NAME

       git-shell - Restricted login shell for Git-only SSH access

SYNOPSIS

       chsh -s $(command -v git-shell) <user>
       git clone <user>@localhost:/path/to/repo.git
       ssh <user>@localhost

DESCRIPTION

       This is a login shell for SSH accounts to provide restricted Git access. It permits execution only of
       server-side Git commands implementing the pull/push functionality, plus custom commands present in a
       subdirectory named git-shell-commands in the user’s home directory.

COMMANDS

       git shell accepts the following commands after the -c option:

       git receive-pack <argument>, git upload-pack <argument>, git upload-archive <argument>
           Call the corresponding server-side command to support the client’s git push, git fetch, or git
           archive --remote request.

       cvs server
           Imitate a CVS server. See git-cvsserver(1).

       If a ~/git-shell-commands directory is present, git shell will also handle other, custom commands by
       running "git-shell-commands/<command> <arguments>" from the user’s home directory.

INTERACTIVE USE

       By default, the commands above can be executed only with the -c option; the shell is not interactive.

       If a ~/git-shell-commands directory is present, git shell can also be run interactively (with no
       arguments). If a help command is present in the git-shell-commands directory, it is run to provide the
       user with an overview of allowed actions. Then a "git> " prompt is presented at which one can enter any
       of the commands from the git-shell-commands directory, or exit to close the connection.

       Generally this mode is used as an administrative interface to allow users to list repositories they have
       access to, create, delete, or rename repositories, or change repository descriptions and permissions.

       If a no-interactive-login command exists, then it is run and the interactive shell is aborted.

EXAMPLE

       To disable interactive logins, displaying a greeting instead:

       +

           $ chsh -s /usr/bin/git-shell
           $ mkdir $HOME/git-shell-commands
           $ cat >$HOME/git-shell-commands/no-interactive-login <<\EOF
           #!/bin/sh
           printf '%s\n' "Hi $USER! You've successfully authenticated, but I do not"
           printf '%s\n' "provide interactive shell access."
           exit 128
           EOF
           $ chmod +x $HOME/git-shell-commands/no-interactive-login

       To enable git-cvsserver access (which should generally have the no-interactive-login example above as a
       prerequisite, as creating the git-shell-commands directory allows interactive logins):

           $ cat >$HOME/git-shell-commands/cvs <<\EOF
           if ! test $# = 1 && test "$1" = "server"
           then
                   echo >&2 "git-cvsserver only handles \"server\""
                   exit 1
           fi
           exec git cvsserver server
           EOF
           $ chmod +x $HOME/git-shell-commands/cvs

SEE ALSO

       ssh(1), git-daemon(1), contrib/git-shell-commands/README

GIT

       Part of the git(1) suite