From: Julia Evans via GitGitGadget Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2025 19:14:27 GMT Subject: [PATCH v4 5/7] doc: git-checkout: deduplicate --detach explanation Message-ID: In-Reply-To: From: Julia Evans From user feedback: several users say they don't understand the use case for `--detach`. It's probably not realistic to explain the use case for detached HEAD state here, but we can improve the situation. Explain how `git checkout --detach` is different from `git checkout ` instead of copying over the description from `git checkout `, since `git checkout ` will be a familiar command to many readers. Signed-off-by: Julia Evans --- Documentation/git-checkout.adoc | 13 +++---------- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-) diff --git a/Documentation/git-checkout.adoc b/Documentation/git-checkout.adoc index 7ae2ae9483..dd3cbb210d 100644 --- a/Documentation/git-checkout.adoc +++ b/Documentation/git-checkout.adoc @@ -66,16 +66,9 @@ uncommitted changes. `git checkout --detach []`:: `git checkout [--detach] `:: - Prepare to work on top of __, by detaching `HEAD` at it - (see "DETACHED HEAD" section), and updating the index and the - files in the working tree. Local modifications to the files - in the working tree are kept, so that the resulting working - tree will be the state recorded in the commit plus the local - modifications. -+ -When the __ argument is a branch name, the `--detach` option can -be used to detach `HEAD` at the tip of the branch (`git checkout -` would check out that branch without detaching `HEAD`). + The same as `git checkout `, except that instead of pointing + `HEAD` at the branch, it points `HEAD` at the commit ID. + See the "DETACHED HEAD" section below for more. + Omitting __ detaches `HEAD` at the tip of the current branch. -- gitgitgadget