronize the submodule's new remote URL
193 summary [--cached|--files] [(-n|--summary-limit) <n>] [commit] [--] [<path>...]::
194 Show commit summary between the given commit (defaults to HEAD) and
195 working tree/index. For a submodule in question, a series of commits
196 in the submodule between the given super project commit and the
197 index or working tree (switched by `--cached`) are shown. If the option
198 `--files` is given, show the series of commits in the submodule between
199 the index of the super project and the working tree of the submodule
200 (this option doesn't allow to use the `--cached` option or to provide an
203 Using the `--submodule=log` option with linkgit:git-diff[1] will provide that
206 foreach [--recursive] <command>::
207 Evaluates an arbitrary shell command in each checked out submodule.
208 The command has access to the variables $name, $sm_path, $displaypath,
210 $name is the name of the relevant submodule section in `.gitmodules`,
211 $sm_path is the path of the submodule as recorded in the immediate
212 superproject, $displaypath contains the relative path from the
213 current working directory to the submodules root directory,
214 $sha1 is the commit as recorded in the immediate
215 superproject, and $toplevel is the absolute path to the top-level
216 of the immediate superproject.
217 Note that to avoid conflicts with '$PATH' on Windows, the '$path'
218 variable is now a deprecated synonym of '$sm_path' variable.
219 Any submodules defined in the superproject but not checked out are
220 ignored by this command. Unless given `--quiet`, foreach prints the name
221 of each submodule before evaluating the command.
222 If `--recursive` is given, submodules are traversed recursively (i.e.
223 the given shell command is evaluated in nested submodules as well).
224 A non-zero return from the command in any submodule causes
225 the processing to terminate. This can be overridden by adding '|| :'
226 to the end of the command.
228 As an example, the command below will show the path and currently
229 checked out commit for each submodule:
232 git submodule foreach 'echo $sm_path `git rev-parse HEAD`'
235 sync [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]::
236 Synchronizes submodules' remote URL configuration setting
237 to the value specified in `.gitmodules`. It will only affect those
238 submodules which already have a URL entry in .git/config (that is the
239 case when they are initialized or freshly added). This is useful when
240 submodule URLs change upstream and you need to update your local
241 repositories accordingly.
243 `git submodule sync` synchronizes all submodules while
244 `git submodule sync -- A` synchronizes submodule "A" only.
246 If `--recursive` is specified, this command will recurse into the
247 registered submodules, and sync any nested submodules within.
250 If a git directory of a submodule is inside the submodule,
251 move the git directory of the submodule into its superproject's
252 `$GIT_DIR/modules` path and then connect the git directory and
253 its working directory by setting the `core.worktree` and adding
254 a .git file pointing to the git directory embedded in the
255 superprojects git directory.
257 A repository that was cloned independently and later added as a submodule or
258 old setups have the submodules git directory inside the submodule instead of
259 embedded into the superprojects git directory.
261 This command is recursive by default.
267 Only print error messages.
270 This option is only valid for add and update commands.
271 Progress status is reported on the standard error stream
272 by default when it is attached to a terminal, unless -q
273 is specified. This flag forces progress status even if the
274 standard error stream is not directed to a terminal.
277 This option is only valid for the deinit command. Unregister all
278 submodules in the working tree.
282 Branch of repository to add as submodule.
283 The name of the branch is recorded as `submodule.<name>.branch` in
284 `.gitmodules` for `update --remote`. A special value of `.` is used to
285 indicate that the name of the branch in the submodule should be the
286 same name as the current branch in the current repository. If the
287 option is not specified, it defaults to 'master'.
291 This option is only valid for add, deinit and update commands.
292 When running add, allow adding an otherwise ignored submodule path.
293 When running deinit the submodule working trees will be removed even
294 if they contain local changes.
295 When running update (only effective with the checkout procedure),
296 throw away local changes in submodules when switching to a
297 different commit; and always run a checkout operation in the
298 submodule, even if the commit listed in the index of the
299 containing repository matches the commit checked out in the
303 This option is only valid for status and summary commands. These
304 commands typically use the commit found in the submodule HEAD, but
305 with this option, the commit stored in the index is used instead.
308 This option is only valid for the summary command. This command
309 compares the commit in the index with that in the submodule HEAD
310 when this option is used.
314 This option is only valid for the summary command.
315 Limit the summary size (number of commits shown in total).
316 Giving 0 will disable the summary; a negative number means unlimited
317 (the default). This limit only applies to modified submodules. The
318 size is always limited to 1 for added/deleted/typechanged submodules.
321 This option is only valid for the update command. Instead of using
322 the superproject's recorded SHA-1 to update the submodule, use the
323 status of the submodule's remote-tracking branch. The remote used
324 is branch's remote (`branch.<name>.remote`), defaulting to `origin`.
