NAME

       git-refs - Low-level access to refs

SYNOPSIS

       git refs migrate --ref-format=<format> [--no-reflog] [--dry-run]
       git refs verify [--strict] [--verbose]

DESCRIPTION

       This command provides low-level access to refs.

COMMANDS

       migrate
           Migrate ref store between different formats.

       verify
           Verify reference database consistency.

OPTIONS

       The following options are specific to git refs migrate:

       --ref-format=<format>
           The ref format to migrate the ref store to. Can be one of:

           •   files for loose files with packed-refs. This is the default.

           •   reftable for the reftable format. This format is experimental and its internals are subject to
               change.

       --dry-run
           Perform the migration, but do not modify the repository. The migrated refs will be written into a
           separate directory that can be inspected separately. The name of the directory will be reported on
           stdout. This can be used to double check that the migration works as expected before performing the
           actual migration.

       --reflog, --no-reflog
           Choose between migrating the reflog data to the new backend, and discarding them. The default is
           "--reflog", to migrate.

       The following options are specific to git refs verify:

       --strict
           Enable stricter error checking. This will cause warnings to be reported as errors. See git-fsck(1).

       --verbose
           When verifying the reference database consistency, be chatty.

KNOWN LIMITATIONS

       The ref format migration has several known limitations in its current form:

       •   It is not possible to migrate repositories that have worktrees.

       •   There is no way to block concurrent writes to the repository during an ongoing migration. Concurrent
           writes can lead to an inconsistent migrated state. Users are expected to block writes on a higher
           level. If your repository is registered for scheduled maintenance, it is recommended to unregister it
           first with git-maintenance(1).

       These limitations may eventually be lifted.

GIT

       Part of the git(1) suite

Git 2.51.0                                         08/28/2025                                        GIT-REFS(1)