# git-submodule

## NAME



           git-submodule - Initialize, update or inspect submodules
    


## SYNOPSIS



           _git submodule_ [--quiet] [--cached]
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] add [<options>] [--] <repository> [<path>]
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] status [--cached] [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] init [--] [<path>...]
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] deinit [-f|--force] (--all|[--] <path>...)
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] update [<options>] [--] [<path>...]
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] set-branch [<options>] [--] <path>
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] set-url [--] <path> <newurl>
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] summary [<options>] [--] [<path>...]
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] foreach [--recursive] <command>
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] sync [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]
           _git submodule_ [--quiet] absorbgitdirs [--] [<path>...]
    


## DESCRIPTION



           Inspects, updates and manages submodules.
    
           For more information about submodules, see gitsubmodules(7).
    


## COMMANDS



           With no arguments, shows the status of existing submodules.
           Several subcommands are available to perform operations on the
           submodules.
    
           add [-b <branch>] [-f|--force] [--name <name>] [--reference
           <repository>] [--ref-format <format>] [--depth <depth>] [--]
           <repository> [<path>]
               Add the given repository as a submodule at the given path to
               the changeset to be committed next to the current project: the
               current project is termed the "superproject".
    
               <repository> is the URL of the new submodule’s origin
               repository. This may be either an absolute URL, or (if it
               begins with ./ or ../), the location relative to the
               superproject’s default remote repository (Please note that to
               specify a repository _foo.git_ which is located right next to a
               superproject _bar.git_ , you’ll have to use **../foo.git** instead of
               **./foo.git** - as one might expect when following the rules for
               relative URLs - because the evaluation of relative URLs in Git
               is identical to that of relative directories).
    
               The default remote is the remote of the remote-tracking branch
               of the current branch. If no such remote-tracking branch
               exists or the HEAD is detached, "origin" is assumed to be the
               default remote. If the superproject doesn’t have a default
               remote configured the superproject is its own authoritative
               upstream and the current working directory is used instead.
    
               The optional argument <path> is the relative location for the
               cloned submodule to exist in the superproject. If <path> is
               not given, the canonical part of the source repository is used
               ("repo" for "/path/to/repo.git" and "foo" for
               "host.xz:foo/.git"). If <path> exists and is already a valid
               Git repository, then it is staged for commit without cloning.
               The <path> is also used as the submodule’s logical name in its
               configuration entries unless **--name** is used to specify a
               logical name.
    
               The given URL is recorded into **.gitmodules** for use by
               subsequent users cloning the superproject. If the URL is given
               relative to the superproject’s repository, the presumption is
               the superproject and submodule repositories will be kept
               together in the same relative location, and only the
               superproject’s URL needs to be provided. git-submodule will
               correctly locate the submodule using the relative URL in
               **.gitmodules**.
    
               If **--ref-format** _< format>_ is specified, the ref storage format
               of newly cloned submodules will be set accordingly.
    
           status [--cached] [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]
               Show the status of the submodules. This will print the SHA-1
               of the currently checked out commit for each submodule, along
               with the submodule path and the output of _git describe_ for the
               SHA-1. Each SHA-1 will possibly be prefixed with **-** if the
               submodule is not initialized, **+** if the currently checked out
               submodule commit does not match the SHA-1 found in the index
               of the containing repository and **U** if the submodule has merge
               conflicts.
    
               If **--cached** is specified, this command will instead print the
               SHA-1 recorded in the superproject for each submodule.
    
               If **--recursive** is specified, this command will recurse into
               nested submodules, and show their status as well.
    
               If you are only interested in changes of the currently
               initialized submodules with respect to the commit recorded in
               the index or the HEAD, git-status(1) and git-diff(1) will
               provide that information too (and can also report changes to a
               submodule’s work tree).
    
           init [--] [<path>...]
               Initialize the submodules recorded in the index (which were
               added and committed elsewhere) by setting **submodule.$name.url**
               in **.git/config** , using the same setting from **.gitmodules** as a
               template. If the URL is relative, it will be resolved using
               the default remote. If there is no default remote, the current
               repository will be assumed to be upstream.
    
               Optional <path> arguments limit which submodules will be
               initialized. If no path is specified and submodule.active has
               been configured, submodules configured to be active will be
               initialized, otherwise all submodules are initialized.
    
               It will also copy the value of **submodule.$name.update** , if
               present in the **.gitmodules** file, to **.git/config** , but (1) this
               command does not alter existing information in **.git/config** ,
               and (2) **submodule.$name.update** that is set to a custom command
               is **not** copied for security reasons.
    
               You can then customize the submodule clone URLs in **.git/config**
               for your local setup and proceed to **git submodule update** ; you
               can also just use **git submodule update --init** without the
               explicit _init_ step if you do not intend to customize any
               submodule locations.
    
