GIT-REFS(1) Git Manual GIT-REFS(1)

git-refs - Low-level access to refs

git refs migrate --ref-format=<format> [--dry-run]
git refs verify [--strict] [--verbose]

This command provides low-level access to refs.

migrate

Migrate ref store between different formats.

verify

Verify reference database consistency.

The following options are specific to git refs migrate:

--ref-format=<format>

The ref format to migrate the ref store to. Can be one of:
•files for loose files with packed-refs. This is the default.
•reftable for the reftable format. This format is experimental and its internals are subject to change.

--dry-run

Perform the migration, but do not modify the repository. The migrated refs will be written into a separate directory that can be inspected separately. The name of the directory will be reported on stdout. This can be used to double check that the migration works as expected before performing the actual migration.

The following options are specific to git refs verify:

--strict

Enable stricter error checking. This will cause warnings to be reported as errors. See git-fsck(1).

--verbose

When verifying the reference database consistency, be chatty.

The ref format migration has several known limitations in its current form:

•It is not possible to migrate repositories that have reflogs.
•It is not possible to migrate repositories that have worktrees.
•There is no way to block concurrent writes to the repository during an ongoing migration. Concurrent writes can lead to an inconsistent migrated state. Users are expected to block writes on a higher level. If your repository is registered for scheduled maintenance, it is recommended to unregister it first with git-maintenance(1).

These limitations may eventually be lifted.

Part of the git(1) suite

10/07/2024 Git 2.47.0