Manual: git-sh-setup

GIT-SH-SETUP(1)					 Git Manual				     GIT-SH-SETUP(1)

NAME
       git-sh-setup - Common Git shell script setup code

SYNOPSIS
       . "$(git --exec-path)/git-sh-setup"

DESCRIPTION
       This is not a command the end user would want to run. Ever. This documentation is meant for people
       who are studying the Porcelain-ish scripts and/or are writing new ones.

       The git sh-setup scriptlet is designed to be sourced (using .) by other shell scripts to set up some
       variables pointing at the normal Git directories and a few helper shell functions.

       Before sourcing it, your script should set up a few variables; USAGE (and LONG_USAGE, if any) is used
       to define the message given by usage() shell function. SUBDIRECTORY_OK can be set if the script can
       run from a subdirectory of the working tree (some commands do not).

       The scriptlet sets GIT_DIR and GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY shell variables, but does not export them to the
       environment.

FUNCTIONS
       die
	   exit after emitting the supplied error message to the standard error stream.

       usage
	   die with the usage message.

       set_reflog_action
	   Set GIT_REFLOG_ACTION environment to a given string (typically the name of the program) unless it
	   is already set. Whenever the script runs a git command that updates refs, a reflog entry is
	   created using the value of this string to leave the record of what command updated the ref.

       git_editor
	   runs an editor of user’s choice (GIT_EDITOR, core.editor, VISUAL or EDITOR) on a given file, but
	   error out if no editor is specified and the terminal is dumb.

       is_bare_repository
	   outputs true or false to the standard output stream to indicate if the repository is a bare
	   repository (i.e. without an associated working tree).

       cd_to_toplevel
	   runs chdir to the toplevel of the working tree.

       require_work_tree
	   checks if the current directory is within the working tree of the repository, and otherwise dies.

       require_work_tree_exists
	   checks if the working tree associated with the repository exists, and otherwise dies. Often done
	   before calling cd_to_toplevel, which is impossible to do if there is no working tree.

       require_clean_work_tree  []
	   checks that the working tree and index associated with the repository have no uncommitted changes
	   to tracked files. Otherwise it emits an error message of the form Cannot : .
	   , and dies. Example:

	       require_clean_work_tree rebase "Please commit or stash them."

       get_author_ident_from_commit
	   outputs code for use with eval to set the GIT_AUTHOR_NAME, GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL and GIT_AUTHOR_DATE
	   variables for a given commit.

       create_virtual_base
	   modifies the first file so only lines in common with the second file remain. If there is
	   insufficient common material, then the first file is left empty. The result is suitable as a
	   virtual base input for a 3-way merge.

GIT
       Part of the git(1) suite

Git 2.53.0					 03/02/2026				     GIT-SH-SETUP(1)