From: "D. Ben Knoble" <ben.knoble+github@gmail•com>
To: git@vger•kernel.org
Cc: "Julia Evans" <julia@jvns•ca>,
"Junio C Hamano" <gitster@pobox•com>,
"D. Ben Knoble" <ben.knoble+github@gmail•com>,
"Jean-Noël Avila" <jn.avila@free•fr>
Subject: [PATCH v3 4/4] doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset <pathspec>`
Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2026 17:43:59 -0500 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <96566265d89d62689388080283800712a182867c.1767307382.git.ben.knoble+github@gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <cover.1767307382.git.ben.knoble+github@gmail.com>
From: Julia Evans <julia@jvns•ca>
From user feedback:
- Continued confusion about the terms "tree-ish" and "pathspec"
- The word "hunks" is confusing folks, use "changes" instead.
- On the part about `git restore`, there were a few comments to the
effect of "wait, this doesn't actually update any files? What? Why?"
Be more direct that `git reset` does not update files: there's no
obvious reason to suggest that folks use `git reset` followed by `git
restore`, instead suggest just using `git restore`.
Continue avoiding the use of the word "reset" to
describe what "git reset" does.
Signed-off-by: Julia Evans <julia@jvns•ca>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox•com>
Signed-off-by: D. Ben Knoble <ben.knoble+github@gmail•com>
---
Documentation/git-reset.adoc | 28 ++++++++++++----------------
1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/git-reset.adoc b/Documentation/git-reset.adoc
index 6de0d524c3..770f08c7f8 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-reset.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-reset.adoc
@@ -81,29 +81,25 @@ linkgit:git-add[1]).
`git reset [-q] [<tree-ish>] [--] <pathspec>...`::
`git reset [-q] [--pathspec-from-file=<file> [--pathspec-file-nul]] [<tree-ish>]`::
- These forms reset the index entries for all paths that match the
- _<pathspec>_ to their state at _<tree-ish>_. (It does not affect
- the working tree or the current branch.)
+ For all specified files or directories, set the staged version to
+ the version from the given commit or tree (which defaults to `HEAD`).
+
This means that `git reset <pathspec>` is the opposite of `git add
-<pathspec>`. This command is equivalent to
-`git restore [--source=<tree-ish>] --staged <pathspec>...`.
+<pathspec>`: it unstages all changes to the specified file(s) or
+directories. This is equivalent to `git restore --staged <pathspec>...`.
+
-After running `git reset <pathspec>` to update the index entry, you can
-use linkgit:git-restore[1] to check the contents out of the index to
-the working tree. Alternatively, using linkgit:git-restore[1]
-and specifying a commit with `--source`, you
-can copy the contents of a path out of a commit to the index and to the
-working tree in one go.
+In this mode, `git reset` updates only the index (without updating the HEAD or
+working tree files). If you want to update the files as well as the index
+entries, use linkgit:git-restore[1].
`git reset (--patch | -p) [<tree-ish>] [--] [<pathspec>...]`::
- Interactively select hunks in the difference between the index
- and _<tree-ish>_ (defaults to `HEAD`). The chosen hunks are applied
- in reverse to the index.
+ Interactively select changes from the difference between the index
+ and the specified commit or tree (which defaults to `HEAD`).
+ The index is modified using the chosen changes.
+
This means that `git reset -p` is the opposite of `git add -p`, i.e.
-you can use it to selectively reset hunks. See the "Interactive Mode"
-section of linkgit:git-add[1] to learn how to operate the `--patch` mode.
+you can use it to selectively unstage changes. See the "Interactive Mode"
+section of linkgit:git-add[1] to learn how to use the `--patch` option.
See "Reset, restore and revert" in linkgit:git[1] for the differences
between the three commands.
--
2.52.0.rc0.426.g1df11fb20d.dirty
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-01-01 22:44 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 39+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2025-10-17 20:05 [PATCH 0/4] doc: git-reset: clarify DESCRIPTION section Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-10-17 20:05 ` [PATCH 1/4] doc: git-reset: reorder the forms Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-10-17 22:20 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-10-20 19:03 ` Julia Evans
2025-10-17 20:05 ` [PATCH 2/4] doc: git-reset: clarify intro Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-10-17 22:32 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-10-20 19:29 ` Julia Evans
2025-10-20 20:00 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-10-20 20:30 ` D. Ben Knoble
2025-12-03 18:15 ` Julia Evans
2025-10-17 20:05 ` [PATCH 3/4] doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset [mode]` Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-10-18 4:53 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-10-20 20:23 ` Julia Evans
2025-10-20 20:33 ` D. Ben Knoble
2025-10-20 20:44 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-10-17 20:05 ` [PATCH 4/4] doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset <pathspec>` Julia Evans via GitGitGadget
2025-10-17 23:25 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-10-18 14:06 ` Ben Knoble
2025-10-18 16:17 ` Junio C Hamano
2025-12-19 0:23 ` [PATCH v2 0/4] doc: git-reset: clarify DESCRIPTION section D. Ben Knoble
2025-12-19 0:23 ` [PATCH v2 1/4] doc: git-reset: reorder the forms D. Ben Knoble
2025-12-19 0:23 ` [PATCH v2 2/4] doc: git-reset: clarify intro D. Ben Knoble
2025-12-19 0:23 ` [PATCH v2 3/4] doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset [mode]` D. Ben Knoble
2025-12-19 0:23 ` [PATCH v2 4/4] doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset <pathspec>` D. Ben Knoble
2025-12-30 5:23 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-01-01 22:32 ` D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-01 22:43 ` [PATCH v3 0/4] doc: git-reset: clarify DESCRIPTION section D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-01 22:43 ` [PATCH v3 1/4] doc: git-reset: reorder the forms D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-01 22:43 ` [PATCH v3 2/4] doc: git-reset: clarify intro D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-02 13:49 ` Jean-Noël AVILA
2026-01-01 22:43 ` [PATCH v3 3/4] doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset [mode]` D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-02 14:28 ` Jean-Noël AVILA
2026-01-01 22:43 ` D. Ben Knoble [this message]
2026-01-05 21:48 ` [PATCH v4 0/4] doc: git-reset: clarify DESCRIPTION section D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-05 21:48 ` [PATCH v4 1/4] doc: git-reset: reorder the forms D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-05 21:48 ` [PATCH v4 2/4] doc: git-reset: clarify intro D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-05 21:48 ` [PATCH v4 3/4] doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset [mode]` D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-05 21:48 ` [PATCH v4 4/4] doc: git-reset: clarify `git reset <pathspec>` D. Ben Knoble
2026-01-07 3:55 ` [PATCH v4 0/4] doc: git-reset: clarify DESCRIPTION section Junio C Hamano
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