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[PATCH v3 2/3] ref-filter: memoize --contains with generations

From
Tamir Duberstein <tamird@gmail.com>
Date
Jun 12, 2026, 03:00 UTC
Message-ID
<20260611-ref-filter-memoized-contains-v3-2-b26af3dba285@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To
<20260611-ref-filter-memoized-contains-v3-0-b26af3dba285@gmail.com>

git branch and git for-each-ref run a separate reachability walk for each ref considered by --contains and --no-contains. Refs with shared history therefore traverse the same commits repeatedly.

git tag instead uses a depth-first walk that caches results across refs. That walk can perform poorly without generation numbers: a negative check may walk to the root instead of stopping at a nearby divergence. Generation numbers let it stop below the oldest target.

Use the memoized walk for all ref-filter callers when generation numbers are available. Keep git tag on its existing path without generations. Caching still helps when many tags share deep history: ffc4b8012d (tag: speed up --contains calculation, 2011-06-11) reduced git tag --contains HEAD~200 in linux-2.6 from 15.417 to 5.329 seconds.

The new shared-history perf test improves from 0.72 to 0.03 seconds. In a repository with 62,174 remote-tracking refs, running:

    git branch -r --contains c78ae85f3ce7e
improves from 104.365 seconds to 468 milliseconds.
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/git/1445163904-24611-1-git-send-email-Karthik.188@gmail.com/
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20230324191009.GA536967@coredump.intra.peff.net
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/git/20260527070510.3510836-1-krka@spotify.com/
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20260608223430.GA340696@coredump.intra.peff.net
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/CAOLa=ZSezQOj56-TezVaAcisUyczxhJmu4VghyFBHcBB_mKJ2A@mail.gmail.com
Suggested-by: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Signed-off-by: Tamir Duberstein <tamird@gmail.com>
---
 commit-reach.c              |  3 ++-
 t/perf/p1500-graph-walks.sh | 28 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 2 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/commit-reach.c b/commit-reach.c
index 1d34d66fe8..572d2d47ff 100644
--- a/commit-reach.c
+++ b/commit-reach.c
@@ -820,7 +820,8 @@ static enum contains_result contains_tag_algo(struct commit *candidate,
 int commit_contains(struct ref_filter *filter, struct commit *commit,
 		    struct commit_list *list, struct contains_cache *cache)
 {
-	if (filter->with_commit_tag_algo)
+	if (filter->with_commit_tag_algo ||
+	    generation_numbers_enabled(the_repository))
 		return contains_tag_algo(commit, list, cache) == CONTAINS_YES;
 	return repo_is_descendant_of(the_repository, commit, list);
 }
diff --git a/t/perf/p1500-graph-walks.sh b/t/perf/p1500-graph-walks.sh
index 5b23ce5db9..d167b4f7e1 100755
--- a/t/perf/p1500-graph-walks.sh
+++ b/t/perf/p1500-graph-walks.sh
@@ -32,7 +32,16 @@ test_expect_success 'setup' '
 		echo "X:$line" >>test-tool-tags || return 1
 	done &&
 
-	commit=$(git commit-tree $(git rev-parse HEAD^{tree})) &&
+	git rev-list --first-parent --max-count=8192 HEAD >contains-commits &&
+	test_file_not_empty contains-commits &&
+	git update-ref refs/contains-perf-base "$(tail -n 1 contains-commits)" &&
+	awk "{
+		printf \"update refs/contains-perf/%04d %s\\n\", NR, \$1
+	}" contains-commits |
+		git update-ref --stdin &&
+	git pack-refs --include "refs/contains-perf/*" &&
+
+	commit=$(git commit-tree HEAD^{tree}) &&
 	git update-ref refs/heads/disjoint-base $commit &&
 
 	git commit-graph write --reachable
@@ -62,6 +71,23 @@ test_perf 'contains: git tag --merged' '
 	xargs git tag --merged=HEAD <tags
 '
 
+test_perf 'contains: git for-each-ref' '
+	git for-each-ref --contains=refs/contains-perf-base --stdin <refs
+'
+
+test_perf 'contains: git branch' '
+	xargs git branch --contains=refs/contains-perf-base <branches
+'
+
+test_perf 'contains: git tag' '
+	xargs git tag --contains=refs/contains-perf-base <tags
+'
+
+test_perf 'contains: synthetic shared history' '
+	git for-each-ref --contains=refs/contains-perf-base \
+		refs/contains-perf/ >/dev/null
+'
+
 test_perf 'is-base check: test-tool reach (refs)' '
 	test-tool reach get_branch_base_for_tip <test-tool-refs
 '
-- 
2.54.0.548.gbe7bb2469c
Previous: Tamir DubersteinNext: Tamir Duberstein
Message 16 of 25 in “Reuse --contains traversal results”
  1. 0/2 Reuse --contains traversal resultsTamir Duberstein, Jun 9, 2026
  2. 1/2 commit-reach: handle cycles in contains walkTamir Duberstein, Jun 9, 2026
  3. Jeff KingJun 11, 2026
  4. Tamir DubersteinJun 12, 2026
  5. 2/2 ref-filter: memoize --contains with generationsTamir Duberstein, Jun 9, 2026
  6. Karthik NayakJun 10, 2026
  7. Tamir DubersteinJun 10, 2026
  8. Karthik NayakJun 11, 2026
  9. Tamir DubersteinJun 11, 2026
  10. Jeff KingJun 11, 2026
  11. Tamir DubersteinJun 12, 2026
  12. 0/3 Reuse --contains traversal resultsTamir Duberstein, Jun 12, 2026
  13. 1/3 commit-reach: handle cycles in contains walkTamir Duberstein, Jun 12, 2026
  14. Kristofer KarlssonJun 12, 2026
  15. Tamir DubersteinJun 12, 2026
  16. 2/3 ref-filter: memoize --contains with generationsTamir Duberstein, Jun 12, 2026
  17. 3/3 commit-reach: die on contains walk errorsTamir Duberstein, Jun 12, 2026
  18. 0/3 Reuse --contains traversal resultsTamir Duberstein, Jun 12, 2026
  19. 1/3 commit-reach: reject cycles in contains walkTamir Duberstein, Jun 12, 2026
  20. Jeff KingJul 16, 2026
  21. 2/3 ref-filter: memoize --contains with generationsTamir Duberstein, Jun 12, 2026
  22. 3/3 commit-reach: die on contains walk errorsTamir Duberstein, Jun 12, 2026
  23. Jeff KingJul 16, 2026
  24. Junio C HamanoJun 29, 2026
  25. Jeff KingJul 16, 2026

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