What's the difference between `git add .` and `git add -u`?
It is one of the git gotchas mentioned here (pre Git 2.0).
git add .
only adds what is there, not what has been deleted (if tracked).
git add .
git commit
git status
//hey! why didn't it commit my deletes?, Oh yeah, silly me
git add -u .
git commit --amend
git add -A
would take care of both steps...
With Git 2.0, git add -A
is default.
git add <path>
is the same as "git add -A <path>
" now, so that "git add dir/
" will notice paths you removed from the directory and record the removal.
In older versions of Git, "git add <path>
" used to ignore removals.You can say "
git add --ignore-removal <path>
" to add only added or modified paths in<path>
, if you really want to.
Warning (git1.8.3 April 2013, for upcoming git2.0).
I have modified my answer to say git add -u .
, instead of git add -u
.:
git add -u
will operate on the entire tree in Git 2.0 for consistency with "git commit -a
" and other commands.
Because there will be no mechanism to make "git add -u
" behave as "git add -u .
", it is important for those who are used to "git add -u
" (without pathspec) updating the index only for paths in the current subdirectory to start training their fingers to explicitly say "git add -u .
" when they mean it before Git 2.0 comes.
As I mentioned in "e"
Like the manual says: git add .
will add all files in the current directory, whereas git add -u .
will only add those already being tracked.
git add documentaiton
git add .
add all files from the current directory
git add -u
only update files currently being tracked.