From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Thu, 06 Oct 2016 20:11:20 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH 1/2] submodule add: extend force flag to add existing repos
Message-ID: <xmqqshs9i6fr.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <20161006193725.31553-2-sbeller@google.com>

Stefan Beller <sbeller@google.com> writes:

> Currently the force flag in `git submodule add` takes care of possibly
> ignored files or when a name collision occurs.
>
> However there is another situation where submodule add comes in handy:
> When you already have a gitlink recorded, but no configuration was
> done (i.e. no .gitmodules file nor any entry in .git/config) and you
> want to generate these config entries. For this situation allow
> `git submodule add` to proceed if there is already a submodule at the
> given path in the index.
>
> Signed-off-by: Stefan Beller <sbeller@google.com>
> ---

Yup, the goal makes perfect sense.  

I vaguely recall discussing this exact issue of "git submodule add"
that refuses to add a path that already is a gitlink (via "git add"
that has previously been run) elsewhere on this list some time ago.