# Rewrite Git history to purge secrets, binaries, or accidental paths before sharing a repo

> Use git-filter-repo when an agent needs to surgically rewrite repository history after a leaked secret, a huge binary commit, or a bad subtree split. The agent analyzes the problem, builds the rewrite command, and leaves a clean follow-up checklist for force-push, clone reset, and downstream cleanup.

- Skill: `agentskillexchange/rewrite-git-history-to-purge-secrets-binaries-or-accidental-` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add agentskillexchange/rewrite-git-history-to-purge-secrets-binaries-or-accidental-`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/agentskillexchange/rewrite-git-history-to-purge-secrets-binaries-or-accidental-/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: agentskillexchange (https://skillmd.com/u/agentskillexchange)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/agentskillexchange/rewrite-git-history-to-purge-secrets-binaries-or-accidental-

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# Rewrite Git history to purge secrets, binaries, or accidental paths before sharing a repo

Use git-filter-repo when an agent needs to surgically rewrite repository history after a leaked secret, a huge binary commit, or a bad subtree split. The agent analyzes the problem, builds the rewrite command, and leaves a clean follow-up checklist for force-push, clone reset, and downstream cleanup.

## Prerequisites

git >= 2.36.0, python3 >= 3.6

## Installation

Use the upstream install or setup path that matches your environment:
- git clone file://$(pwd) newcopy

Requirements and caveats from upstream:
- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
- filter-repo requires:
- is all contained in a single-file python script named

Basic usage or getting-started notes:
- [Simple example, with comparisons](#simple-example-with-comparisons)
- git >= 2.36.0
- python3 >= 3.6

- Source: https://github.com/newren/git-filter-repo
- Extracted from upstream docs: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/newren/git-filter-repo/HEAD/README.md

## Documentation

- https://github.com/newren/git-filter-repo

## Source

- [Agent Skill Exchange](https://agentskillexchange.com/skills/rewrite-git-history-to-purge-secrets-binaries-or-accidental-paths-before-sharing-a-repo/)