See also linkgit:git-add[1] for a more user-friendly way to do some of
the most common operations on the index.
-The way `git-update-index` handles files it is told about can be modified
+The way 'git-update-index' handles files it is told about can be modified
using the various options:
OPTIONS
-q::
Quiet. If --refresh finds that the index needs an update, the
default behavior is to error out. This option makes
- `git-update-index` continue anyway.
+ 'git-update-index' continue anyway.
---ignore-submodules:
+--ignore-submodules::
Do not try to update submodules. This option is only respected
when passed before --refresh.
--unmerged::
If --refresh finds unmerged changes in the index, the default
- behavior is to error out. This option makes `git-update-index`
+ behavior is to error out. This option makes 'git-update-index'
continue anyway.
--ignore-missing::
--assume-unchanged::
--no-assume-unchanged::
- When these flags are specified, the object name recorded
+ When these flags are specified, the object names recorded
for the paths are not updated. Instead, these options
- sets and unsets the "assume unchanged" bit for the
+ set and unset the "assume unchanged" bit for the
paths. When the "assume unchanged" bit is on, git stops
checking the working tree files for possible
modifications, so you need to manually unset the bit to
sometimes helpful when working with a big project on a
filesystem that has very slow lstat(2) system call
(e.g. cifs).
++
+This option can be also used as a coarse file-level mechanism
+to ignore uncommitted changes in tracked files (akin to what
+`.gitignore` does for untracked files).
+You should remember that an explicit 'git add' operation will
+still cause the file to be refreshed from the working tree.
+Git will fail (gracefully) in case it needs to modify this file
+in the index e.g. when merging in a commit;
+thus, in case the assumed-untracked file is changed upstream,
+you will need to handle the situation manually.
-g::
--again::
- Runs `git-update-index` itself on the paths whose index
+ Runs 'git-update-index' itself on the paths whose index
entries are different from those from the `HEAD` commit.
--unresolve::
--replace::
By default, when a file `path` exists in the index,
- `git-update-index` refuses an attempt to add `path/file`.
+ 'git-update-index' refuses an attempt to add `path/file`.
Similarly if a file `path/file` exists, a file `path`
cannot be added. With --replace flag, existing entries
- that conflicts with the entry being added are
+ that conflict with the entry being added are
automatically removed with warning messages.
--stdin::
can refresh the index for a file that hasn't been changed but where
the stat entry is out of date.
-For example, you'd want to do this after doing a `git-read-tree`, to link
+For example, you'd want to do this after doing a 'git-read-tree', to link
up the stat index details with the proper files.
Using --cacheinfo or --info-only
. mode SP type SP sha1 TAB path
+
-The second format is to stuff `git-ls-tree` output
+The second format is to stuff 'git-ls-tree' output
into the index file.
. mode SP sha1 SP stage TAB path
+
This format is to put higher order stages into the
-index file and matches `git-ls-files --stage` output.
+index file and matches 'git-ls-files --stage' output.
To place a higher stage entry to the index, the path should
first be removed by feeding a mode=0 entry for the path, and
The command looks at `core.ignorestat` configuration variable. When
this is true, paths updated with `git update-index paths...` and
paths updated with other git commands that update both index and
-working tree (e.g. `git-apply --index`, `git-checkout-index -u`,
-and `git-read-tree -u`) are automatically marked as "assume
+working tree (e.g. 'git-apply --index', 'git-checkout-index -u',
+and 'git-read-tree -u') are automatically marked as "assume
unchanged". Note that "assume unchanged" bit is *not* set if
`git update-index --refresh` finds the working tree file matches
the index (use `git update-index --really-refresh` if you want
This causes the command to ignore differences in file modes recorded
in the index and the file mode on the filesystem if they differ only on
executable bit. On such an unfortunate filesystem, you may
-need to use `git-update-index --chmod=`.
+need to use 'git-update-index --chmod='.
Quite similarly, if `core.symlinks` configuration variable is set
to 'false' (see linkgit:git-config[1]), symbolic links are checked out
The command looks at `core.ignorestat` configuration variable. See
'Using "assume unchanged" bit' section above.
+The command also looks at `core.trustctime` configuration variable.
+It can be useful when the inode change time is regularly modified by
+something outside Git (file system crawlers and backup systems use
+ctime for marking files processed) (see linkgit:git-config[1]).
+
SEE ALSO
--------