6 git-update-index - Register file contents in the working tree to the index
13 [--add] [--remove | --force-remove] [--replace]
14 [--refresh] [-q] [--unmerged] [--ignore-missing]
15 [--cacheinfo <mode> <object> <file>]\*
17 [--assume-unchanged | --no-assume-unchanged]
18 [--skip-worktree | --no-skip-worktree]
20 [--really-refresh] [--unresolve] [--again | -g]
21 [--info-only] [--index-info]
28 Modifies the index or directory cache. Each file mentioned is updated
29 into the index and any 'unmerged' or 'needs updating' state is
32 See also linkgit:git-add[1] for a more user-friendly way to do some of
33 the most common operations on the index.
35 The way 'git-update-index' handles files it is told about can be modified
36 using the various options:
41 If a specified file isn't in the index already then it's
43 Default behaviour is to ignore new files.
46 If a specified file is in the index but is missing then it's
48 Default behavior is to ignore removed file.
51 Looks at the current index and checks to see if merges or
52 updates are needed by checking stat() information.
55 Quiet. If --refresh finds that the index needs an update, the
56 default behavior is to error out. This option makes
57 'git-update-index' continue anyway.
60 Do not try to update submodules. This option is only respected
61 when passed before --refresh.
64 If --refresh finds unmerged changes in the index, the default
65 behavior is to error out. This option makes 'git-update-index'
69 Ignores missing files during a --refresh
71 --cacheinfo <mode> <object> <path>::
72 Directly insert the specified info into the index.
75 Read index information from stdin.
78 Set the execute permissions on the updated files.
81 --no-assume-unchanged::
82 When these flags are specified, the object names recorded
83 for the paths are not updated. Instead, these options
84 set and unset the "assume unchanged" bit for the
85 paths. When the "assume unchanged" bit is on, git stops
86 checking the working tree files for possible
87 modifications, so you need to manually unset the bit to
88 tell git when you change the working tree file. This is
89 sometimes helpful when working with a big project on a
90 filesystem that has very slow lstat(2) system call
93 This option can be also used as a coarse file-level mechanism
94 to ignore uncommitted changes in tracked files (akin to what
95 `.gitignore` does for untracked files).
96 You should remember that an explicit 'git add' operation will
97 still cause the file to be refreshed from the working tree.
98 Git will fail (gracefully) in case it needs to modify this file
99 in the index e.g. when merging in a commit;
100 thus, in case the assumed-untracked file is changed upstream,
101 you will need to handle the situation manually.
105 When one of these flags is specified, the object name recorded
106 for the paths are not updated. Instead, these options
107 set and unset the "skip-worktree" bit for the paths. See
108 section "Skip-worktree bit" below for more information.
112 Runs 'git-update-index' itself on the paths whose index
113 entries are different from those from the `HEAD` commit.
116 Restores the 'unmerged' or 'needs updating' state of a
117 file during a merge if it was cleared by accident.
120 Do not create objects in the object database for all
121 <file> arguments that follow this flag; just insert
122 their object IDs into the index.
125 Remove the file from the index even when the working directory
126 still has such a file. (Implies --remove.)
129 By default, when a file `path` exists in the index,
130 'git-update-index' refuses an attempt to add `path/file`.
131 Similarly if a file `path/file` exists, a file `path`
132 cannot be added. With --replace flag, existing entries
133 that conflict with the entry being added are
134 automatically removed with warning messages.
137 Instead of taking list of paths from the command line,
138 read list of paths from the standard input. Paths are
139 separated by LF (i.e. one path per line) by default.
142 Report what is being added and removed from index.
145 Only meaningful with `--stdin`; paths are separated with
146 NUL character instead of LF.
149 Do not interpret any more arguments as options.
153 Note that files beginning with '.' are discarded. This includes
154 `./file` and `dir/./file`. If you don't want this, then use
156 The same applies to directories ending '/' and paths with '//'
160 '--refresh' does not calculate a new sha1 file or bring the index
161 up-to-date for mode/content changes. But what it *does* do is to
162 "re-match" the stat information of a file with the index, so that you
163 can refresh the index for a file that hasn't been changed but where
164 the stat entry is out of date.
166 For example, you'd want to do this after doing a 'git-read-tree', to link
167 up the stat index details with the proper files.
169 Using --cacheinfo or --info-only
170 --------------------------------
171 '--cacheinfo' is used to register a file that is not in the
172 current working directory. This is useful for minimum-checkout
175 To pretend you have a file with mode and sha1 at path, say:
178 $ git update-index --cacheinfo mode sha1 path
181 '--info-only' is used to register files without placing them in the object
182 database. This is useful for status-only repositories.
184 Both '--cacheinfo' and '--info-only' behave similarly: the index is updated
185 but the object database isn't. '--cacheinfo' is useful when the object is
186 in the database but the file isn't available locally. '--info-only' is
187 useful when the file is available, but you do not wish to update the
194 `--index-info` is a more powerful mechanism that lets you feed
195 multiple entry definitions from the standard input, and designed
196 specifically for scripts. It can take inputs of three formats:
198 . mode SP sha1 TAB path
200 The first format is what "git-apply --index-info"
201 reports, and used to reconstruct a partial tree
202 that is used for phony merge base tree when falling
205 . mode SP type SP sha1 TAB path
207 The second format is to stuff 'git-ls-tree' output
210 . mode SP sha1 SP stage TAB path
212 This format is to put higher order stages into the
213 index file and matches 'git-ls-files --stage' output.
215 To place a higher stage entry to the index, the path should
216 first be removed by feeding a mode=0 entry for the path, and
217 then feeding necessary input lines in the third format.
219 For example, starting with this index:
223 100644 8a1218a1024a212bb3db30becd860315f9f3ac52 0 frotz
226 you can feed the following input to `--index-info`:
229 $ git update-index --index-info
230 0 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 frotz
231 100644 8a1218a1024a212bb3db30becd860315f9f3ac52 1 frotz
232 100755 8a1218a1024a212bb3db30becd860315f9f3ac52 2 frotz
235 The first line of the input feeds 0 as the mode to remove the
236 path; the SHA1 does not matter as long as it is well formatted.
237 Then the second and third line feeds stage 1 and stage 2 entries
238 for that path. After the above, we would end up with this:
242 100644 8a1218a1024a212bb3db30becd860315f9f3ac52 1 frotz
243 100755 8a1218a1024a212bb3db30becd860315f9f3ac52 2 frotz
247 Using ``assume unchanged'' bit
248 ------------------------------
250 Many operations in git depend on your filesystem to have an
251 efficient `lstat(2)` implementation, so that `st_mtime`
252 information for working tree files can be cheaply checked to see
253 if the file contents have changed from the version recorded in
254 the index file. Unfortunately, some filesystems have
255 inefficient `lstat(2)`. If your filesystem is one of them, you
256 can set "assume unchanged" bit to paths you have not changed to
257 cause git not to do this check. Note that setting this bit on a
258 path does not mean git will check the contents of the file to
259 see if it has changed -- it makes git to omit any checking and
260 assume it has *not* changed. When you make changes to working
261 tree files, you have to explicitly tell git about it by dropping
262 "assume unchanged" bit, either before or after you modify them.
264 In order to set "assume unchanged" bit, use `--assume-unchanged`
265 option. To unset, use `--no-assume-unchanged`.
267 The command looks at `core.ignorestat` configuration variable. When
268 this is true, paths updated with `git update-index paths...` and
269 paths updated with other git commands that update both index and
270 working tree (e.g. 'git-apply --index', 'git-checkout-index -u',
271 and 'git-read-tree -u') are automatically marked as "assume
272 unchanged". Note that "assume unchanged" bit is *not* set if
273 `git update-index --refresh` finds the working tree file matches
274 the index (use `git update-index --really-refresh` if you want
275 to mark them as "assume unchanged").
280 To update and refresh only the files already checked out:
283 $ git checkout-index -n -f -a && git update-index --ignore-missing --refresh
286 On an inefficient filesystem with `core.ignorestat` set::
289 $ git update-index --really-refresh <1>
290 $ git update-index --no-assume-unchanged foo.c <2>
291 $ git diff --name-only <3>
293 $ git diff --name-only <4>
295 $ git update-index foo.c <5>
296 $ git diff --name-only <6>
298 $ git diff --name-only <7>
299 $ git update-index --no-assume-unchanged foo.c <8>
300 $ git diff --name-only <9>
304 <1> forces lstat(2) to set "assume unchanged" bits for paths that match index.
305 <2> mark the path to be edited.
306 <3> this does lstat(2) and finds index matches the path.
307 <4> this does lstat(2) and finds index does *not* match the path.
308 <5> registering the new version to index sets "assume unchanged" bit.
309 <6> and it is assumed unchanged.
310 <7> even after you edit it.
311 <8> you can tell about the change after the fact.
312 <9> now it checks with lstat(2) and finds it has been changed.
318 Skip-worktree bit can be defined in one (long) sentence: When reading
319 an entry, if it is marked as skip-worktree, then Git pretends its
320 working directory version is up to date and read the index version
323 To elaborate, "reading" means checking for file existence, reading
324 file attributes or file content. The working directory version may be
325 present or absent. If present, its content may match against the index
326 version or not. Writing is not affected by this bit, content safety
327 is still first priority. Note that Git _can_ update working directory
328 file, that is marked skip-worktree, if it is safe to do so (i.e.
329 working directory version matches index version)
331 Although this bit looks similar to assume-unchanged bit, its goal is
332 different from assume-unchanged bit's. Skip-worktree also takes
333 precedence over assume-unchanged bit when both are set.
339 The command honors `core.filemode` configuration variable. If
340 your repository is on an filesystem whose executable bits are
341 unreliable, this should be set to 'false' (see linkgit:git-config[1]).
342 This causes the command to ignore differences in file modes recorded
343 in the index and the file mode on the filesystem if they differ only on
344 executable bit. On such an unfortunate filesystem, you may
345 need to use 'git-update-index --chmod='.
347 Quite similarly, if `core.symlinks` configuration variable is set
348 to 'false' (see linkgit:git-config[1]), symbolic links are checked out
349 as plain files, and this command does not modify a recorded file mode
350 from symbolic link to regular file.
352 The command looks at `core.ignorestat` configuration variable. See
353 'Using "assume unchanged" bit' section above.
355 The command also looks at `core.trustctime` configuration variable.
356 It can be useful when the inode change time is regularly modified by
357 something outside Git (file system crawlers and backup systems use
358 ctime for marking files processed) (see linkgit:git-config[1]).
363 linkgit:git-config[1],
369 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>
373 Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.
377 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite