NAME
----
-git-cat-file - Provide content or type information for repository objects
+git-cat-file - Provide content or type/size information for repository objects
SYNOPSIS
--------
-'git-cat-file' (-t | -s | <type>) <object>
+[verse]
+'git cat-file' [-t | -s | -e | -p | <type>] <object>
+'git cat-file' [--batch | --batch-check] < <list-of-objects>
DESCRIPTION
-----------
-Provides content or type of objects in the repository. The type
-is required unless '-t' is used to find the object type,
-or '-s' is used to find the object size.
+In the first form, provides content or type of objects in the repository. The
+type is required unless '-t' or '-p' is used to find the object type, or '-s'
+is used to find the object size.
+
+In the second form, a list of object (separated by LFs) is provided on stdin,
+and the SHA1, type, and size of each object is printed on stdout.
OPTIONS
-------
<object>::
- The sha1 identifier of the object.
+ The name of the object to show.
+ For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see
+ "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:git-rev-parse[1].
-t::
Instead of the content, show the object type identified by
Instead of the content, show the object size identified by
<object>.
+-e::
+ Suppress all output; instead exit with zero status if <object>
+ exists and is a valid object.
+
+-p::
+ Pretty-print the contents of <object> based on its type.
+
<type>::
Typically this matches the real type of <object> but asking
for a type that can trivially be dereferenced from the given
or to ask for a "blob" with <object> being a tag object that
points at it.
+--batch::
+ Print the SHA1, type, size, and contents of each object provided on
+ stdin. May not be combined with any other options or arguments.
+
+--batch-check::
+ Print the SHA1, type, and size of each object provided on stdin. May not be
+ combined with any other options or arguments.
+
OUTPUT
------
-If '-t' is specified, one of the <type>. If '-s' is specified,
-the size of the <object> in bytes.
+If '-t' is specified, one of the <type>.
+
+If '-s' is specified, the size of the <object> in bytes.
+
+If '-e' is specified, no output.
-Otherwise the raw (though uncompressed) contents of the <object> will
-be returned.
+If '-p' is specified, the contents of <object> are pretty-printed.
+If <type> is specified, the raw (though uncompressed) contents of the <object>
+will be returned.
+
+If '--batch' is specified, output of the following form is printed for each
+object specified on stdin:
+
+------------
+<sha1> SP <type> SP <size> LF
+<contents> LF
+------------
+
+If '--batch-check' is specified, output of the following form is printed for
+each object specified on stdin:
+
+------------
+<sha1> SP <type> SP <size> LF
+------------
+
+For both '--batch' and '--batch-check', output of the following form is printed
+for each object specified on stdin that does not exist in the repository:
+
+------------
+<object> SP missing LF
+------------
Author
------
GIT
---
-Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite
-
+Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite