- prefix and args come from cmd_* functions
get_pathspec() is obsolete and should never be used in new code.
+
+parse_pathspec() helps catch unsupported features and reject them
+politely. At a lower level, different pathspec-related functions may
+not support the same set of features. Such pathspec-sensitive
+functions are guarded with GUARD_PATHSPEC(), which will die in an
+unfriendly way when an unsupported feature is requested.
+
+The command designers are supposed to make sure that GUARD_PATHSPEC()
+never dies. They have to make sure all unsupported features are caught
+by parse_pathspec(), not by GUARD_PATHSPEC. grepping GUARD_PATHSPEC()
+should give the designers all pathspec-sensitive codepaths and what
+features they support.
+
+A similar process is applied when a new pathspec magic is added. The
+designer lifts the GUARD_PATHSPEC restriction in the functions that
+support the new magic. At the same time (s)he has to make sure this
+new feature will be caught at parse_pathspec() in commands that cannot
+handle the new magic in some cases. grepping parse_pathspec() should
+help.