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[PATCH v6 0/4] fetch: avoid fetching every branch of a new remote in a shallow repo

From
Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
Date
Oct 4, 2026, 08:31 UTC
Message-ID
<pull.2412.v6.git.git.1791102684.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To
<pull.2412.git.git.1789829246437.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
Avoid fetching every branch of a new remote in a shallow repo.
Changes in v6:
 * Remove leftover reference to deleted default-branch logic in commit
   message.
Changes in v5:
 * Renumber test file from t5585 to t5586.
Changes in v4:
 * Removed the automatic default-branch fetch. A fresh remote fetches
   nothing until you track a branch explicitly.
 * Fixed fetch report showing "new ref HEAD" instead of "new branch "
 * Reworded remote..refmap docs and commit message.
Changes in v3:
 * Replace the special ":"/"+:" fetch refspec with remote.<name>.refmap,
   reusing git's existing --refmap mechanism instead of inventing new
   refspec syntax.
 * Split the change into 4 commits.
Changes in v2:
 * Replaced the opt-in fetch.shallow config entirely with a new special
   fetch refspec (+:) that git remote add now defaults new remotes to in a
   shallow repository. The new refspec fetches whichever branches any local
   branch tracks at that remote, plus the remote's default branch.
Harald Nordgren (4):
  fetch: add remote.<name>.refmap
  fetch: infer branches to fetch from a refmap-only remote
  remote: add "git remote add --limited-fetch"
  remote: default to --limited-fetch in a shallow repository
 Documentation/config/remote.adoc |   8 +++
 Documentation/fetch-options.adoc |   5 ++
 Documentation/git-remote.adoc    |  14 +++-
 builtin/fetch.c                  |  60 +++++++++++++---
 builtin/remote.c                 |  31 ++++++--
 remote.c                         |  41 ++++++++++-
 remote.h                         |   9 +++
 t/meson.build                    |   1 +
 t/t5505-remote.sh                |  76 ++++++++++++++++++++
 t/t5510-fetch.sh                 |  17 +++++
 t/t5586-fetch-refmap.sh          | 119 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 11 files changed, 363 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-)
 create mode 100755 t/t5586-fetch-refmap.sh
base-commit: c46c1e37724f0478939de636ab8ea5a89086d532
Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-git-2412%2FHaraldNordgren%2Ffetch-shallow-narrow-refspec-v6
Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-git-2412/HaraldNordgren/fetch-shallow-narrow-refspec-v6
Pull-Request: https://github.com/git/git/pull/2412
Range-diff vs v5:
 1:  d48a7004e4 = 1:  5c31a51bb7 fetch: add remote.<name>.refmap
 2:  fecdbc43b8 = 2:  74c177e3e2 fetch: infer branches to fetch from a refmap-only remote
 3:  b45f3cf0ab ! 3:  3abcc8915b remote: add "git remote add --limited-fetch"
     @@ Commit message
      
          Give "git remote add" a --limited-fetch option that sets up
          remote.<name>.refmap instead of remote.<name>.fetch, so that
     -    "git fetch <name>" only fetches the branches already tracked, plus
     -    the remote's default branch, as described in the previous commit.
     -    It is rejected together with -t/--track or --mirror, since those
     -    already say explicitly what to fetch.
     +    "git fetch <name>" only fetches the branches already tracked, as
     +    described in the previous commit. It is rejected together with
     +    -t/--track or --mirror, since those already say explicitly what to
     +    fetch.
      
          Signed-off-by: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
      
 4:  8c2a144eb7 = 4:  84d192445c remote: default to --limited-fetch in a shallow repository
-- 
gitgitgadget
Previous: Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadgetNext: Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget
Message 39 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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