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man.lsPlain-English help for Unix, GitHub and SSH commands

Git and GitHub commands, explained plainly

The 50 git and GitHub CLI (gh) commands people use every day: what each one does, the options that matter, and examples you can copy.

Set up and clone

gh auth loginSign in the GitHub CLI to your account
git cloneCopy a remote repository onto your computer
git configRead and set Git settings such as your name and email
git initTurn a folder into a new Git repository

Save changes

git addStage changes to include in the next commit
git commitSave staged changes as a snapshot in history
git diffShow the exact lines that changed
git mvMove or rename a tracked file
git rmRemove files from the repository and your folder
git statusShow what has changed and what is staged

Look at history

git bisectFind the commit that introduced a bug
git blameSee who last changed each line of a file
git logShow the history of commits
git reflogRecover lost commits from the local movement log
git showShow one commit, tag or file in detail

Branches and merging

git branchList, create and delete branches
git checkoutSwitch branches or restore files (older all-in-one)
git cherry-pickCopy individual commits onto the current branch
git mergeCombine another branch into the current one
git rebaseReplay your commits on top of another base
git switchMove to another branch
git tagLabel a commit, such as a release

Share with remotes

git fetchDownload new commits without changing your files
git pullFetch from a remote and update your branch
git pushUpload your commits to a remote
git remoteManage the other copies of your repository

Undo and tidy up

git cleanDelete untracked files from the working folder
git resetMove the branch back and optionally discard changes
git restoreDiscard edits or un-stage files
git revertUndo a commit by adding a new one
git stashShelve uncommitted work to come back to later

Pull requests and issues

gh issue createOpen a new issue
gh issue listList issues in a repository
gh issue viewRead an issue in the terminal
gh pr checkoutSwitch to the branch of a pull request
gh pr checksShow the CI check results for a pull request
gh pr createOpen a pull request from the current branch
gh pr listList pull requests in a repository
gh pr mergeMerge a pull request
gh pr viewShow the details of a pull request

Repos, actions and releases

gh apiCall the GitHub API directly
gh browseOpen the repository, an issue or a file in your browser
gh gist createShare a file or snippet as a GitHub gist
gh release createPublish a release on GitHub
gh repo cloneClone a GitHub repository by name
gh repo createCreate a new repository on GitHub
gh repo forkMake your own copy of someone else's repository
gh repo viewShow a repository's description and README
gh run listList recent GitHub Actions workflow runs
gh workflow runTrigger a GitHub Actions workflow manually