Re: why can't one alias `git stash`?

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Aug 15, 2025, 15:27 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqjz34txjg.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <CABPp-BHt80YD9bzWeC+r5qxJ0Vp+zRsJZsKDU_GA39CXmuYe5A@mail.gmail.com>

Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com> writes:

> The documentation you are responding to didn't talk about "other"
> commands, it talked about "existing" commands.  Your alias, meant to
> invoke `git stash` with different arguments, would hide the existing
> `git stash` command.

Correct.

> It might also be an infinite loop of sorts, since your `git stash`
> alias invokes `git stash ...` which is...itself.

True.  But we do not do a very good job preventing this to happen.

    $ git -c alias.loop='loop foo' loop foo
    fatal: recursive alias: loop
    $ git -c alias.loop='!git loop foo' alias foo ;# does not come back
    ^C

To be honest, I do not offhand see a foolproof way to "fix" the latter.

> And it'd mean that other folks who use git commands in their scripts
> now can't rely on any git commands doing what their documentation
> claims.

It is true that it would break common expectations for script writers (to help other Git users) and those who help other Git users at their keyboards if we allowed to alias the basic command away and to change its behaviour radically. But with so many configuration variable to alter behaviour for Porcelain commands, I am not sure how much it is helping the latter helpers these days. For the former helpers, those who write their scripts with Porcelain commands are beyond salvation X-<.

Thanks.