Documentation / git-push.txton commit git-push.txt: document the behavior of --repo (57b92a7)
   1git-push(1)
   2===========
   3
   4NAME
   5----
   6git-push - Update remote refs along with associated objects
   7
   8
   9SYNOPSIS
  10--------
  11[verse]
  12'git push' [--all | --mirror | --tags] [--follow-tags] [-n | --dry-run] [--receive-pack=<git-receive-pack>]
  13           [--repo=<repository>] [-f | --force] [--prune] [-v | --verbose] [-u | --set-upstream]
  14           [--force-with-lease[=<refname>[:<expect>]]]
  15           [--no-verify] [<repository> [<refspec>...]]
  16
  17DESCRIPTION
  18-----------
  19
  20Updates remote refs using local refs, while sending objects
  21necessary to complete the given refs.
  22
  23You can make interesting things happen to a repository
  24every time you push into it, by setting up 'hooks' there.  See
  25documentation for linkgit:git-receive-pack[1].
  26
  27When the command line does not specify where to push with the
  28`<repository>` argument, `branch.*.remote` configuration for the
  29current branch is consulted to determine where to push.  If the
  30configuration is missing, it defaults to 'origin'.
  31
  32When the command line does not specify what to push with `<refspec>...`
  33arguments or `--all`, `--mirror`, `--tags` options, the command finds
  34the default `<refspec>` by consulting `remote.*.push` configuration,
  35and if it is not found, honors `push.default` configuration to decide
  36what to push (See gitlink:git-config[1] for the meaning of `push.default`).
  37
  38
  39OPTIONS[[OPTIONS]]
  40------------------
  41<repository>::
  42        The "remote" repository that is destination of a push
  43        operation.  This parameter can be either a URL
  44        (see the section <<URLS,GIT URLS>> below) or the name
  45        of a remote (see the section <<REMOTES,REMOTES>> below).
  46
  47<refspec>...::
  48        Specify what destination ref to update with what source object.
  49        The format of a <refspec> parameter is an optional plus
  50        `+`, followed by the source object <src>, followed
  51        by a colon `:`, followed by the destination ref <dst>.
  52+
  53The <src> is often the name of the branch you would want to push, but
  54it can be any arbitrary "SHA-1 expression", such as `master~4` or
  55`HEAD` (see linkgit:gitrevisions[7]).
  56+
  57The <dst> tells which ref on the remote side is updated with this
  58push. Arbitrary expressions cannot be used here, an actual ref must
  59be named.
  60If `git push [<repository>]` without any `<refspec>` argument is set to
  61update some ref at the destination with `<src>` with
  62`remote.<repository>.push` configuration variable, `:<dst>` part can
  63be omitted---such a push will update a ref that `<src>` normally updates
  64without any `<refspec>` on the command line.  Otherwise, missing
  65`:<dst>` means to update the same ref as the `<src>`.
  66+
  67The object referenced by <src> is used to update the <dst> reference
  68on the remote side.  By default this is only allowed if <dst> is not
  69a tag (annotated or lightweight), and then only if it can fast-forward
  70<dst>.  By having the optional leading `+`, you can tell Git to update
  71the <dst> ref even if it is not allowed by default (e.g., it is not a
  72fast-forward.)  This does *not* attempt to merge <src> into <dst>.  See
  73EXAMPLES below for details.
  74+
  75`tag <tag>` means the same as `refs/tags/<tag>:refs/tags/<tag>`.
  76+
  77Pushing an empty <src> allows you to delete the <dst> ref from
  78the remote repository.
  79+
  80The special refspec `:` (or `+:` to allow non-fast-forward updates)
  81directs Git to push "matching" branches: for every branch that exists on
  82the local side, the remote side is updated if a branch of the same name
  83already exists on the remote side.
  84
  85--all::
  86        Push all branches (i.e. refs under `refs/heads/`); cannot be
  87        used with other <refspec>.
  88
  89--prune::
  90        Remove remote branches that don't have a local counterpart. For example
  91        a remote branch `tmp` will be removed if a local branch with the same
  92        name doesn't exist any more. This also respects refspecs, e.g.
