[verse]
'git reset' [--mixed | --soft | --hard | --merge] [-q] [<commit>]
'git reset' [-q] [<commit>] [--] <paths>...
+'git reset' --patch [<commit>] [--] [<paths>...]
DESCRIPTION
-----------
If you want to undo a commit other than the latest on a branch,
linkgit:git-revert[1] is your friend.
-The second form with 'paths' is used to revert selected paths in
-the index from a given commit, without moving HEAD.
+The second and third forms with 'paths' and/or --patch are used to
+revert selected paths in the index from a given commit, without moving
+HEAD.
OPTIONS
--soft::
Does not touch the index file nor the working tree at all, but
requires them to be in a good order. This leaves all your changed
- files "Changes to be committed", as 'git-status' would
+ files "Changes to be committed", as 'git status' would
put it.
--hard::
and updates the files that are different between the named commit
and the current commit in the working tree.
+-p::
+--patch::
+ Interactively select hunks in the difference between the index
+ and <commit> (defaults to HEAD). The chosen hunks are applied
+ in reverse to the index.
++
+This means that `git reset -p` is the opposite of `git add -p` (see
+linkgit:git-add[1]).
+
-q::
+--quiet::
Be quiet, only report errors.
<commit>::
Commit to make the current HEAD. If not given defaults to HEAD.
+DISCUSSION
+----------
+
+The tables below show what happens when running:
+
+----------
+git reset --option target
+----------
+
+to reset the HEAD to another commit (`target`) with the different
+reset options depending on the state of the files.
+
+In these tables, A, B, C and D are some different states of a
+file. For example, the first line of the first table means that if a
+file is in state A in the working tree, in state B in the index, in
+state C in HEAD and in state D in the target, then "git reset --soft
+target" will put the file in state A in the working tree, in state B
+in the index and in state D in HEAD.
+
+ working index HEAD target working index HEAD
+ ----------------------------------------------------
+ A B C D --soft A B D
+ --mixed A D D
+ --hard D D D
+ --merge (disallowed)
+
+ working index HEAD target working index HEAD
+ ----------------------------------------------------
+ A B C C --soft A B C
+ --mixed A C C
+ --hard C C C
+ --merge (disallowed)
+
+ working index HEAD target working index HEAD
+ ----------------------------------------------------
+ B B C D --soft B B D
+ --mixed B D D
+ --hard D D D
+ --merge D D D
+
+ working index HEAD target working index HEAD
+ ----------------------------------------------------
+ B B C C --soft B B C
+ --mixed B C C
+ --hard C C C
+ --merge C C C
+
+ working index HEAD target working index HEAD
+ ----------------------------------------------------
+ B C C D --soft B C D
+ --mixed B D D
+ --hard D D D
+ --merge (disallowed)
+
+ working index HEAD target working index HEAD
+ ----------------------------------------------------
+ B C C C --soft B C C
+ --mixed B C C
+ --hard C C C
+ --merge B C C
+
+"reset --merge" is meant to be used when resetting out of a conflicted
+merge. Any mergy operation guarantees that the work tree file that is
+involved in the merge does not have local change wrt the index before
+it starts, and that it writes the result out to the work tree. So if
+we see some difference between the index and the target and also
+between the index and the work tree, then it means that we are not
+resetting out from a state that a mergy operation left after failing
+with a conflict. That is why we disallow --merge option in this case.
+
+The following tables show what happens when there are unmerged
+entries:
+
+ working index HEAD target working index HEAD
+ ----------------------------------------------------
+ X U A B --soft (disallowed)
+ --mixed X B B
+ --hard B B B
+ --merge B B B
+
+ working index HEAD target working index HEAD
+ ----------------------------------------------------
+ X U A A --soft (disallowed)
+ --mixed X A A
+ --hard A A A
+ --merge A A A
+
+X means any state and U means an unmerged index.
+
Examples
--------
$ git reset --hard <2>
$ git pull . topic/branch <3>
Updating from 41223... to 13134...
-Fast forward
+Fast-forward
$ git reset --hard ORIG_HEAD <4>
------------
+
which is a synonym for "git reset --hard HEAD" clears the mess
from the index file and the working tree.
<3> Merge a topic branch into the current branch, which resulted
-in a fast forward.
+in a fast-forward.
<4> But you decided that the topic branch is not ready for public
consumption yet. "pull" or "merge" always leaves the original
tip of the current branch in ORIG_HEAD, so resetting hard to it