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[PATCH v4 4/4] remote: default to --limited-fetch in a shallow repository

From
Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
Date
Sep 29, 2026, 09:19 UTC
Message-ID
<43b9711a2cd100e4987393acd588de2823b0acb3.1790673598.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To
<pull.2412.v4.git.git.1790673598.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
From: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>

Adding a second remote to a shallow, single-branch clone used to still fetch every branch that remote has, since "git remote add" always set up a wildcard remote.<name>.fetch refspec regardless of how shallow the repository already was. That defeats the purpose of having cloned shallow and single-branch in the first place, and can make a plain "git fetch" on that remote hang or take a very long time on a repository with many branches.

Turn --limited-fetch on by default when the repository is already shallow and neither -t/--track nor --mirror was given, so that adding a remote there does not by itself commit to following every branch it has. --no-limited-fetch keeps the previous behavior for whoever wants it.

Signed-off-by: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
---
 Documentation/git-remote.adoc |  8 ++++-
 builtin/remote.c              |  5 ++-
 t/t5505-remote.sh             | 60 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 71 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/git-remote.adoc b/Documentation/git-remote.adoc
index 4255f8b3e6..80f8a4a183 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-remote.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-remote.adoc
@@ -52,6 +52,11 @@ Add a remote named _<name>_ for the repository at
 _<URL>_.  The command `git fetch <name>` can then be used to create and
 update remote-tracking branches `<name>/<branch>`.
 +
+If the repository is already a shallow repository (see linkgit:git-clone[1]
+`--depth`) and neither `-t`, `--mirror` nor `--no-limited-fetch` is given,
+`--limited-fetch` is turned on by default, so that `git fetch <name>` does
+not need to negotiate history for every branch the remote has.
++
 With `-f` option, `git fetch <name>` is run immediately after
 the remote information is set up.
 +
@@ -74,7 +79,8 @@ With `--limited-fetch` option, instead of a `remote.<name>.fetch` refspec
 that tracks all branches, `remote.<name>.refmap` is set up so that a
 refspec-less `git fetch <name>` only fetches branches our local branches
 are built on. See the `--refmap` entry in linkgit:git-fetch[1] for
-details.
+details. `--no-limited-fetch` explicitly disables this, overriding the
+shallow-repository default described above.
 +
 With `-m <master>` option, a symbolic-ref `refs/remotes/<name>/HEAD` is set
 up to point at remote's _<master>_ branch. See also the set-head command.
diff --git a/builtin/remote.c b/builtin/remote.c
index f036dd5d6f..0cf1126976 100644
--- a/builtin/remote.c
+++ b/builtin/remote.c
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include "rebase.h"
 #include "refs.h"
 #include "refspec.h"
+#include "shallow.h"
 #include "odb.h"
 #include "strvec.h"
 #include "commit-reach.h"
@@ -238,7 +239,9 @@ static int add(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix,
 
 	if (!mirror || mirror & MIRROR_FETCH) {
 		int use_limited_fetch = mirror == MIRROR_NONE && track.nr == 0 &&
-			limited_fetch == 1;
+			(limited_fetch == 1 ||
+			 (limited_fetch == -1 &&
+			  is_repository_shallow(the_repository)));
 
 		strbuf_reset(&buf);
 		if (use_limited_fetch) {
diff --git a/t/t5505-remote.sh b/t/t5505-remote.sh
index 0168d5abfe..f3b5905e9e 100755
--- a/t/t5505-remote.sh
+++ b/t/t5505-remote.sh
@@ -137,6 +137,66 @@ test_expect_success 'filters are listed by git remote -v only' '
 	test_grep ! "\[blob:none\]" out
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'add remote -t keeps an explicit refspec in a shallow repository' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -rf shallow-add" &&
+	git clone --no-local --depth=1 --branch main --single-branch \
+		one shallow-add &&
+	(
+		cd shallow-add &&
+		git remote add -t main upstream ../two &&
+		test_cmp_config "+refs/heads/main:refs/remotes/upstream/main" \
+			remote.upstream.fetch
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'add remote keeps the wildcard refspec in a full repository' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -rf full-add" &&
+	git clone --no-local one full-add &&
+	(
+		cd full-add &&
+		git remote add upstream ../two &&
+		test_cmp_config "+refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/upstream/*" \
+			remote.upstream.fetch
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'a remote added in a shallow repository defaults to --limited-fetch' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -rf shallow-add" &&
+	git clone --no-local --depth=1 --branch main --single-branch \
+		one shallow-add &&
+	(
+		cd shallow-add &&
+		git remote add upstream ../two &&
+		test_cmp_config "+refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/upstream/*" \
+			remote.upstream.refmap &&
+		test_must_fail git config get remote.upstream.fetch &&
+		git fetch upstream main &&
+		git branch --set-upstream-to=upstream/main &&
+		test_cmp_config upstream branch.main.remote &&
+		test_cmp_config refs/heads/main branch.main.merge &&
+		git fetch upstream &&
+		git for-each-ref --format="%(refname)" refs/remotes/upstream >actual &&
+		cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
+		refs/remotes/upstream/HEAD
+		refs/remotes/upstream/main
+		EOF
+		test_cmp expect actual
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--no-limited-fetch overrides the shallow-repository default' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -rf shallow-add" &&
+	git clone --no-local --depth=1 --branch main --single-branch \
+		one shallow-add &&
+	(
+		cd shallow-add &&
+		git remote add --no-limited-fetch upstream ../two &&
+		test_cmp_config "+refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/upstream/*" \
+			remote.upstream.fetch &&
+		test_must_fail git config get remote.upstream.refmap
+	)
+'
+
 test_expect_success '--limited-fetch works in a full repository too' '
 	test_when_finished "rm -rf full-add" &&
 	git clone --no-local one full-add &&

