Is it possible to list the options of a Git command from the command line?
I am aware of git help <command> and git <command> --help, which provide the full documentation of a command with the complete list of its options. However, they redirect the user to a web page, leaving the command line.
Instead, I would like to know if there is a way to list the options of a command within the command line. I don't need the full documentation; just a list of the possible options will do.
(piggybacking on @Guildenstern comment):
git help help indicates:
-m, --manDisplay manual page for the command in the man format. This option may be used to override a value set in the
help.formatconfiguration variable.By default the man program will be used to display the manual page, but the man.viewer configuration variable may be used to choose other display programs (see below).
You can try: git config --global help.format man.
See also the "Configuration Variables" section.
git commit --help after setting up help.format man, I receive warning: failed to exec 'man': No such file or directory.man.<tool>.path. Thank you a lot!
man actually installed somewhere ?) or a wrapper/alias (man.viewer = <tool> + man.<tool>.path or man.<tool>.cmd)To have the full option list of a Git command, you can type git <command> -h. This will prompt Git to print:
For example:
git init -h
usage: git init [-q | --quiet] [--bare] [--template=<template-directory>]
[--separate-git-dir <git-dir>] [--object-format=<format>]
[--ref-format=<format>]
[-b <branch-name> | --initial-branch=<branch-name>]
[--shared[=<permissions>]] [<directory>]
--[no-]template <template-directory> directory from which templates will be used
--[no-]bare create a bare repository
--shared[=<permissions>] specify that the git repository is to be shared amongst several users
-q, --[no-]quiet be quiet
--[no-]separate-git-dir <gitdir> separate git dir from working tree
-b, --[no-]initial-branch <name> override the name of the initial branch
--[no-]object-format <hash> specify the hash algorithm to use
--[no-]ref-format <format> specify the reference format to use
Alternatively, you can enter a command followed by a double dash, and then type the TAB key twice. Note that this approach only shows the options preceded by a double dash. Single dash options are excluded.
For example:
git init --<TAB><TAB>
--bare --object-format= --shared
--initial-branch= --quiet --template=
--no-... --ref-format=
--no-template --separate-git-dir=
Credits: thanks @joanis for your comment.
Command '_git' not found, did you mean:.
git -handgit <command> -hwhich outputs a shorter version of the help in the terminal.PAGER='less -p ^SYNOPSIS' git help -m add. stolen from Hopefully then all the options are documented in the Synopsis (might not be true).