               See the add subcommand for the definition of default remote.
    
           deinit [-f|--force] (--all|[--] <path>...)
               Unregister the given submodules, i.e. remove the whole
               **submodule.$name** section from .git/config together with their
               work tree. Further calls to **git submodule update** , **git**
               **submodule foreach** and **git submodule sync** will skip any
               unregistered submodules until they are initialized again, so
               use this command if you don’t want to have a local checkout of
               the submodule in your working tree anymore.
    
               When the command is run without pathspec, it errors out,
               instead of deinit-ing everything, to prevent mistakes.
    
               If **--force** is specified, the submodule’s working tree will be
               removed even if it contains local modifications.
    
               If you really want to remove a submodule from the repository
               and commit that use git-rm(1) instead. See gitsubmodules(7)
               for removal options.
    
           update [--init] [--remote] [-N|--no-fetch]
           [--[no-]recommend-shallow] [-f|--force]
           [--checkout|--rebase|--merge] [--reference <repository>]
           [--ref-format <format>] [--depth <depth>] [--recursive] [--jobs
           <n>] [--[no-]single-branch] [--filter <filter-spec>] [--]
           [<path>...]
               Update the registered submodules to match what the
               superproject expects by cloning missing submodules, fetching
               missing commits in submodules and updating the working tree of
               the submodules. The "updating" can be done in several ways
               depending on command line options and the value of
               **submodule.**_< name>_**.update** configuration variable. The command
               line option takes precedence over the configuration variable.
               If neither is given, a _checkout_ is performed. (note: what is
               in **.gitmodules** file is irrelevant at this point; see **git**
               **submodule init** above for how **.gitmodules** is used). The _update_
               procedures supported both from the command line as well as
               through the **submodule.**_< name>_**.update** configuration are:
    
               checkout
                   the commit recorded in the superproject will be checked
                   out in the submodule on a detached HEAD.
    
                   If **--force** is specified, the submodule will be checked out
                   (using **git checkout --force**), even if the commit specified
                   in the index of the containing repository already matches
                   the commit checked out in the submodule.
    
               rebase
                   the current branch of the submodule will be rebased onto
                   the commit recorded in the superproject.
    
               merge
                   the commit recorded in the superproject will be merged
                   into the current branch in the submodule.
    
               The following update procedures have additional limitations:
    
               custom command
                   mechanism for running arbitrary commands with the commit
                   ID as an argument. Specifically, if the
                   **submodule.**_< name>_**.update** configuration variable is set to
                   !custom **command** , the object name of the commit recorded in
                   the superproject for the submodule is appended to the
                   **custom command** string and executed. Note that this
                   mechanism is not supported in the **.gitmodules** file or on
                   the command line.
    
               none
                   the submodule is not updated. This update procedure is not
                   allowed on the command line.
    
               If the submodule is not yet initialized, and you just want to
               use the setting as stored in **.gitmodules** , you can
               automatically initialize the submodule with the **--init** option.
    
               If **--recursive** is specified, this command will recurse into
               the registered submodules, and update any nested submodules
               within.
    
               If **--ref-format** _< format>_ is specified, the ref storage format
               of newly cloned submodules will be set accordingly.
    
               If **--filter** _< filter-spec>_ is specified, the given partial
               clone filter will be applied to the submodule. See
               git-rev-list(1) for details on filter specifications.
    
           set-branch (-b|--branch) <branch> [--] <path>, set-branch
           (-d|--default) [--] <path>
               Sets the default remote tracking branch for the submodule. The
               **--branch** option allows the remote branch to be specified. The
               **--default** option removes the submodule.<name>.branch
               configuration key, which causes the tracking branch to default
               to the remote _HEAD_.
    
           set-url [--] <path> <newurl>
               Sets the URL of the specified submodule to <newurl>. Then, it
               will automatically synchronize the submodule’s new remote URL
               configuration.
    
           summary [--cached|--files] [(-n|--summary-limit) <n>] [commit]
           [--] [<path>...]
               Show commit summary between the given commit (defaults to
               HEAD) and working tree/index. For a submodule in question, a
               series of commits in the submodule between the given super
               project commit and the index or working tree (switched by
               **--cached**) are shown. If the option **--files** is given, show the
               series of commits in the submodule between the index of the
               super project and the working tree of the submodule (this
               option doesn’t allow to use the **--cached** option or to provide
               an explicit commit).
    