325 The remote branch used defaults to `master`, but the branch name may
326 be overridden by setting the `submodule.<name>.branch` option in
327 either `.gitmodules` or `.git/config` (with `.git/config` taking
330 This works for any of the supported update procedures (`--checkout`,
331 `--rebase`, etc.). The only change is the source of the target SHA-1.
332 For example, `submodule update --remote --merge` will merge upstream
333 submodule changes into the submodules, while `submodule update
334 --merge` will merge superproject gitlink changes into the submodules.
336 In order to ensure a current tracking branch state, `update --remote`
337 fetches the submodule's remote repository before calculating the
338 SHA-1. If you don't want to fetch, you should use `submodule update
339 --remote --no-fetch`.
341 Use this option to integrate changes from the upstream subproject with
342 your submodule's current HEAD. Alternatively, you can run `git pull`
343 from the submodule, which is equivalent except for the remote branch
344 name: `update --remote` uses the default upstream repository and
345 `submodule.<name>.branch`, while `git pull` uses the submodule's
346 `branch.<name>.merge`. Prefer `submodule.<name>.branch` if you want
347 to distribute the default upstream branch with the superproject and
348 `branch.<name>.merge` if you want a more native feel while working in
349 the submodule itself.
353 This option is only valid for the update command.
354 Don't fetch new objects from the remote site.
357 This option is only valid for the update command.
358 Checkout the commit recorded in the superproject on a detached HEAD
359 in the submodule. This is the default behavior, the main use of
360 this option is to override `submodule.$name.update` when set to
361 a value other than `checkout`.
362 If the key `submodule.$name.update` is either not explicitly set or
363 set to `checkout`, this option is implicit.
366 This option is only valid for the update command.
367 Merge the commit recorded in the superproject into the current branch
368 of the submodule. If this option is given, the submodule's HEAD will
369 not be detached. If a merge failure prevents this process, you will
370 have to resolve the resulting conflicts within the submodule with the
371 usual conflict resolution tools.
372 If the key `submodule.$name.update` is set to `merge`, this option is
376 This option is only valid for the update command.
377 Rebase the current branch onto the commit recorded in the
378 superproject. If this option is given, the submodule's HEAD will not
379 be detached. If a merge failure prevents this process, you will have
380 to resolve these failures with linkgit:git-rebase[1].
381 If the key `submodule.$name.update` is set to `rebase`, this option is
385 This option is only valid for the update command.
386 Initialize all submodules for which "git submodule init" has not been
387 called so far before updating.
390 This option is only valid for the add command. It sets the submodule's
391 name to the given string instead of defaulting to its path. The name
392 must be valid as a directory name and may not end with a '/'.
394 --reference <repository>::
395 This option is only valid for add and update commands. These
396 commands sometimes need to clone a remote repository. In this case,
397 this option will be passed to the linkgit:git-clone[1] command.
399 *NOTE*: Do *not* use this option unless you have read the note
400 for linkgit:git-clone[1]'s `--reference`, `--shared`, and `--dissociate`
404 This option is only valid for add and update commands. These
405 commands sometimes need to clone a remote repository. In this case,
406 this option will be passed to the linkgit:git-clone[1] command.
408 *NOTE*: see the NOTE for the `--reference` option.
411 This option is only valid for foreach, update, status and sync commands.
412 Traverse submodules recursively. The operation is performed not
413 only in the submodules of the current repo, but also
414 in any nested submodules inside those submodules (and so on).
417 This option is valid for add and update commands. Create a 'shallow'
418 clone with a history truncated to the specified number of revisions.
419 See linkgit:git-clone[1]
421 --[no-]recommend-shallow::
422 This option is only valid for the update command.
423 The initial clone of a submodule will use the recommended
424 `submodule.<name>.shallow` as provided by the `.gitmodules` file
425 by default. To ignore the suggestions use `--no-recommend-shallow`.
429 This option is only valid for the update command.
430 Clone new submodules in parallel with as many jobs.
431 Defaults to the `submodule.fetchJobs` option.
433 --[no-]single-branch::
434 This option is only valid for the update command.
435 Clone only one branch during update: HEAD or one specified by --branch.
438 Paths to submodule(s). When specified this will restrict the command
439 to only operate on the submodules found at the specified paths.
440 (This argument is required with add).
444 When initializing submodules, a `.gitmodules` file in the top-level directory
445 of the containing repository is used to find the url of each submodule.
446 This file should be formatted in the same way as `$GIT_DIR/config`. The key
447 to each submodule url is "submodule.$name.url". See linkgit:gitmodules[5]
452 linkgit:gitsubmodules[7], linkgit:gitmodules[5].
456 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite