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Git Cheat Sheet

Applies to: Current Git command-line workflows Last reviewed: 2026-07-14

A practical reference for repository setup, branches, commits, remotes, inspection, undo operations, rebasing, and recovery.

Warning

Commands such as reset --hard, clean, forced pushes, and branch deletion can permanently remove uncommitted or unreferenced work. Inspect state and create a backup branch before destructive recovery.

Identify the current repository state

git status --short --branch
git branch --show-current
git remote -v
git log --oneline --decorate --graph -20

Configure identity

git config --global user.name '<name>'
git config --global user.email '<email>'
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
git config --list --show-origin

Use repository-local configuration when work and personal identities differ:

git config user.name '<name>'
git config user.email '<email>'

Create or clone a repository

git init
git clone <repository-url>
git clone --branch <branch> <repository-url>

Inspect changes

git status
git diff
git diff --staged
git diff <base>...<head>
git log --oneline --decorate --graph --all
git show <commit>
git blame <file>

Stage and commit

git add <file>
git add --patch
git restore --staged <file>
git commit -m '<message>'
git commit --amend

Use git add --patch to review each hunk and avoid accidentally committing unrelated changes.

Branches and switching

git branch
git branch --all
git switch -c <new-branch>
git switch <branch>
git switch -
git branch -d <branch>

Force-delete a local branch only after confirming its commits are preserved elsewhere:

git branch -D <branch>

Remotes

git remote -v
git remote add <name> <url>
git remote set-url <name> <url>
git fetch --all --prune
git remote show origin

Pull, merge, and push

git fetch origin
git merge origin/<branch>
git pull --ff-only
git push -u origin <branch>
git push

Prefer git pull --ff-only when you do not want Git to create an implicit merge commit or rebase.

Merge a branch

git switch <target-branch>
git fetch origin
git merge --ff-only origin/<target-branch>
git merge <source-branch>

Resolve conflicts, stage the resolved files, and complete the merge:

git status
git add <resolved-file>
git commit

Abort an in-progress merge:

git merge --abort

Rebase

git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main
git rebase --continue
git rebase --skip
git rebase --abort

Interactive cleanup:

git rebase -i <base-commit>

Caution

Rebase rewrites commit IDs. Avoid rebasing shared branches unless the collaboration workflow explicitly expects it.

Stash

git stash push -m '<description>'
git stash push --include-untracked -m '<description>'
git stash list
git stash show --patch stash@{0}
git stash apply stash@{0}
git stash pop
git stash drop stash@{0}

Use apply instead of pop when you want to keep the stash until the result is verified.

Undo uncommitted changes

Restore one file from the index:

git restore <file>

Restore both staged and working-tree content from HEAD:

git restore --source=HEAD --staged --worktree <file>

Remove untracked files only after a dry run:

git clean -nd
git clean -nfd
git clean -fd

[!DANGER] git clean -fd deletes untracked files and directories. Ignored files require additional flags and can include build artifacts, local configuration, or secrets.

Undo committed changes safely

Create a new commit that reverses an earlier commit:

git revert <commit>
git revert <oldest-commit>^..<newest-commit>

Revert is generally safer for shared branches because it preserves history.

Reset local history

Inspect first:

git status
git log --oneline --decorate -10
git branch backup/<description>

Reset modes:

git reset --soft <commit>
git reset --mixed <commit>
git reset --hard <commit>
Mode Branch pointer Index Working tree
--soft Moves Preserved Preserved
--mixed Moves Reset Preserved
--hard Moves Reset Reset

[!DANGER] git reset --hard discards tracked working-tree changes. Create a backup branch and verify the target commit before running it.

Cherry-pick

git cherry-pick <commit>
git cherry-pick --continue
git cherry-pick --abort

Apply a commit without immediately committing it:

git cherry-pick --no-commit <commit>

Tags

git tag
git tag -a <tag> -m '<message>'
git show <tag>
git push origin <tag>
git push origin --tags

Find a regression with bisect

git bisect start
git bisect bad
git bisect good <known-good-commit>

Test each selected commit and mark it:

git bisect good
git bisect bad
git bisect reset

Automate with a test command:

git bisect run <test-command>

Recover lost commits

git reflog
git show <reflog-commit>
git branch recovery/<description> <reflog-commit>

The reflog is local and expires over time. Create a branch as soon as the desired commit is found.

Submodules

git submodule status
git submodule update --init --recursive
git submodule sync --recursive
git clone --recurse-submodules <repository-url>

Worktrees

git worktree list
git worktree add ../<directory> <branch>
git worktree add -b <new-branch> ../<directory> <base>
git worktree remove ../<directory>
git worktree prune

Worktrees are useful when multiple branches must be checked out simultaneously without repeated stashing.

Safer force push

git fetch origin
git push --force-with-lease origin <branch>

Caution

--force-with-lease is safer than --force, but it still rewrites remote history. Confirm that the branch is intended to be rewritten and that no collaborator work will be lost.

Useful aliases

git config --global alias.st 'status --short --branch'
git config --global alias.lg 'log --oneline --decorate --graph --all'
git config --global alias.unstage 'restore --staged --'

Troubleshooting checklist

  1. Run git status --short --branch.
  2. Confirm the current branch and remote.
  3. Fetch before comparing local and remote history.
  4. Inspect staged and unstaged diffs separately.
  5. Use git reflog before assuming a commit is lost.
  6. Create a backup branch before reset, rebase, or force-push recovery.
  7. Prefer revert for changes already shared with others.

References