Subject: [PATCH v6] revision.c: implement --max-count-oldest

From: Mirko Faina <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 5 May 2026 23:54:56 +0200

--max-count is a commit limiting option sets a maximum amount of commits
to be shown. If a user wants to see only the first N commits of the
history (the oldest commits) they'd have to do something like

    git log $(git rev-list HEAD | tail -n N | head -n 1)

This is not very user-friendly.

Teach get_revision() the --max-count-oldest option.

Signed-off-by: Mirko Faina <[email-masked]>
---
Since v5 I've reworded the commit message and rewrote the docs for
--max-count-oldest to be clearer on its functionality.

 Documentation/rev-list-options.adoc |  5 ++
 revision.c                          | 77 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++--
 revision.h                          |  2 +
 t/t4202-log.sh                      | 14 ++++++
 4 files changed, 95 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/rev-list-options.adoc b/Documentation/rev-list-options.adoc
index 2d195a1474..9f857cabcc 100644
--- a/Documentation/rev-list-options.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/rev-list-options.adoc
@@ -18,6 +18,11 @@ ordering and formatting options, such as `--reverse`.
 `--max-count=<number>`::
    Limit the output to _<number>_ commits.
 
+`--max-count-oldest=<number>`::
+   Just like `--max-count=<number>`, it limits the output to _<number>_
+   commits. But instead of limiting to the first _<number>_ commits it
+   limits to the last _<number>_ commits.
+
 `--skip=<number>`::
    Skip _<number>_ commits before starting to show the commit output.
 
diff --git a/revision.c b/revision.c
index 599b3a66c3..3aaa77ced5 100644
--- a/revision.c
+++ b/revision.c
@@ -2339,10 +2339,24 @@ static int handle_revision_opt(struct rev_info *revs, int argc, const char **arg
    }
 
    if ((argcount = parse_long_opt("max-count", argv, &optarg))) {
+       if (revs->max_count_type == 1)
+           die(_("can't use --max-count with --max-count-oldest"));
        revs->max_count = parse_count(optarg);
        revs->no_walk = 0;
+       revs->max_count_type = 0;
        return argcount;
+   } else if ((argcount = parse_long_opt("max-count-oldest", argv, &optarg))) {
+       if (revs->max_count_type == 0 && revs->max_count != -1)
+           die(_("can't use --max-count with --max-count-oldest"));
+       if (revs->skip_count > 0)
+           die(_("con't use --max-count-oldest with --skip"));
+       revs->max_count = parse_count(optarg);
+       revs->no_walk = 0;
+       revs->max_count_type = 1;
+       revs->max_count_stage = 0;
    } else if ((argcount = parse_long_opt("skip", argv, &optarg))) {
+       if (revs->max_count_type == 1)
+           die(_("con't use --max-count-oldest with --skip"));
        revs->skip_count = parse_count(optarg);
        return argcount;
    } else if ((*arg == '-') && isdigit(arg[1])) {
@@ -4521,15 +4535,68 @@ static struct commit *get_revision_internal(struct rev_info *revs)
    return c;
 }
 
+static void retrieve_oldest_commits(struct rev_info *revs,
+                   struct commit_list **queue)
+{
+   struct commit *c;
+   int max_count = revs->max_count;
+   int queuei_count = 0;
+   int queueo_count = 0;
+   struct commit_list *queueo = NULL;
+   struct commit_list *queuei = NULL;
+   struct commit_list *reversed_queue = NULL;
+
+   revs->max_count = -1;
+   while ((c = get_revision_internal(revs))) {
+       c->object.flags &= ~SHOWN;
+       commit_list_insert(c, &queuei);
+       queuei_count++;
+       while (queuei_count + queueo_count > max_count) {
+           if (!queueo_count) {
+               while (queuei_count > 0) {
+                   c = pop_commit(&queuei);
+                   queuei_count--;
+                   commit_list_insert(c, &queueo);
+                   queueo_count++;
+               }
+           }
+           pop_commit(&queueo);
+           queueo_count--;
+       }
+   }
+
+   while ((c = pop_commit(&queueo)))
+       commit_list_insert(c, &reversed_queue);
+   while ((c = pop_commit(&queuei)))
+       commit_list_insert(c, &queueo);
+   while ((c = pop_commit(&queueo)))
+       commit_list_insert(c, &reversed_queue);
+
+   while ((c = pop_commit(&reversed_queue)))
+       commit_list_insert(c, queue);
+}
+
 struct commit *get_revision(struct rev_info *revs)
 {
    struct commit *c;
    struct commit_list *reversed;
+   struct commit_list *queue = NULL;
+
+   if (revs->max_count_type == 1 && !revs->max_count_stage) {
+       retrieve_oldest_commits(revs, &queue);
+       commit_list_free(revs->commits);
+       revs->commits = queue;
+       revs->max_count_stage = 1;
+   }
 
    if (revs->reverse) {
        reversed = NULL;
-       while ((c = get_revision_internal(revs)))
-           commit_list_insert(c, &reversed);
+       if (revs->max_count_type == 1)
+           while ((c = pop_commit(&revs->commits)))
+               commit_list_insert(c, &reversed);
+       else
+           while ((c = get_revision_internal(revs)))
+               commit_list_insert(c, &reversed);
        commit_list_free(revs->commits);
        revs->commits = reversed;
        revs->reverse = 0;
@@ -4543,7 +4610,11 @@ struct commit *get_revision(struct rev_info *revs)
        return c;
    }
 
-   c = get_revision_internal(revs);
+   if (revs->max_count_stage)
+       c = pop_commit(&revs->commits);
+   else
+       c = get_revision_internal(revs);
+
    if (c && revs->graph)
        graph_update(revs->graph, c);
    if (!c) {
diff --git a/revision.h b/revision.h
index 584f1338b5..e157463cb1 100644
--- a/revision.h
+++ b/revision.h
@@ -309,6 +309,8 @@ struct rev_info {
    /* special limits */
    int skip_count;
    int max_count;
+   unsigned int max_count_type:1;
+   unsigned int max_count_stage:1;
    timestamp_t max_age;
    timestamp_t max_age_as_filter;
    timestamp_t min_age;
diff --git a/t/t4202-log.sh b/t/t4202-log.sh
index 05cee9e41b..668c231cf1 100755
--- a/t/t4202-log.sh
+++ b/t/t4202-log.sh
@@ -1882,6 +1882,20 @@ test_expect_success 'log --graph with --name-status' '
    test_cmp_graph --name-status tangle..reach
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'log --max-count-oldest=3 --oneline' '
+   test_when_finished rm expect &&
+   git log --oneline | tail -n3 >expect &&
+   git log --oneline --max-count-oldest=3 >actual &&
+   test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'log --max-count-oldest=3 --reverse --oneline' '
+   test_when_finished rm expect &&
+   git log --oneline | tail -n3 | tac >expect &&
+   git log --oneline --max-count-oldest=3 --reverse >actual &&
+   test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 cat >expect <<-\EOF
 * reach
 |
-- 
2.54.0