  93        `git push --prune remote refs/heads/*:refs/tmp/*` would
  94        make sure that remote `refs/tmp/foo` will be removed if `refs/heads/foo`
  95        doesn't exist.
  96
  97--mirror::
  98        Instead of naming each ref to push, specifies that all
  99        refs under `refs/` (which includes but is not
 100        limited to `refs/heads/`, `refs/remotes/`, and `refs/tags/`)
 101        be mirrored to the remote repository.  Newly created local
 102        refs will be pushed to the remote end, locally updated refs
 103        will be force updated on the remote end, and deleted refs
 104        will be removed from the remote end.  This is the default
 105        if the configuration option `remote.<remote>.mirror` is
 106        set.
 107
 108-n::
 109--dry-run::
 110        Do everything except actually send the updates.
 111
 112--porcelain::
 113        Produce machine-readable output.  The output status line for each ref
 114        will be tab-separated and sent to stdout instead of stderr.  The full
 115        symbolic names of the refs will be given.
 116
 117--delete::
 118        All listed refs are deleted from the remote repository. This is
 119        the same as prefixing all refs with a colon.
 120
 121--tags::
 122        All refs under `refs/tags` are pushed, in
 123        addition to refspecs explicitly listed on the command
 124        line.
 125
 126--follow-tags::
 127        Push all the refs that would be pushed without this option,
 128        and also push annotated tags in `refs/tags` that are missing
 129        from the remote but are pointing at commit-ish that are
 130        reachable from the refs being pushed.
 131
 132--receive-pack=<git-receive-pack>::
 133--exec=<git-receive-pack>::
 134        Path to the 'git-receive-pack' program on the remote
 135        end.  Sometimes useful when pushing to a remote
 136        repository over ssh, and you do not have the program in
 137        a directory on the default $PATH.
 138
 139--[no-]force-with-lease::
 140--force-with-lease=<refname>::
 141--force-with-lease=<refname>:<expect>::
 142        Usually, "git push" refuses to update a remote ref that is
 143        not an ancestor of the local ref used to overwrite it.
 144+
 145This option bypasses the check, but instead requires that the
 146current value of the ref to be the expected value.  "git push"
 147fails otherwise.
 148+
 149Imagine that you have to rebase what you have already published.
 150You will have to bypass the "must fast-forward" rule in order to
 151replace the history you originally published with the rebased history.
 152If somebody else built on top of your original history while you are
 153rebasing, the tip of the branch at the remote may advance with her
 154commit, and blindly pushing with `--force` will lose her work.
 155+
 156This option allows you to say that you expect the history you are
 157updating is what you rebased and want to replace. If the remote ref
 158still points at the commit you specified, you can be sure that no
 159other people did anything to the ref (it is like taking a "lease" on
 160the ref without explicitly locking it, and you update the ref while
 161making sure that your earlier "lease" is still valid).
 162+
 163`--force-with-lease` alone, without specifying the details, will protect
 164all remote refs that are going to be updated by requiring their
 165current value to be the same as the remote-tracking branch we have
 166for them, unless specified with a `--force-with-lease=<refname>:<expect>`
 167option that explicitly states what the expected value is.
 168+
 169`--force-with-lease=<refname>`, without specifying the expected value, will
 170protect the named ref (alone), if it is going to be updated, by
 171requiring its current value to be the same as the remote-tracking
 172branch we have for it.
 173+
 174`--force-with-lease=<refname>:<expect>` will protect the named ref (alone),
 175if it is going to be updated, by requiring its current value to be
 176the same as the specified value <expect> (which is allowed to be
 177different from the remote-tracking branch we have for the refname,
 178or we do not even have to have such a remote-tracking branch when
 179this form is used).
 180+
 181Note that all forms other than `--force-with-lease=<refname>:<expect>`
 182that specifies the expected current value of the ref explicitly are
 183still experimental and their semantics may change as we gain experience
 184with this feature.
 185+
 186"--no-force-with-lease" will cancel all the previous --force-with-lease on the
 187command line.
