Subject: [RFC] repo: path representation in `git repo info` (absolute vs relative)

From: jayesh0104 <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:55:03 +0000

From: Jayesh Daga <[email-masked]>

Hi,

While working on extending `git repo info` to include additional
path-related values (e.g., `paths.common_dir`, `paths.toplevel`,
and `--git-path` equivalents), I wanted to clarify the expected
representation of paths before proceeding further.

Currently, commands like `git rev-parse` may return paths relative
to the current working directory depending on context. In contrast,
some internal APIs operate on absolute paths.

This raises a design question for `git repo info`:

  Should path-related values be returned as:
  1. Relative paths (consistent with `rev-parse` behavior and more portable), or
  2. Absolute paths (more explicit and unambiguous)?

One possible approach is:
  - Default to relative paths for consistency and portability
  - Provide an optional flag (e.g., `--absolute`) to return absolute paths

This would allow flexibility while maintaining compatibility with
existing expectations.

I would appreciate feedback on the preferred approach before
proceeding with additional path-related keys.

Thanks,
Jayesh