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Tutorial - Part 3: Discovering and editing branch layout

To function correctly, git-machete needs to know how your branches are related. It stores this information in a simple text file: .git/machete.

The .git/machete file

This file defines the hierarchy of your branches. It looks something like this:

develop
    allow-ownership-link
        build-chain
    call-ws
master
    hotfix/add-trigger

Indentation defines the parent-child relationship. Both spaces and tabs are allowed, as long as they're used consistently. In this example, hotfix/add-trigger is a child of master, and allow-ownership-link and call-ws are children of develop.

Automatic discovery

If you have an existing repository with many branches, you can automatically discover the layout by running:

git machete discover

git-machete will analyze your commit history and suggest a layout. It will open your default editor so you can review and adjust the suggested layout.

Manual editing

You can always change the layout by running:

git machete edit

This opens .git/machete in your default editor. You can override the editor with the GIT_MACHETE_EDITOR environment variable (for example, export GIT_MACHETE_EDITOR=vim). You can reorder branches, change their parents by changing indentation, or add/remove branches.

Alternatively, you can add a branch to the layout using:

git machete add  # to add the current branch, or
git machete add <branch> [--onto <parent-branch>]

You only need to list the branches you want git-machete to manage. You can leave out short-lived or irrelevant branches.

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