karstenheld3 Git Skill
Git operations with focus on commit history navigation and file recovery.
MUST-NOT-FORGET
- Always verify repository root before operations:
git rev-parse --show-toplevel - Use
--name-statusto see A/M/D (Added/Modified/Deleted) per commit - To recover deleted file: checkout from commit BEFORE deletion (use
^suffix) - Reflog survives even after reset/rebase - use it for recovery
Setup
For installation, see SETUP.md in this skill folder.
Commit History Navigation
View Recent Commits
# Last 10 commits, one line each
git log --oneline -10
# With file changes summary
git log --oneline --name-status -10
# With date and author
git log --format="%h %ad %an: %s" --date=short -10
View Files Changed in Specific Commit
# Show files with status (A=added, M=modified, D=deleted)
git show --name-status <commit_hash>
# Just the file list
git show --name-only <commit_hash>
# Full diff
git show <commit_hash>
Navigate Commits Step by Step
# Show current HEAD
git log --oneline -1
# Show parent of HEAD
git log --oneline HEAD^ -1
# Show N commits back
git log --oneline HEAD~5 -1
# Compare two commits
git diff <commit1> <commit2> --name-status
Interactive Walkback (Step Through History)
To investigate commits one-by-one, walking backwards:
# Step 1: Start at HEAD, show what changed
git log --oneline -1
git show --name-status HEAD
# Step 2: Move back one commit, show changes
git log --oneline HEAD^ -1
git show --name-status HEAD^
# Step 3: Continue back (use ~2, ~3, etc.)
git log --oneline HEAD~2 -1
git show --name-status HEAD~2
# Pattern: HEAD~N where N = steps back from current
Tip: Your current position is always HEAD. Use git log --oneline -1 to confirm where you are.
File Recovery
Find When File Was Deleted
# List all deleted files across history
git log --diff-filter=D --summary
# Find specific file deletion
git log --diff-filter=D --summary -- "**/filename.ext"
# Find EXACTLY which commit deleted a specific file (one-liner)
git log --diff-filter=D -1 -- path/to/file.ext
# With paths
git log --diff-filter=D --name-only --format="%H %s"
Find Last Commit Where File Existed
# Shows commits that touched the file (including deletion)
git log --all -- path/to/deleted/file.ext
# The first result is the deletion commit
# Use its parent (^) to get the version before deletion
Recover Deleted File
# From commit that deleted it (^ = parent commit)
git checkout <deletion_commit>^ -- path/to/file.ext
# From known good commit
git checkout <good_commit> -- path/to/file.ext
# Alternative (Git 2.23+): git restore --source=<commit> -- path/to/file
# Using show (outputs to stdout, redirect to file)
git show <commit>:path/to/file.ext > recovered_file.ext
Recover File from Reflog
# View reflog
git reflog
# Recover from specific reflog entry
git checkout HEAD@{n} -- path/to/file.ext
Guided Recovery Workflow
When user needs to recover accidentally deleted files:
Step 1: Identify Deletion
# Find recent deletions
git log --diff-filter=D --name-only --format="=== %H %s ===" -5
Note: If file was renamed (not deleted), use git log --follow -- oldname to track renames.
Step 2: Confirm Deletion Commit
# Show what was deleted in that commit
git show --name-status <commit_hash>
Step 3: Verify File Existed Before
# Check file in parent commit
git show <commit_hash>^:<path/to/file>
Step 4: Recover
# Restore the file
git checkout <commit_hash>^ -- path/to/file
Step 5: Verify Recovery
# Check file exists
Get-Item path/to/file
# Check status
git status
Batch Operations
List All Files Deleted in Last N Commits
git log --diff-filter=D --name-only --format="" -n 20 | Where-Object { $_ -ne "" } | Sort-Object -Unique
Recover Multiple Files from Same Commit
# List files first
git show --name-only <commit>^
# Recover specific files
git checkout <commit>^ -- file1.ext file2.ext file3.ext
# Recover entire directory
git checkout <commit>^ -- path/to/directory/
Comparing Versions
Compare File Across Commits
# Between two commits
git diff <commit1> <commit2> -- path/to/file
# Between commit and working directory
git diff <commit> -- path/to/file
# Between commit and staged
git diff --cached <commit> -- path/to/file
Show File Content at Specific Commit
git show <commit>:path/to/file
Undo Operations
Undo Last Commit (Keep Changes)
git reset --soft HEAD^
Undo Last Commit (Discard Changes)
git reset --hard HEAD^
Restore File to Last Committed Version
git checkout HEAD -- path/to/file
Unstage File
git reset HEAD -- path/to/file
Status and Inspection
Repository Status
git status
git status --short
Show Staged Changes
git diff --cached
git diff --cached --name-status
Show Unstaged Changes
git diff
git diff --name-status
Common Patterns
Investigate Accidental Deletion
# 1. Find what was deleted recently
git log --diff-filter=D --name-only -5
# 2. Identify the commit
git show <commit> --name-status
# 3. Recover
git checkout <commit>^ -- <file>
Recover Workflow File Deleted by Commit Workflow
When /commit accidentally deletes a file:
# 1. Check last few commits for deletions
git log --diff-filter=D --name-status -3
# 2. Find the workflow file
git log --diff-filter=D -- "**/*.md" --name-only -5
# 3. Recover from parent of deletion commit
git checkout <commit>^ -- .devin/workflows/filename.md
Compare What Changed Between Sessions
# Find commits from today
git log --since="today" --oneline
# Compare start to end
git diff <first_commit> <last_commit> --name-status