# How to delete files and directories from git commit history? 5 messages from 2018-06-12 to 2018-06-12. Participants: Steve Litt, Eckhard Maaß, Christian Couder, Eric Sunshine, Junio C Hamano. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/48696 ## Steve Litt, 2018-06-12 19:44 Subject: How to delete files and directories from git commit history? Message-ID: <20180612154413.3df64441@mydesk.domain.cxm> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20180612154413.3df64441%40mydesk.domain.cxm ``` Hi all, I have git 2.17.1 running on Void Linux 64 bit running the Linux 4.16.9_1 kernel, not available to the public in any way (yet). I have a repository in my project's working directory, and push to a bare repository on the hard disk. My project (call it myproject) had a directory (call it docs/propdir) that was unnecessary for the project, and I've decided I don't want to offer the files in that directory as free software. So I need to delete docs/propdir from all commits in the repository. I did the following, while in my working repository's myproject directory: git filter-branch --tree-filter 'rm -rf docs/propdir' HEAD After that command, I could git clone the working repo and then git checkout to a commit stage that used to have the directory and files, and they're not there. So far, so good. But then I view all filenames from that directory that have ever been in the project, as follows: git cat-file --buffer --batch-all-objects \ --batch-check='%(objecttype) %(objectname)' \ | grep ^c | cut -d " " -f 2 \ | xargs -n 1 git ls-tree -r | sort | uniq \ | grep propdir The preceding command lists directory docs/propdir and all the files it's ever contained. This makes me uneasy because if the filenames are still there, I wonder if there's a route to get the files with a git command. Second, I'd prefer that when my repo is exposed to the public, people not know this directory and these files ever existed. What command do I do to remove all mention of doc/propdir and its files from my git history? Thanks, SteveT Steve Litt June 2018 featured book: Twenty Eight Tales of Troubleshooting http://www.troubleshooters.com/28 ``` ## Eckhard Maaß, 2018-06-12 20:25 Subject: Re: How to delete files and directories from git commit history? Message-ID: <20180612202509.GA25677@esm> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20180612202509.GA25677%40esm In-Reply-To: <20180612154413.3df64441@mydesk.domain.cxm> ``` On Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 03:44:13PM -0400, Steve Litt wrote: > git filter-branch --tree-filter 'rm -rf docs/propdir' HEAD ... > What command do I do to remove all mention of doc/propdir and its > files from my git history? Are you sure that you pruned all branches? I would have expected a command like "git filter-branch ... -- --all" to prune every branch from the directories. Greetings, Eckhard ``` ## Christian Couder, 2018-06-12 20:26 Subject: Re: How to delete files and directories from git commit history? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAP8UFD38pLbAZce0bS%3DG62SCeTKvjn2Eao26Dkm5p72CAx3pYw%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: <20180612154413.3df64441@mydesk.domain.cxm> ``` Hi, On Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 9:44 PM, Steve Litt wrote: > My project (call it myproject) had a directory (call it docs/propdir) > that was unnecessary for the project, and I've decided I don't want to > offer the files in that directory as free software. So I need to delete > docs/propdir from all commits in the repository. I did the following, > while in my working repository's myproject directory: > > git filter-branch --tree-filter 'rm -rf docs/propdir' HEAD [...] > What command do I do to remove all mention of doc/propdir and its > files from my git history? Did you check the "CHECKLIST FOR SHRINKING A REPOSITORY" section of the filter-branch man/help page? Best, Christian. ``` ## Eric Sunshine, 2018-06-12 20:33 Subject: Re: How to delete files and directories from git commit history? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAPig%2BcSTyz7uG7RJFYKZEcS%3D%2B-i_mJh6abT7%2BePiNm%3DD8s3RtQ%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 4:26 PM, Christian Couder wrote: > On Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 9:44 PM, Steve Litt wrote: > >> My project (call it myproject) had a directory (call it docs/propdir) >> that was unnecessary for the project, and I've decided I don't want to >> offer the files in that directory as free software. So I need to delete >> docs/propdir from all commits in the repository. I did the following, >> while in my working repository's myproject directory: >> >> git filter-branch --tree-filter 'rm -rf docs/propdir' HEAD > >> What command do I do to remove all mention of doc/propdir and its >> files from my git history? > > Did you check the "CHECKLIST FOR SHRINKING A REPOSITORY" section of > the filter-branch man/help page? Also see BFG Repo Cleaner for an alternative. https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner/ ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2018-06-12 20:36 Subject: Re: How to delete files and directories from git commit history? Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqqk1r391z5.fsf%40gitster-ct.c.googlers.com In-Reply-To: <20180612154413.3df64441@mydesk.domain.cxm> ``` Steve Litt writes: > But then I view all filenames from that directory that have ever been > in the project, as follows: > > git cat-file --buffer --batch-all-objects \ > --batch-check='%(objecttype) %(objectname)' \ > | grep ^c | cut -d " " -f 2 \ > | xargs -n 1 git ls-tree -r | sort | uniq \ > | grep propdir > > The preceding command lists directory docs/propdir and all the files > it's ever contained.... In which repository did you run this? As cat-file's documentation clearly states, --batch-all-objects does not *care* about the reachability, so even after rewriting the history using filter-branch, as long as you have the original objects before your history rewrite in the repository, it _will_ see those trees with propdir, even if they are now unreachable thanks to your filter-branch. If you are doing the above in the original (or in a local clone), try running "git repack -a -d && git prune --expire=now" after filter-branch. ```