- 12 min read
Is it safe to delete .git/index.lock?
Git says another process seems to be running. What .git/index.lock is, the one check to run before deleting it, and what a hard kill leaves behind.
- 9 min read
What FETCH_HEAD is, and why you shouldn't merge it
FETCH_HEAD holds whatever the last fetch brought — any fetch, including your editor's. Merge it by name and the branch can swap between your two commands.
- 9 min read
git pull --rebase deleted your commit: the rescue and the reason
A force-pushed branch plus git pull --rebase silently drops commits you pushed. The reflog rescue, the fork-point mechanism, and why no flag prevents it.
- 8 min read
Force push without overwriting your teammate's work
git push --force-with-lease protects you only until something fetches. The gap, demonstrated live, and the flag that closes it: --force-if-includes.
- 6 min read
Work on two branches at once with git worktree
git worktree gives a second branch its own folder — one repository, two working trees, no stash dance. The rules that keep it safe, and the cleanup.
- 9 min read
Update a Git branch without checking it out
git fetch origin main:main moves a branch while you stay on another. The refspec that does it, the refusals that protect you, and the diverged case.
- 10 min read
Will this merge conflict? Find out without merging
git merge-tree does the whole merge in memory and names every file that would conflict — without touching your working tree, your index, or your branch.
- 7 min read
The whole loop, one window: why I built this Git client
Pull requests that start before you push, branch updates without switching, and guardrails that aren't a pricing tier — the assumptions behind GitDesktop.
- 4 min read
Recovering a dropped stash: what git fsck can still find
A dropped or lost git stash is almost never gone. How to find it with git fsck, tell the real stash commit from its index twin, and get the work back.