Git Cheatsheet

Practical Git commands for real-world workflows: committing, branching, syncing, and recovering from mistakes.

Prefix: run these in a Git repository. Optional flags are in [brackets].

Everyday Workflow

git status
Show what changed and what’s staged.
git add <file>
Stage a specific file.
git add -p
Interactively stage chunks (great for clean commits).
git commit -m "message"
Create a commit with a message.
git commit --amend
Amend the last commit (message and staged changes).
git log --oneline --graph --decorate --all
Compact, visual commit history with branches.

Branches and Remotes

git branch
List local branches; * marks current.
git branch -a
List local and remote branches.
git switch -c <branch>
Create and switch to a new branch.
git switch <branch>
Switch to an existing branch.
git push -u origin <branch>
Create branch on remote and set upstream.
git fetch [--all]
Update remote-tracking branches without merging.
git pull --rebase
Fetch + rebase your work on top of remote (avoids merge bubbles).

Undo and Fix-Ups

Warning: Commands that rewrite history (like reset --hard or push --force) are dangerous on shared branches. Prefer revert on main.

git restore <file>
Throw away unstaged changes in a file (reset to HEAD).
git restore --staged <file>
Unstage a file (keep changes in working tree).
git revert <commit>
Create a new commit that undoes a specific commit (safe for shared history).
git reset --soft HEAD~1
Uncommit last commit but keep all changes staged.
git reset --mixed HEAD~1
Uncommit and unstage last commit, keep changes in working tree.
git reset --hard HEAD~1
Drop last commit and all related changes (destructive).

Stashing and Cleaning

git stash push -m "msg"
Stash current changes with a label.
git stash list
Show stashes with their indices.
git stash show -p stash@{0}
Preview what a stash contains.
git stash apply [stash@{n}]
Apply a stash, keep it in the list.
git stash pop
Apply the latest stash and drop it.
git clean -fd
Remove untracked files and directories (-n for dry run).

Rebasing and History Editing

git rebase main
Replay current branch on top of main.
git rebase -i HEAD~5
Interactively edit, squash, or drop the last 5 commits.
git rebase --continue
Continue rebase after resolving conflicts.
git rebase --abort
Abort the rebase and return to previous state.
git push --force-with-lease
Force-push safely after rewriting history (checks remote head).

Need a different cheatsheet? Visit the Terminal Cheatsheets index or jump to tmux and Linux commands.