NAME

       git-replace - Create, list, delete refs to replace objects

SYNOPSIS

       git replace [-f] <object> <replacement>
       git replace -d <object>...
       git replace [--format=<format>] [-l [<pattern>]]

DESCRIPTION

       Adds a replace reference in refs/replace/ namespace.

       The name of the replace reference is the SHA-1 of the object that is replaced. The content
       of the replace reference is the SHA-1 of the replacement object.

       The replaced object and the replacement object must be of the same type. This restriction
       can be bypassed using -f.

       Unless -f is given, the replace reference must not yet exist.

       There is no other restriction on the replaced and replacement objects. Merge commits can
       be replaced by non-merge commits and vice versa.

       Replacement references will be used by default by all Git commands except those doing
       reachability traversal (prune, pack transfer and fsck).

       It is possible to disable use of replacement references for any command using the
       --no-replace-objects option just after git.

       For example if commit foo has been replaced by commit bar:

           $ git --no-replace-objects cat-file commit foo

       shows information about commit foo, while:

           $ git cat-file commit foo

       shows information about commit bar.

       The GIT_NO_REPLACE_OBJECTS environment variable can be set to achieve the same effect as
       the --no-replace-objects option.

OPTIONS

       -f, --force
           If an existing replace ref for the same object exists, it will be overwritten (instead
           of failing).

       -d, --delete
           Delete existing replace refs for the given objects.

       -l <pattern>, --list <pattern>
           List replace refs for objects that match the given pattern (or all if no pattern is
           given). Typing "git replace" without arguments, also lists all replace refs.

       --format=<format>
           When listing, use the specified <format>, which can be one of short, medium and long.
           When omitted, the format defaults to short.

FORMATS

       The following format are available:

       •   short: <replaced sha1>

       •   medium: <replaced sha1> → <replacement sha1>

       •   long: <replaced sha1> (<replaced type>) → <replacement sha1> (<replacement type>)

CREATING REPLACEMENT OBJECTS

       git-filter-branch(1), git-hash-object(1) and git-rebase(1), among other git commands, can
       be used to create replacement objects from existing objects.

       If you want to replace many blobs, trees or commits that are part of a string of commits,
       you may just want to create a replacement string of commits and then only replace the
       commit at the tip of the target string of commits with the commit at the tip of the
       replacement string of commits.

BUGS

       Comparing blobs or trees that have been replaced with those that replace them will not
       work properly. And using git reset --hard to go back to a replaced commit will move the
       branch to the replacement commit instead of the replaced commit.

       There may be other problems when using git rev-list related to pending objects.

SEE ALSO

       git-hash-object(1) git-filter-branch(1) git-rebase(1) git-tag(1) git-branch(1) git(1)

GIT

       Part of the git(1) suite