-- 
gitgitgadget
Previous: Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadgetNext: Junio C Hamano
Message 31 of 47 in “fetch: add config to avoid fetching every branch in shallow repo”
  1. fetch: add config to avoid fetching every branch in shallow repoHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 19, 2026
  2. Phillip WoodSep 21, 2026
  3. Harald NordgrenSep 21, 2026
  4. Harald NordgrenSep 22, 2026
  5. Phillip WoodSep 22, 2026
  6. Harald NordgrenSep 22, 2026
  7. Phillip WoodSep 23, 2026
  8. Junio C HamanoSep 22, 2026
  9. Harald NordgrenSep 22, 2026
  10. Phillip WoodSep 23, 2026
  11. Junio C HamanoSep 23, 2026
  12. D. Ben KnobleSep 23, 2026
  13. Junio C HamanoSep 23, 2026
  14. D. Ben KnobleSep 24, 2026
  15. Junio C HamanoSep 24, 2026
  16. fetch: avoid fetching every branch of a new remote in a shallow repoHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 23, 2026
  17. Junio C HamanoSep 23, 2026
  18. 0/4 fetch: avoid fetching every branch of a new remote in a shallow repoHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 25, 2026
  19. 1/4 fetch: add remote.<name>.refmapHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 25, 2026
  20. Junio C HamanoSep 25, 2026
  21. 2/4 fetch: infer branches to fetch from a refmap-only remoteHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 25, 2026
  22. Junio C HamanoSep 25, 2026
  23. 3/4 remote: add "git remote add --limited-fetch"Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 25, 2026
  24. 4/4 remote: default to --limited-fetch in a shallow repositoryHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 25, 2026
  25. 0/4 fetch: avoid fetching every branch of a new remote in a shallow repoHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 29, 2026
  26. 1/4 fetch: add remote.<name>.refmapHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 29, 2026
  27. 2/4 fetch: infer branches to fetch from a refmap-only remoteHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 29, 2026
  28. Harald NordgrenSep 29, 2026
  29. Junio C HamanoSep 29, 2026
  30. 3/4 remote: add "git remote add --limited-fetch"Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 29, 2026
  31. 4/4 remote: default to --limited-fetch in a shallow repositoryHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Sep 29, 2026
  32. Junio C HamanoSep 29, 2026
  33. 0/4 fetch: avoid fetching every branch of a new remote in a shallow repoHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 2, 2026
  34. 1/4 fetch: add remote.<name>.refmapHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 2, 2026
  35. 2/4 fetch: infer branches to fetch from a refmap-only remoteHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 2, 2026
  36. 3/4 remote: add "git remote add --limited-fetch"Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 2, 2026
  37. Junio C HamanoOct 2, 2026
  38. 4/4 remote: default to --limited-fetch in a shallow repositoryHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 2, 2026
  39. 0/4 fetch: avoid fetching every branch of a new remote in a shallow repoHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 4, 2026
  40. 1/4 fetch: add remote.<name>.refmapHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 4, 2026
  41. 2/4 fetch: infer branches to fetch from a refmap-only remoteHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 4, 2026
  42. 3/4 remote: add "git remote add --limited-fetch"Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 4, 2026
  43. 4/4 remote: default to --limited-fetch in a shallow repositoryHarald Nordgren via GitGitGadget, Oct 4, 2026
  44. Junio C HamanoOct 4, 2026
  45. Harald NordgrenOct 4, 2026
  46. Junio C HamanoOct 5, 2026
  47. Harald NordgrenOct 5, 2026

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