 188
 189-f::
 190--force::
 191        Usually, the command refuses to update a remote ref that is
 192        not an ancestor of the local ref used to overwrite it.
 193        Also, when `--force-with-lease` option is used, the command refuses
 194        to update a remote ref whose current value does not match
 195        what is expected.
 196+
 197This flag disables these checks, and can cause the remote repository
 198to lose commits; use it with care.
 199+
 200Note that `--force` applies to all the refs that are pushed, hence
 201using it with `push.default` set to `matching` or with multiple push
 202destinations configured with `remote.*.push` may overwrite refs
 203other than the current branch (including local refs that are
 204strictly behind their remote counterpart).  To force a push to only
 205one branch, use a `+` in front of the refspec to push (e.g `git push
 206origin +master` to force a push to the `master` branch). See the
 207`<refspec>...` section above for details.
 208
 209--repo=<repository>::
 210        This option is equivalent to the <repository> argument. If both
 211        are specified, the command-line argument takes precedence.
 212
 213-u::
 214--set-upstream::
 215        For every branch that is up to date or successfully pushed, add
 216        upstream (tracking) reference, used by argument-less
 217        linkgit:git-pull[1] and other commands. For more information,
 218        see 'branch.<name>.merge' in linkgit:git-config[1].
 219
 220--[no-]thin::
 221        These options are passed to linkgit:git-send-pack[1]. A thin transfer
 222        significantly reduces the amount of sent data when the sender and
 223        receiver share many of the same objects in common. The default is
 224        \--thin.
 225
 226-q::
 227--quiet::
 228        Suppress all output, including the listing of updated refs,
 229        unless an error occurs. Progress is not reported to the standard
 230        error stream.
 231
 232-v::
 233--verbose::
 234        Run verbosely.
 235
 236--progress::
 237        Progress status is reported on the standard error stream
 238        by default when it is attached to a terminal, unless -q
 239        is specified. This flag forces progress status even if the
 240        standard error stream is not directed to a terminal.
 241
 242--recurse-submodules=check|on-demand::
 243        Make sure all submodule commits used by the revisions to be
 244        pushed are available on a remote-tracking branch. If 'check' is
 245        used Git will verify that all submodule commits that changed in
 246        the revisions to be pushed are available on at least one remote
 247        of the submodule. If any commits are missing the push will be
 248        aborted and exit with non-zero status. If 'on-demand' is used
 249        all submodules that changed in the revisions to be pushed will
 250        be pushed. If on-demand was not able to push all necessary
 251        revisions it will also be aborted and exit with non-zero status.
 252
 253--[no-]verify::
 254        Toggle the pre-push hook (see linkgit:githooks[5]).  The
 255        default is \--verify, giving the hook a chance to prevent the
 256        push.  With \--no-verify, the hook is bypassed completely.
 257
 258
 259include::urls-remotes.txt[]
 260
 261OUTPUT
 262------
 263
 264The output of "git push" depends on the transport method used; this
 265section describes the output when pushing over the Git protocol (either
 266locally or via ssh).
 267
 268The status of the push is output in tabular form, with each line
 269representing the status of a single ref. Each line is of the form:
 270
 271-------------------------------
 272 <flag> <summary> <from> -> <to> (<reason>)
 273-------------------------------
 274
 275If --porcelain is used, then each line of the output is of the form:
 276
 277-------------------------------
 278 <flag> \t <from>:<to> \t <summary> (<reason>)
 279-------------------------------
 280
 281The status of up-to-date refs is shown only if --porcelain or --verbose
 282option is used.
 283
 284flag::
 285        A single character indicating the status of the ref:
 286(space);; for a successfully pushed fast-forward;
 287`+`;; for a successful forced update;
 288`-`;; for a successfully deleted ref;
 289`*`;; for a successfully pushed new ref;
 290`!`;; for a ref that was rejected or failed to push; and
 291`=`;; for a ref that was up to date and did not need pushing.
