https://github.com/pmav99/git-rewrite
A script that helps you rewrite git history (but doesn't do it for you!)
https://github.com/pmav99/git-rewrite
cli git history python rewrite
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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A script that helps you rewrite git history (but doesn't do it for you!)
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/pmav99/git-rewrite
- Owner: pmav99
- License: mit
- Created: 2019-06-11T12:20:33.000Z (almost 6 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2021-05-13T21:02:02.000Z (about 4 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2024-06-11T19:26:33.289Z (12 months ago)
- Topics: cli, git, history, python, rewrite
- Language: Python
- Homepage:
- Size: 101 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 3
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 1
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
[](https://github.com/pmav99/git-rewrite/actions/workflows/test.yml)
git-rewrite
===========
A script that helps you rewrite git history (but doesn't do it for you!)
## Disclaimer
*Use this at your own risk*
(but is should be rather safe to do so)
## Introduction
Editing `GIT_AUTHOR` and `GIT_COMMITTER` data for multiple commits can be a pain.
Editing dates even more so.
This script tries to make the process somewhat easier. It works by creating a new branch,
applying the changes there and letting the user to actually decide if he wants to keep
the branch or throw it away.
The supported fields are:
- `AUTHOR_NAME`
- `AUTHOR_EMAIL`
- `AUTHOR_DATE`
- `COMMITTER_NAME`
- `COMMITTER_EMAIL`
- `COMMITTER_DATE`
## Example
Let's assume that we have the following repo and that we want to change the AUTHOR data
for commits `C` and `D`
```
HEAD
|
*
A ---> B ---> C ---> D ---> E ---> F
```
Running this script will:
1. checkout `B`
2. create a new branch
3. cherry-pick commits: `C`, `D`, `E` and `F`
4. edit `AUTHOR` and `COMMITER` data on each commit with `git commit --amend`
So, after running the script our repo should look like this:
```
A ---> B ---> C ---> D ---> E ---> F (original-branch)
|
-----> C' --> D' --> E' --> F' (new-branch)
```
It is now up to us to ensure that everything is looking OK and actually overwrite
history with e.g.:
```
git checkout original-branch
git reset --hard new-branch
git push
```
## Installation
The recommended installation method is [pipx](https://github.com/pipxproject/pipx). More
specifically, you can install `git-rewrite` for your user with:
```
pipx install --spec https://github.com/pmav99/git-rewrite/archive/master.zip git-rewrite
```
The above command will create a virtual environment in `~/.local/pipx/venvs/git-rewrite`
and add the `git-rewrite` script in `~/.local/bin`.
## Command overview
The script has two subcommands:
- `git-rewrite dump`
- `git-rewrite apply`
Both are required.
The `dump` step saves the commit data of the current history to a JSON file.
You are supposed to manually edit the file and make any changes you need (e.g. using `sed`).
After you are done, you just `apply` the changes to the repo.
### How the `dump` works
The `dump` script
1. generates a list of commit hashes since the root commit using:
``` bash
git rev-list --ancestry-path a84477f..HEAD
```
2. parses the commit data of each commit using `git show --format=fuller` and saves them
to a JSON file.
The end result is something like this:
``` JSON
{
"root_hash": "a84477f",
"commits": [
{
"commit_hash": "6726ad10be585c21c38726630f7dadf85833f10f",
"author_name": "John Doe",
"author_email": "[email protected]",
"author_date": "Thu Jun 6 15:51:30 2019 +0300",
"committer_name": "john Doe",
"committer_email": "[email protected]",
"committer_date": "Thu Jun 6 15:53:56 2019 +0300"
},
{
"commit_hash": "4bf077761d21090b46f178b5da534fb9a9da0ca9",
"author_name": "John Doe",
"author_email": "[email protected]",
"author_date": "Thu Jun 6 18:12:34 2019 +0300",
"committer_name": "John Doe",
"committer_email": "[email protected]",
"committer_date": "Thu Jun 6 18:12:34 2019 +0300"
}
]
}
```
### How the `apply` works
1. the script checkouts the root commit and creates a new branch.
2. For each commit in the JSON file the script runs:
1. `git cherry-pick` it in order to bring the changeset into the new branch
2. `git commit --amend ...` in order to update the `AUTHOR` and the `COMMITTER`
data.