Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 2/2] refs: add GIT_REF_URI to specify reference backend and directory

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:02:07 -0800

Karthik Nayak <[email-masked]> writes:

> (2) My understanding of `string_list_split()` was that the `delim`
> argument are a set of characters to split the string on.

Ah, silly me.

> But the mechanism isn't for 'git refs migrate', but rather we want to
> add/update references via 'git update-ref' into the dry-run folder
> created by the 'git refs migrate'. In the broader sense, we want to
> manipulate references within this dry-run folder as if it is the
> reference folder for the underlying repository.

OK, I took the cover letter description too literally, it seems.

If we want everybody in a single session to have a temporarily
distorted view of the world, it has been a tried and proven way to
use environment variables that override the default repository
layout, e.g., GIT_DIR, GIT_WORK_TREE, and this "no reference
interactions go there, not the usual place the repository
configuration says" environment variable fits very well in the
context.

Thanks.