I-Onlabs Git Helper
Git commands translated for vibecoders.
The Only Commands You Really Need
Save Your Work
git add .
git commit -m "describe what you changed"
Upload to GitHub/Remote
git push
Download Latest Changes
git pull
Common Tasks
"I want to save a checkpoint before trying something risky"
git add .
git commit -m "checkpoint before trying X"
"I want to undo what I just did"
Undo last commit but keep the changes:
git reset --soft HEAD~1
Throw away all uncommitted changes:
git checkout .
Undo changes to a specific file:
git checkout -- path/to/file.js
Go back to how it was on GitHub:
git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/main
"I want to see what changed"
git status # what files changed
git diff # what lines changed (unstaged)
git diff --staged # what lines changed (staged)
git log --oneline -10 # last 10 commits
git show HEAD # see last commit details
"I want to work on something separate"
git checkout -b my-new-feature # create branch
# ... do your work ...
git add .
git commit -m "my changes"
git push -u origin my-new-feature # upload branch
"I want to get someone else's branch"
git fetch origin
git checkout their-branch-name
"I want to merge my branch into main"
git checkout main
git pull
git merge my-new-feature
git push
Fixing Mistakes
"I committed to the wrong branch"
git reset --soft HEAD~1 # undo commit, keep changes
git stash # save changes temporarily
git checkout correct-branch # switch branches
git stash pop # bring changes back
git add .
git commit -m "your message"
"I need to change my last commit message"
git commit --amend -m "new message"
"I want to add something to my last commit"
git add .
git commit --amend --no-edit
"Git says I have merge conflicts"
- Open the file with conflicts
- Look for lines with
<<<<<<<,=======,>>>>>>> - Keep the code you want, delete the markers
- Save the file
git add .thengit commit -m "resolved conflicts"
"Git won't let me pull"
# Option 1: Save your changes first
git stash
git pull
git stash pop
# Option 2: Commit first
git add .
git commit -m "my changes"
git pull
"I'm in 'detached HEAD' state"
Don't panic. Just:
git checkout main
If you have changes you want to keep:
git checkout -b save-my-work
"I want to completely start over"
git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/main
⚠️ This throws away ALL local changes
"I accidentally deleted a file"
git checkout HEAD -- path/to/deleted/file.js
"I need to grab just one commit from another branch"
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
Working with Stash
Save changes for later (named):
git stash push -m "work in progress on feature X"
See all stashes:
git stash list
Restore a specific stash:
git stash pop stash@{0} # most recent
git stash pop stash@{1} # second most recent
Delete a stash:
git stash drop stash@{0}
Daily Workflow
Start of day:
git pull
While working (save often):
git add .
git commit -m "what I did"
End of day:
git push
Branch Cleanup
Delete local branch:
git branch -d branch-name # safe delete
git branch -D branch-name # force delete
Delete remote branch:
git push origin --delete branch-name
See all branches:
git branch -a
Quick Reference
| I want to... | Command |
|---|---|
| Save work | git add . && git commit -m "msg" |
| Upload | git push |
| Download | git pull |
| Undo last commit | git reset --soft HEAD~1 |
| Throw away changes | git checkout . |
| New branch | git checkout -b branch-name |
| Switch branch | git checkout branch-name |
| See status | git status |
| See history | git log --oneline |
| Save for later | git stash |
| Get saved work back | git stash pop |
| See what changed | git diff |
| Abort merge | git merge --abort |
GitHub-Specific
Clone a repo:
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
Add a remote:
git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git
See remotes:
git remote -v
Create repo from existing folder:
- Create empty repo on GitHub (no README)
- Then:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "initial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git
git push -u origin main