# git whatchanged --i-still-use-it

6 messages from 2026-03-03 to 2026-03-03. Participants: Antoine Cousson, Kristoffer Haugsbakk, Junio C Hamano.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/65128

## Antoine Cousson, 2026-03-03 16:01

Subject: git whatchanged --i-still-use-it
Message-ID: <bhYbjxeZY0QZt48g6XVTVfyPo6vbv9yeYLsw9PgFdVKgye6Ue0cAPy_RkNTwAOYEANhHyD6QbaxZrWaPS4__jlTcAVKOaEjrDgAxQYKdYvE=@protonmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/bhYbjxeZY0QZt48g6XVTVfyPo6vbv9yeYLsw9PgFdVKgye6Ue0cAPy_RkNTwAOYEANhHyD6QbaxZrWaPS4__jlTcAVKOaEjrDgAxQYKdYvE%3D%40protonmail.com

```
Hello, 
Nice to meet you,

I would like to say that I still use `git whatchanged` I like the way we see the
modified files instead of just `git log`
And actually I never saw the message before today when I showed the command to a
friend of mine, will it be removed soon ? 
Is there any alternatives that are straight to the point without any args or
something?

In any cases, thanks for your amazing work,

Best regards
Antoine Cousson

```

## Kristoffer Haugsbakk, 2026-03-03 16:45

Subject: Re: git whatchanged --i-still-use-it
Message-ID: <9595d154-8586-4afd-ac1a-f5c133e10f9b@app.fastmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/9595d154-8586-4afd-ac1a-f5c133e10f9b%40app.fastmail.com
In-Reply-To: <bhYbjxeZY0QZt48g6XVTVfyPo6vbv9yeYLsw9PgFdVKgye6Ue0cAPy_RkNTwAOYEANhHyD6QbaxZrWaPS4__jlTcAVKOaEjrDgAxQYKdYvE=@protonmail.com>

```
Good evening

On Tue, Mar 3, 2026, at 17:01, Antoine Cousson wrote:
> I would like to say that I still use `git whatchanged` I like the way
> we see the modified files instead of just `git log`

This command is being removed because it was supplanted by git-log(1) a
long while ago. Both commands use the same machinery, just with
different defaults.

> And actually I never saw the message before today when I showed the
> command to a friend of mine, will it be removed soon ?

It is planned for removal in Git 3.0. There is no plan for when Git 3.0
will be released.

See: https://git-scm.com/docs/BreakingChanges

> Is there any alternatives that are straight to the point without any
> args or something?

You can replace it with `git log` in this way:

• Given: `git whatchanged <opts>`
• Replace with: `git log <opts> --no-merges --raw`

Additionally for the sake of readability, you might have more
use for `--stat` or `--name-only` rather than `--raw` if you are only
reading the output (not feeding the output to another program).

You can also use `--patch` to see the full diffs.

>
> In any cases, thanks for your amazing work,
>[snip]

```

## Junio C Hamano, 2026-03-03 18:03

Subject: Re: git whatchanged --i-still-use-it
Message-ID: <xmqqpl5kdc3b.fsf@gitster.g>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqqpl5kdc3b.fsf%40gitster.g
In-Reply-To: <bhYbjxeZY0QZt48g6XVTVfyPo6vbv9yeYLsw9PgFdVKgye6Ue0cAPy_RkNTwAOYEANhHyD6QbaxZrWaPS4__jlTcAVKOaEjrDgAxQYKdYvE=@protonmail.com>

```
Antoine Cousson <antoine.cousson@protonmail.com> writes:

> I would like to say that I still use `git whatchanged` I like the way we see the
> modified files instead of just `git log`

Then perhaps you would like "git log --stat" even better?  Instead
of meaningless pair of hexadecimal object names, you'd get a sense
of the size of damage each commit causes to the codebase.

The command is going away.  You could

  $ git config alias.whatchanged "log --raw --no-merges"

if you really prefer the ugly hexadecimal gibberish, though.

