-
--add
-
If a specified file isn’t in the index already then it’s
added.
Default behaviour is to ignore new files.
-
--remove
-
If a specified file is in the index but is missing then it’s
removed.
Default behavior is to ignore removed files.
-
--refresh
-
Looks at the current index and checks to see if merges or
updates are needed by checking stat() information.
-
-q
-
Quiet. If --refresh finds that the index needs an update, the
default behavior is to error out. This option makes
git update-index continue anyway.
-
--ignore-submodules
-
Do not try to update submodules. This option is only respected
when passed before --refresh.
-
--unmerged
-
If --refresh finds unmerged changes in the index, the default
behavior is to error out. This option makes git update-index
continue anyway.
-
--ignore-missing
-
Ignores missing files during a --refresh
-
--cacheinfo <mode>,<object>,<path>
-
--cacheinfo <mode> <object> <path>
-
Directly insert the specified info into the index. For
backward compatibility, you can also give these three
arguments as three separate parameters, but new users are
encouraged to use a single-parameter form.
-
--index-info
-
Read index information from stdin.
-
--chmod=(+|-)x
-
Set the execute permissions on the updated files.
-
--[no-]assume-unchanged
-
When this flag is specified, the object names recorded
for the paths are not updated. Instead, this option
sets/unsets the "assume unchanged" bit for the
paths. When the "assume unchanged" bit is on, the user
promises not to change the file and allows Git to assume
that the working tree file matches what is recorded in
the index. If you want to change the working tree file,
you need to unset the bit to tell Git. This is
sometimes helpful when working with a big project on a
filesystem that has a very slow lstat(2) system call
(e.g. cifs).
Git will fail (gracefully) in case it needs to modify this file
in the index e.g. when merging in a commit;
thus, in case the assumed-untracked file is changed upstream,
you will need to handle the situation manually.
-
--really-refresh
-
Like --refresh, but checks stat information unconditionally,
without regard to the "assume unchanged" setting.
-
--[no-]skip-worktree
-
When one of these flags is specified, the object names recorded
for the paths are not updated. Instead, these options
set and unset the "skip-worktree" bit for the paths. See
section "Skip-worktree bit" below for more information.
-
--[no-]ignore-skip-worktree-entries
-
Do not remove skip-worktree (AKA "index-only") entries even when
the --remove option was specified.
-
--[no-]fsmonitor-valid
-
When one of these flags is specified, the object names recorded
for the paths are not updated. Instead, these options
set and unset the "fsmonitor valid" bit for the paths. See
section "File System Monitor" below for more information.
-
-g
-
--again
-
Runs git update-index itself on the paths whose index
entries are different from those of the HEAD commit.
-
--unresolve
-
Restores the unmerged or needs updating state of a
file during a merge if it was cleared by accident.
-
--info-only
-
Do not create objects in the object database for all
<file> arguments that follow this flag; just insert
their object IDs into the index.
-
--force-remove
-
Remove the file from the index even when the working directory
still has such a file. (Implies --remove.)
-
--replace
-
By default, when a file path exists in the index,
git update-index refuses an attempt to add path/file.
Similarly if a file path/file exists, a file path
cannot be added. With --replace flag, existing entries
that conflict with the entry being added are
automatically removed with warning messages.
-
--stdin
-
Instead of taking a list of paths from the command line,
read a list of paths from the standard input. Paths are
separated by LF (i.e. one path per line) by default.
-
--verbose
-
Report what is being added and removed from the index.
-
--index-version <n>
-
Write the resulting index out in the named on-disk format version.
Supported versions are 2, 3, and 4. The current default version is 2
or 3, depending on whether extra features are used, such as
git add -N. With --verbose, also report the version the index
file uses before and after this command.
Version 4 performs a simple pathname compression that reduces index
size by 30%-50% on large repositories, which results in faster load
time. Git supports it since version 1.8.0, released in October 2012,
and support for it was added to libgit2 in 2016 and to JGit in 2020.
Older versions of this manual page called it "relatively young", but
it should be considered mature technology these days.
-
--show-index-version
-
Report the index format version used by the on-disk index file.
See --index-version above.
-
-z
-
Only meaningful with --stdin or --index-info; paths are
separated with NUL character instead of LF.
-
--split-index
-
--no-split-index
-
Enable or disable split index mode. If split-index mode is
already enabled and --split-index is given again, all
changes in $GIT_DIR/index are pushed back to the shared index
file.
These options take effect whatever the value of the core.splitIndex
configuration variable (see git-config(1)). But a warning is
emitted when the change goes against the configured value, as the
configured value will take effect next time the index is read and this
will remove the intended effect of the option.
-
--untracked-cache
-
--no-untracked-cache
-
Enable or disable untracked cache feature. Please use
--test-untracked-cache before enabling it.
These options take effect whatever the value of the core.untrackedCache
configuration variable (see git-config(1)). But a warning is
emitted when the change goes against the configured value, as the
configured value will take effect next time the index is read and this
will remove the intended effect of the option.
-
--test-untracked-cache
-
Only perform tests on the working directory to make sure
untracked cache can be used. You have to manually enable
untracked cache using --untracked-cache or
--force-untracked-cache or the core.untrackedCache
configuration variable afterwards if you really want to use
it. If a test fails the exit code is 1 and a message
explains what is not working as needed, otherwise the exit
code is 0 and OK is printed.
-
--force-untracked-cache
-
Same as --untracked-cache. Provided for backwards
compatibility with older versions of Git where
--untracked-cache used to imply --test-untracked-cache but
this option would enable the extension unconditionally.
-
--fsmonitor
-
--no-fsmonitor
-
Enable or disable files system monitor feature. These options
take effect whatever the value of the core.fsmonitor
configuration variable (see git-config(1)). But a warning
is emitted when the change goes against the configured value, as
the configured value will take effect next time the index is
read and this will remove the intended effect of the option.
-
--
-
Do not interpret any more arguments as options.
-
<file>
-
Files to act on.
Note that files beginning with . are discarded. This includes
./file and dir/./file. If you don’t want this, then use
cleaner names.
The same applies to directories ending / and paths with //