               Using the **--submodule=log** option with git-diff(1) will provide
               that information too.
    
           foreach [--recursive] <command>
               Evaluates an arbitrary shell command in each checked out
               submodule. The command has access to the variables $name,
               $sm_path, $displaypath, $sha1 and $toplevel: $name is the name
               of the relevant submodule section in **.gitmodules** , $sm_path is
               the path of the submodule as recorded in the immediate
               superproject, $displaypath contains the relative path from the
               current working directory to the submodules root directory,
               $sha1 is the commit as recorded in the immediate superproject,
               and $toplevel is the absolute path to the top-level of the
               immediate superproject. Note that to avoid conflicts with
               _$PATH_ on Windows, the _$path_ variable is now a deprecated
               synonym of _$sm_path_ variable. Any submodules defined in the
               superproject but not checked out are ignored by this command.
               Unless given **--quiet** , foreach prints the name of each
               submodule before evaluating the command. If **--recursive** is
               given, submodules are traversed recursively (i.e. the given
               shell command is evaluated in nested submodules as well). A
               non-zero return from the command in any submodule causes the
               processing to terminate. This can be overridden by adding _|| :_
               to the end of the command.
    
               As an example, the command below will show the path and
               currently checked out commit for each submodule:
    
                   git submodule foreach 'echo $sm_path `git rev-parse HEAD`'
    
           sync [--recursive] [--] [<path>...]
               Synchronizes submodules' remote URL configuration setting to
               the value specified in **.gitmodules**. It will only affect those
               submodules which already have a URL entry in .git/config (that
               is the case when they are initialized or freshly added). This
               is useful when submodule URLs change upstream and you need to
               update your local repositories accordingly.
    
               **git submodule sync** synchronizes all submodules while **git**
               **submodule sync -- A** synchronizes submodule "A" only.
    
               If **--recursive** is specified, this command will recurse into
               the registered submodules, and sync any nested submodules
               within.
    
           absorbgitdirs
               If a git directory of a submodule is inside the submodule,
               move the git directory of the submodule into its
               superproject’s **$GIT_DIR/modules** path and then connect the git
               directory and its working directory by setting the
               **core.worktree** and adding a .git file pointing to the git
               directory embedded in the superprojects git directory.
    
               A repository that was cloned independently and later added as
               a submodule or old setups have the submodules git directory
               inside the submodule instead of embedded into the
               superprojects git directory.
    
               This command is recursive by default.
    


## OPTIONS



           -q, --quiet
               Only print error messages.
    
           --progress
               This option is only valid for add and update commands.
               Progress status is reported on the standard error stream by
               default when it is attached to a terminal, unless -q is
               specified. This flag forces progress status even if the
               standard error stream is not directed to a terminal.
    
           --all
               This option is only valid for the deinit command. Unregister
               all submodules in the working tree.
    
           -b <branch>, --branch <branch>
               Branch of repository to add as submodule. The name of the
               branch is recorded as **submodule.**_< name>_**.branch** in **.gitmodules**
               for **update --remote**. A special value of . is used to indicate
               that the name of the branch in the submodule should be the
               same name as the current branch in the current repository. If
               the option is not specified, it defaults to the remote _HEAD_.
    
           -f, --force
               This option is only valid for add, deinit and update commands.
               When running add, allow adding an otherwise ignored submodule
               path. This option is also used to bypass a check that the
               submodule’s name is not already in use. By default, _git_
               _submodule add_ will fail if the proposed name (which is derived
               from the path) is already registered for another submodule in
               the repository. Using _--force_ allows the command to proceed by
               automatically generating a unique name by appending a number
               to the conflicting name (e.g., if a submodule named _child_
               exists, it will try _child1_ , and so on). When running deinit
               the submodule working trees will be removed even if they
               contain local changes. When running update (only effective
               with the checkout procedure), throw away local changes in
               submodules when switching to a different commit; and always
               run a checkout operation in the submodule, even if the commit
               listed in the index of the containing repository matches the
               commit checked out in the submodule.
    
           --cached
               This option is only valid for status and summary commands.
               These commands typically use the commit found in the submodule
               HEAD, but with this option, the commit stored in the index is
               used instead.
    
           --files
               This option is only valid for the summary command. This
               command compares the commit in the index with that in the
               submodule HEAD when this option is used.
    
           -n, --summary-limit
               This option is only valid for the summary command. Limit the
               summary size (number of commits shown in total). Giving 0 will
               disable the summary; a negative number means unlimited (the
               default). This limit only applies to modified submodules. The
               size is always limited to 1 for added/deleted/typechanged
               submodules.
    
           --remote
               This option is only valid for the update command. Instead of
               using the superproject’s recorded SHA-1 to update the
               submodule, use the status of the submodule’s remote-tracking
               branch. The remote used is branch’s remote
               (**branch.**_< name>_**.remote**), defaulting to **origin**. The remote
               branch used defaults to the remote **HEAD** , but the branch name
               may be overridden by setting the **submodule.**_< name>_**.branch**
               option in either **.gitmodules** or **.git/config**(with **.git/config**
               taking precedence).
    