```

## Kristoffer Haugsbakk, 2026-03-03 18:16

Subject: Re: git whatchanged --i-still-use-it
Message-ID: <1c20a804-8146-49a7-a476-01a9219d9350@app.fastmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/1c20a804-8146-49a7-a476-01a9219d9350%40app.fastmail.com
In-Reply-To: <xmqqpl5kdc3b.fsf@gitster.g>

```
On Tue, Mar 3, 2026, at 19:03, Junio C Hamano wrote:
>[snip]
> The command is going away.  You could
>
>   $ git config alias.whatchanged "log --raw --no-merges"
>
> if you really prefer the ugly hexadecimal gibberish, though.

Yes, on Git v2.51.1, Git 2.52 or higher.

```

## Antoine Cousson, 2026-03-03 19:56

Subject: Re: git whatchanged --i-still-use-it
Message-ID: <kOjl5h30sXFnFJAzA1AbUTswK3k7xK-pSW6aos9GXIODTM9Qd5QK6AacNTZaDMV5OQRvAlymjdG2ME4d73YxGGDRzbVq6ZOPxhGn0G9gi2g=@protonmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/kOjl5h30sXFnFJAzA1AbUTswK3k7xK-pSW6aos9GXIODTM9Qd5QK6AacNTZaDMV5OQRvAlymjdG2ME4d73YxGGDRzbVq6ZOPxhGn0G9gi2g%3D%40protonmail.com
In-Reply-To: <1c20a804-8146-49a7-a476-01a9219d9350@app.fastmail.com>

```
> Then perhaps you would like "git log --stat" even better?  Instead
of meaningless pair of hexadecimal object names, you'd get a sense
of the size of damage each commit causes to the codebase.

I have tested "git log --stat" and I really liked the display, thanks for the tips 

I agree that i was not looking at the hexadecimal but more to the names of the file, the visual representation og the changes and the numbers are great ! 



> Yes, on Git v2.51.1, Git 2.52 or higher.

I am on v2.43.0 I will update thanks
  



Le mardi 3 mars 2026 à 7:17 PM, Kristoffer Haugsbakk <kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com> a écrit :

> On Tue, Mar 3, 2026, at 19:03, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> >[snip]
> > The command is going away.  You could
> >
> >   $ git config alias.whatchanged "log --raw --no-merges"
> >
> > if you really prefer the ugly hexadecimal gibberish, though.
> 

> Yes, on Git v2.51.1, Git 2.52 or higher.
> 

```

## Antoine Cousson, 2026-03-03 19:59

Subject: Re: git whatchanged --i-still-use-it
Message-ID: <Lpr4N2pjUo-rQblHYFaW6NRgLcAwtKbtzNpm6QjgLm7qsfYZRKM-OtLCWZ0BrEreOvvliXZAqT4RMZMfzXZOQJFr_QhElpJPPXpVMc-Z64I=@protonmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/Lpr4N2pjUo-rQblHYFaW6NRgLcAwtKbtzNpm6QjgLm7qsfYZRKM-OtLCWZ0BrEreOvvliXZAqT4RMZMfzXZOQJFr_QhElpJPPXpVMc-Z64I%3D%40protonmail.com
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```

Have a nice evening
regards 

Antoine


Envoyé avec un e-mail sécurisé Proton Mail.

Le mardi 3 mars 2026 à 8:56 PM, Antoine Cousson <antoine.cousson@protonmail.com> a écrit :

> > Then perhaps you would like "git log --stat" even better?  Instead
> of meaningless pair of hexadecimal object names, you'd get a sense
> of the size of damage each commit causes to the codebase.
> 

> I have tested "git log --stat" and I really liked the display, thanks for the tips
> I agree that i was not looking at the hexadecimal but more to the names of the file, the visual representation og the changes and the numbers are great !
> 

> 

> > Yes, on Git v2.51.1, Git 2.52 or higher.
> 

> I am on v2.43.0 I will update thanks
> 

> 

> 

> Le mardi 3 mars 2026 à 7:17 PM, Kristoffer Haugsbakk <kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com> a écrit :
> 

> > On Tue, Mar 3, 2026, at 19:03, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> > >[snip]
> > > The command is going away.  You could
> > >
> > >   $ git config alias.whatchanged "log --raw --no-merges"
> > >
> > > if you really prefer the ugly hexadecimal gibberish, though.
> >
> > Yes, on Git v2.51.1, Git 2.52 or higher.
> >
```