 292
 293summary::
 294        For a successfully pushed ref, the summary shows the old and new
 295        values of the ref in a form suitable for using as an argument to
 296        `git log` (this is `<old>..<new>` in most cases, and
 297        `<old>...<new>` for forced non-fast-forward updates).
 298+
 299For a failed update, more details are given:
 300+
 301--
 302rejected::
 303        Git did not try to send the ref at all, typically because it
 304        is not a fast-forward and you did not force the update.
 305
 306remote rejected::
 307        The remote end refused the update.  Usually caused by a hook
 308        on the remote side, or because the remote repository has one
 309        of the following safety options in effect:
 310        `receive.denyCurrentBranch` (for pushes to the checked out
 311        branch), `receive.denyNonFastForwards` (for forced
 312        non-fast-forward updates), `receive.denyDeletes` or
 313        `receive.denyDeleteCurrent`.  See linkgit:git-config[1].
 314
 315remote failure::
 316        The remote end did not report the successful update of the ref,
 317        perhaps because of a temporary error on the remote side, a
 318        break in the network connection, or other transient error.
 319--
 320
 321from::
 322        The name of the local ref being pushed, minus its
 323        `refs/<type>/` prefix. In the case of deletion, the
 324        name of the local ref is omitted.
 325
 326to::
 327        The name of the remote ref being updated, minus its
 328        `refs/<type>/` prefix.
 329
 330reason::
 331        A human-readable explanation. In the case of successfully pushed
 332        refs, no explanation is needed. For a failed ref, the reason for
 333        failure is described.
 334
 335Note about fast-forwards
 336------------------------
 337
 338When an update changes a branch (or more in general, a ref) that used to
 339point at commit A to point at another commit B, it is called a
 340fast-forward update if and only if B is a descendant of A.
 341
 342In a fast-forward update from A to B, the set of commits that the original
 343commit A built on top of is a subset of the commits the new commit B
 344builds on top of.  Hence, it does not lose any history.
 345
 346In contrast, a non-fast-forward update will lose history.  For example,
 347suppose you and somebody else started at the same commit X, and you built
 348a history leading to commit B while the other person built a history
 349leading to commit A.  The history looks like this:
 350
 351----------------
 352
 353      B
 354     /
 355 ---X---A
 356
 357----------------
 358
 359Further suppose that the other person already pushed changes leading to A
 360back to the original repository from which you two obtained the original
 361commit X.
 362
 363The push done by the other person updated the branch that used to point at
 364commit X to point at commit A.  It is a fast-forward.
 365
 366But if you try to push, you will attempt to update the branch (that
 367now points at A) with commit B.  This does _not_ fast-forward.  If you did
 368so, the changes introduced by commit A will be lost, because everybody
 369will now start building on top of B.
 370
 371The command by default does not allow an update that is not a fast-forward
 372to prevent such loss of history.
 373
 374If you do not want to lose your work (history from X to B) or the work by
 375the other person (history from X to A), you would need to first fetch the
 376history from the repository, create a history that contains changes done
 377by both parties, and push the result back.
 378
 379You can perform "git pull", resolve potential conflicts, and "git push"
 380the result.  A "git pull" will create a merge commit C between commits A
 381and B.
 382
 383----------------
 384
 385      B---C
 386     /   /
 387 ---X---A
 388
 389----------------
 390
 391Updating A with the resulting merge commit will fast-forward and your
 392push will be accepted.
 393
 394Alternatively, you can rebase your change between X and B on top of A,
 395with "git pull --rebase", and push the result back.  The rebase will
 396create a new commit D that builds the change between X and B on top of
 397A.
 398
 399----------------
 400
 401      B   D
 402     /   /
 403 ---X---A
 404
 405----------------
 406
 407Again, updating A with this commit will fast-forward and your push will be
 408accepted.
 409
 410There is another common situation where you may encounter non-fast-forward
 411rejection when you try to push, and it is possible even when you are
 412pushing into a repository nobody else pushes into. After you push commit
 413A yourself (in the first picture in this section), replace it with "git
 414commit --amend" to produce commit B, and you try to push it out, because
 415forgot that you have pushed A out already. In such a case, and only if
 416you are certain that nobody in the meantime fetched your earlier commit A
 417(and started building on top of it), you can run "git push --force" to
 418overwrite it. In other words, "git push --force" is a method reserved for
 419a case where you do mean to lose history.