               This works for any of the supported update procedures
               (**--checkout** , **--rebase** , etc.). The only change is the source of
               the target SHA-1. For example, **submodule update --remote**
               **--merge** will merge upstream submodule changes into the
               submodules, while **submodule update --merge** will merge
               superproject gitlink changes into the submodules.
    
               In order to ensure a current tracking branch state, **update**
               **--remote** fetches the submodule’s remote repository before
               calculating the SHA-1. If you don’t want to fetch, you should
               use **submodule update --remote --no-fetch**.
    
               Use this option to integrate changes from the upstream
               subproject with your submodule’s current HEAD. Alternatively,
               you can run **git pull** from the submodule, which is equivalent
               except for the remote branch name: **update --remote** uses the
               default upstream repository and **submodule.**_< name>_**.branch** , while
               **git pull** uses the submodule’s **branch.**_< name>_**.merge**. Prefer
               **submodule.**_< name>_**.branch** if you want to distribute the default
               upstream branch with the superproject and **branch.**_< name>_**.merge**
               if you want a more native feel while working in the submodule
               itself.
    
           -N, --no-fetch
               This option is only valid for the update command. Don’t fetch
               new objects from the remote site.
    
           --checkout
               This option is only valid for the update command. Checkout the
               commit recorded in the superproject on a detached HEAD in the
               submodule. This is the default behavior, the main use of this
               option is to override **submodule.$name.update** when set to a
               value other than **checkout**. If the key **submodule.$name.update**
               is either not explicitly set or set to **checkout** , this option
               is implicit.
    
           --merge
               This option is only valid for the update command. Merge the
               commit recorded in the superproject into the current branch of
               the submodule. If this option is given, the submodule’s HEAD
               will not be detached. If a merge failure prevents this
               process, you will have to resolve the resulting conflicts
               within the submodule with the usual conflict resolution tools.
               If the key **submodule.$name.update** is set to **merge** , this option
               is implicit.
    
           --rebase
               This option is only valid for the update command. Rebase the
               current branch onto the commit recorded in the superproject.
               If this option is given, the submodule’s HEAD will not be
               detached. If a merge failure prevents this process, you will
               have to resolve these failures with git-rebase(1). If the key
               **submodule.$name.update** is set to **rebase** , this option is
               implicit.
    
           --init
               This option is only valid for the update command. Initialize
               all submodules for which "git submodule init" has not been
               called so far before updating.
    
           --name
               This option is only valid for the add command. It sets the
               submodule’s name to the given string instead of defaulting to
               its path. The name must be valid as a directory name and may
               not end with a _/_.
    
           --reference <repository>
               This option is only valid for add and update commands. These
               commands sometimes need to clone a remote repository. In this
               case, this option will be passed to the git-clone(1) command.
    
               **NOTE** : Do **not** use this option unless you have read the note for
               git-clone(1)'s **--reference** , **--shared** , and **--dissociate** options
               carefully.
    
           --dissociate
               This option is only valid for add and update commands. These
               commands sometimes need to clone a remote repository. In this
               case, this option will be passed to the git-clone(1) command.
    
               **NOTE** : see the NOTE for the **--reference** option.
    
           --recursive
               This option is only valid for foreach, update, status and sync
               commands. Traverse submodules recursively. The operation is
               performed not only in the submodules of the current repo, but
               also in any nested submodules inside those submodules (and so
               on).
    
           --depth
               This option is valid for add and update commands. Create a
               _shallow_ clone with a history truncated to the specified number
               of revisions. See git-clone(1)
    
           --[no-]recommend-shallow
               This option is only valid for the update command. The initial
               clone of a submodule will use the recommended
               **submodule.**_< name>_**.shallow** as provided by the **.gitmodules** file
               by default. To ignore the suggestions use
               **--no-recommend-shallow**.
    
           -j <n>, --jobs <n>
               This option is only valid for the update command. Clone new
               submodules in parallel with as many jobs. Defaults to the
               **submodule.fetchJobs** option.
    
           --[no-]single-branch
               This option is only valid for the update command. Clone only
               one branch during update: HEAD or one specified by --branch.
    
           <path>...
               Paths to submodule(s). When specified this will restrict the
               command to only operate on the submodules found at the
               specified paths. (This argument is required with add).
    


## FILES



           When initializing submodules, a **.gitmodules** file in the top-level
           directory of the containing repository is used to find the url of
           each submodule. This file should be formatted in the same way as
           **$GIT_DIR/config**. The key to each submodule url is
           "submodule.$name.url". See gitmodules(5) for details.
    


## GIT



           Part of the git(1) suite
    


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