https://github.com/mohsen1/git-lazy-mount
Lazily mount a git repo without cloning it. Works with ordinary git commands
https://github.com/mohsen1/git-lazy-mount
git rust
Last synced: about 11 hours ago
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Lazily mount a git repo without cloning it. Works with ordinary git commands
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/mohsen1/git-lazy-mount
- Owner: mohsen1
- License: other
- Created: 2026-06-23T06:17:25.000Z (9 days ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-06-26T13:03:53.000Z (6 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-06-26T13:17:55.489Z (6 days ago)
- Topics: git, rust
- Language: Rust
- Homepage:
- Size: 906 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE-APACHE
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README
# `git-lazy-mount`
**Lazily mount a git repo without cloning it. Files materialize as they are read or edited.**
```bash
git lazy-mount https://github.com/example/huge-repo ~/huge-repo
```
After it returns, **your ordinary `git` and tools just work**:
```bash
cd ~/huge-repo
vim src/main.rs
git commit -am 'Some edit'
git switch -c feature
git push
```
## Why?
This is aimed at microVMs that spin up to run coding agents against a git repository. The idea is that the coding agent can start working immediately without having to wait for a full clone.
When the agent runs a test or build, only relevant files are downloaded on demand.
### `Grep` tool in AI session
Tools like `rg` and `git grep` read every file, so they pull the whole repo and undo the point of `lazy-mount`.
To mititgate this, we can route search through [`sgrep`](crates/sgrep) instead. It queries a code-search index ([Sourcegraph](https://sourcegraph.com) by default, and pluggable) and overlays your uncommitted edits, fetching nothing.
More in [`crates/sgrep`](crates/sgrep).
## Performance in real world
Across **20 repositories** — `facebook/react` to the 179k-file LLVM tree —
`git clone --depth 1` totals **7.3 GB** vs **1.3 GB of lazy mounts (5.5×
less)**. Ready time is **268.7 s** for shallow clone vs **88.7 s** for
lazy-mount (3.0× faster), and each lazy mount is ready in **0.8–15.1 s**
(measured in Firecracker microVMs):
Lazy mounts keep **full history** even when the clone baseline is shallow, are
ready in seconds, and materialize only the files you touch. In the full
Firecracker agent benchmark, lazy-mount won **19 of 20** code-search/edit/commit
tasks: full clone+agent totaled **3394.2 s** vs **1322.7 s** for lazy
mount+agent (**2.57× faster**), with the only loss on the tiny `vue` repo. Full
data, time/disk charts, and the session-time breakdown:
[`benchmarks/`](benchmarks/).
## Linux Only
**Linux only**: because almost all microVMs are Linux-based.
The whole stack (a transparent kernel-mounted working tree) is built on Linux FUSE (libfuse3, `/dev/fuse`).
### Windows and macOS
Windows and macOS are not supported. The design notes and feasibility studies are kept under [`docs/future-platforms/`](docs/future-platforms/) if we pick them up later.
## Install / build
```bash
# Linux. Needs libfuse3 + the system git (>= 2.36).
cargo build --release -p glm-cli --features fuse # produces `git-lazy-mount`
```
## Docs
Everything is in [`docs/`](docs/):
* **Using it**: [compatibility](docs/compatibility.md) (which `git` commands work, and how lazily) and [limitations](docs/limitations.md) (what's deferred, and why).
* **How it works**: the [architecture overview](docs/architecture.md), then deep-dives into the [worktree model](docs/worktree-model.md), [FUSE semantics](docs/fuse-semantics.md), and [object fetching](docs/object-fetching.md).
## License
MIT + Apache