Git: cleanup repo

Remove a file from git repo (when the simple way doesn't work)

Remove file from git repository (history)

SOLUTION: This is the shortest way to get rid of the files:

1. check .git/packed-refs - my problem was that I had there a refs/remotes/origin/master line for a remote repository, delete it, otherwise git won't remove those files

2. (optional) git verify-pack -v .git/objects/pack/#{pack-name}.idx | sort -k 3 -n | tail -5 - to check for the largest files

3. (optional) git rev-list --objects --all | grep #{SHA_FROM_#_3} - to check what files those are

4. git filter-branch --index-filter 'git rm --cached --ignore-unmatch file_names' - to remove the file from all revisions

5. rm -rf .git/refs/original/ - to remove git's backup

6. git reflog expire --all --expire='0 days' - to expire all the loose objects

7. (optional) git fsck --full --unreachable - to check if there are any loose objects

8. git repack -A -d - repacking the pack

9. git prune - to finally remove those objects

Remove a file from git repo - easy way

Completely remove a file from all revisions

git filter-branch -f --index-filter 'git update-index --remove filename' <introduction-revision-sha1>..HEAD
git push --force --verbose --dry-run
git push --force

Where introduction-revision-sha1 is the SHA1 that the file was first committed to the repository.

Removing the history from a new branch

Removing the history from a new branch

git symbolic-ref HEAD refs/heads/newbranch
rm .git/index 
git clean -fdx 
<do work> 
git add your files 
git commit -m 'Initial commit'

Undo a commit and redo

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/927358/git-undo-last-commit

Undo a commit and redo

$ git commit ...
$ git reset --soft HEAD^      (1)
$ edit                        (2)
$ git commit -a -c ORIG_HEAD  (3)
This is most often done when you remembered what you just committed is incomplete, or you misspelled your commit message, or both. Leaves working tree as it was before "reset".

Make corrections to working tree files.

"reset" copies the old head to .git/ORIG_HEAD; redo the commit by starting with its log message. If you do not need to edit the message further, you can give -C option instead.