 420
 421
 422Examples
 423--------
 424
 425`git push`::
 426        Works like `git push <remote>`, where <remote> is the
 427        current branch's remote (or `origin`, if no remote is
 428        configured for the current branch).
 429
 430`git push origin`::
 431        Without additional configuration, pushes the current branch to
 432        the configured upstream (`remote.origin.merge` configuration
 433        variable) if it has the same name as the current branch, and
 434        errors out without pushing otherwise.
 435+
 436The default behavior of this command when no <refspec> is given can be
 437configured by setting the `push` option of the remote, or the `push.default`
 438configuration variable.
 439+
 440For example, to default to pushing only the current branch to `origin`
 441use `git config remote.origin.push HEAD`.  Any valid <refspec> (like
 442the ones in the examples below) can be configured as the default for
 443`git push origin`.
 444
 445`git push origin :`::
 446        Push "matching" branches to `origin`. See
 447        <refspec> in the <<OPTIONS,OPTIONS>> section above for a
 448        description of "matching" branches.
 449
 450`git push origin master`::
 451        Find a ref that matches `master` in the source repository
 452        (most likely, it would find `refs/heads/master`), and update
 453        the same ref (e.g. `refs/heads/master`) in `origin` repository
 454        with it.  If `master` did not exist remotely, it would be
 455        created.
 456
 457`git push origin HEAD`::
 458        A handy way to push the current branch to the same name on the
 459        remote.
 460
 461`git push mothership master:satellite/master dev:satellite/dev`::
 462        Use the source ref that matches `master` (e.g. `refs/heads/master`)
 463        to update the ref that matches `satellite/master` (most probably
 464        `refs/remotes/satellite/master`) in the `mothership` repository;
 465        do the same for `dev` and `satellite/dev`.
 466+
 467This is to emulate `git fetch` run on the `mothership` using `git
 468push` that is run in the opposite direction in order to integrate
 469the work done on `satellite`, and is often necessary when you can
 470only make connection in one way (i.e. satellite can ssh into
 471mothership but mothership cannot initiate connection to satellite
 472because the latter is behind a firewall or does not run sshd).
 473+
 474After running this `git push` on the `satellite` machine, you would
 475ssh into the `mothership` and run `git merge` there to complete the
 476emulation of `git pull` that were run on `mothership` to pull changes
 477made on `satellite`.
 478
 479`git push origin HEAD:master`::
 480        Push the current branch to the remote ref matching `master` in the
 481        `origin` repository. This form is convenient to push the current
 482        branch without thinking about its local name.
 483
 484`git push origin master:refs/heads/experimental`::
 485        Create the branch `experimental` in the `origin` repository
 486        by copying the current `master` branch.  This form is only
 487        needed to create a new branch or tag in the remote repository when
 488        the local name and the remote name are different; otherwise,
 489        the ref name on its own will work.
 490
 491`git push origin :experimental`::
 492        Find a ref that matches `experimental` in the `origin` repository
 493        (e.g. `refs/heads/experimental`), and delete it.
 494
 495`git push origin +dev:master`::
 496        Update the origin repository's master branch with the dev branch,
 497        allowing non-fast-forward updates.  *This can leave unreferenced
 498        commits dangling in the origin repository.*  Consider the
 499        following situation, where a fast-forward is not possible:
 500+
 501----
 502            o---o---o---A---B  origin/master
 503                     \
 504                      X---Y---Z  dev
 505----
 506+
 507The above command would change the origin repository to
 508+
 509----
 510                      A---B  (unnamed branch)
 511                     /
 512            o---o---o---X---Y---Z  master
 513----
 514+
 515Commits A and B would no longer belong to a branch with a symbolic name,
 516and so would be unreachable.  As such, these commits would be removed by
 517a `git gc` command on the origin repository.
 518
 519GIT
 520---
 521Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite