endif::git-pull[]
<refspec>::
- The format of a <refspec> parameter is an optional plus
- `+`, followed by the source ref <src>, followed
- by a colon `:`, followed by the destination ref <dst>.
+ Specifies which refs to fetch and which local refs to update.
+ When no <refspec>s appear on the command line, the refs to fetch
+ are read from `remote.<repository>.fetch` variables instead
+ifndef::git-pull[]
+ (see <<CRTB,CONFIGURED REMOTE-TRACKING BRANCHES>> below).
+endif::git-pull[]
+ifdef::git-pull[]
+ (see linkgit:git-fetch[1]).
+endif::git-pull[]
++
+The format of a <refspec> parameter is an optional plus
+`+`, followed by the source ref <src>, followed
+by a colon `:`, followed by the destination ref <dst>.
+The colon can be omitted when <dst> is empty.
++
+`tag <tag>` means the same as `refs/tags/<tag>:refs/tags/<tag>`;
+it requests fetching everything up to the given tag.
+
The remote ref that matches <src>
is fetched, and if <dst> is not empty string, the local
update.
+
[NOTE]
-If the remote branch from which you want to pull is
-modified in non-linear ways such as being rewound and
-rebased frequently, then a pull will attempt a merge with
-an older version of itself, likely conflict, and fail.
-It is under these conditions that you would want to use
-the `+` sign to indicate non-fast-forward updates will
-be needed. There is currently no easy way to determine
-or declare that a branch will be made available in a
-repository with this behavior; the pulling user simply
+When the remote branch you want to fetch is known to
+be rewound and rebased regularly, it is expected that
+its new tip will not be descendant of its previous tip
+(as stored in your remote-tracking branch the last time
+you fetched). You would want
+to use the `+` sign to indicate non-fast-forward updates
+will be needed for such branches. There is no way to
+determine or declare that a branch will be made available
+in a repository with this behavior; the pulling user simply
must know this is the expected usage pattern for a branch.
-+
-[NOTE]
-You never do your own development on branches that appear
-on the right hand side of a <refspec> colon on `Pull:` lines;
-they are to be updated by 'git fetch'. If you intend to do
-development derived from a remote branch `B`, have a `Pull:`
-line to track it (i.e. `Pull: B:remote-B`), and have a separate
-branch `my-B` to do your development on top of it. The latter
-is created by `git branch my-B remote-B` (or its equivalent `git
-checkout -b my-B remote-B`). Run `git fetch` to keep track of
-the progress of the remote side, and when you see something new
-on the remote branch, merge it into your development branch with
-`git pull . remote-B`, while you are on `my-B` branch.
+ifdef::git-pull[]
+
[NOTE]
There is a difference between listing multiple <refspec>
directly on 'git pull' command line and having multiple
-`Pull:` <refspec> lines for a <repository> and running
+`remote.<repository>.fetch` entries in your configuration
+for a <repository> and running a
'git pull' command without any explicit <refspec> parameters.
-<refspec> listed explicitly on the command line are always
+<refspec>s listed explicitly on the command line are always
merged into the current branch after fetching. In other words,
-if you list more than one remote refs, you would be making
-an Octopus. While 'git pull' run without any explicit <refspec>
-parameter takes default <refspec>s from `Pull:` lines, it
-merges only the first <refspec> found into the current branch,
-after fetching all the remote refs. This is because making an
+if you list more than one remote ref, 'git pull' will create
+an Octopus merge. On the other hand, if you do not list any
+explicit <refspec> parameter on the command line, 'git pull'
+will fetch all the <refspec>s it finds in the
+`remote.<repository>.fetch` configuration and merge
+only the first <refspec> found into the current branch.
+This is because making an
Octopus from remote refs is rarely done, while keeping track
of multiple remote heads in one-go by fetching more than one
is often useful.
-+
-Some short-cut notations are also supported.
-+
-* `tag <tag>` means the same as `refs/tags/<tag>:refs/tags/<tag>`;
- it requests fetching everything up to the given tag.
-ifndef::git-pull[]
-* A parameter <ref> without a colon fetches that ref into FETCH_HEAD,
-endif::git-pull[]
-ifdef::git-pull[]
-* A parameter <ref> without a colon merges <ref> into the current
- branch,
endif::git-pull[]
- and updates the remote-tracking branches (if any).