SYNOPSIS
--------
-'git-rm' [-f] [-n] [-v] [--] <file>...
+'git rm' [-f | --force] [-n] [-r] [--cached] [--ignore-unmatch] [--quiet] [--] <file>...
DESCRIPTION
-----------
-A convenience wrapper for git-update-index --remove. For those coming
-from cvs, git-rm provides an operation similar to "cvs rm" or "cvs
-remove".
+Remove files from the index, or from the working tree and the index.
+`git rm` will not remove a file from just your working directory.
+(There is no option to remove a file only from the working tree
+and yet keep it in the index; use `/bin/rm` if you want to do that.)
+The files being removed have to be identical to the tip of the branch,
+and no updates to their contents can be staged in the index,
+though that default behavior can be overridden with the `-f` option.
+When `--cached` is given, the staged content has to
+match either the tip of the branch or the file on disk,
+allowing the file to be removed from just the index.
OPTIONS
-------
<file>...::
- Files to remove from the index and optionally, from the
- working tree as well.
+ Files to remove. Fileglobs (e.g. `*.c`) can be given to
+ remove all matching files. If you want git to expand
+ file glob characters, you may need to shell-escape them.
+ A leading directory name
+ (e.g. `dir` to remove `dir/file1` and `dir/file2`) can be
+ given to remove all files in the directory, and recursively
+ all sub-directories,
+ but this requires the `-r` option to be explicitly given.
-f::
- Remove files from the working tree as well as from the index.
+--force::
+ Override the up-to-date check.
-n::
- Don't actually remove the file(s), just show if they exist in
- the index.
+--dry-run::
+ Don't actually remove any file(s). Instead, just show
+ if they exist in the index and would otherwise be removed
+ by the command.
--v::
- Be verbose.
+-r::
+ Allow recursive removal when a leading directory name is
+ given.
\--::
This option can be used to separate command-line options from
the list of files, (useful when filenames might be mistaken
for command-line options).
+--cached::
+ Use this option to unstage and remove paths only from the index.
+ Working tree files, whether modified or not, will be
+ left alone.
-DISCUSSION
-----------
+--ignore-unmatch::
+ Exit with a zero status even if no files matched.
-The list of <file> given to the command is fed to `git-ls-files`
-command to list files that are registered in the index and
-are not ignored/excluded by `$GIT_DIR/info/exclude` file or
-`.gitignore` file in each directory. This means two things:
+-q::
+--quiet::
+ `git rm` normally outputs one line (in the form of an `rm` command)
+ for each file removed. This option suppresses that output.
-. You can put the name of a directory on the command line, and the
- command will remove all files in it and its subdirectories (the
- directories themselves are never removed from the working tree);
-. Giving the name of a file that is not in the index does not
- remove that file.
+DISCUSSION
+----------
+The <file> list given to the command can be exact pathnames,
+file glob patterns, or leading directory names. The command
+removes only the paths that are known to git. Giving the name of
+a file that you have not told git about does not remove that file.
+
+File globbing matches across directory boundaries. Thus, given
+two directories `d` and `d2`, there is a difference between
+using `git rm {apostrophe}d{asterisk}{apostrophe}` and
+`git rm {apostrophe}d/{asterisk}{apostrophe}`, as the former will
+also remove all of directory `d2`.
+
+REMOVING FILES THAT HAVE DISAPPEARED FROM THE FILESYSTEM
+--------------------------------------------------------
+There is no option for `git rm` to remove from the index only
+the paths that have disappeared from the filesystem. However,
+depending on the use case, there are several ways that can be
+done.
+
+Using "git commit -a"
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+If you intend that your next commit should record all modifications
+of tracked files in the working tree and record all removals of
+files that have been removed from the working tree with `rm`
+(as opposed to `git rm`), use `git commit -a`, as it will
+automatically notice and record all removals. You can also have a
+similar effect without committing by using `git add -u`.
+
+Using "git add -A"
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+When accepting a new code drop for a vendor branch, you probably
+want to record both the removal of paths and additions of new paths
+as well as modifications of existing paths.
+
+Typically you would first remove all tracked files from the working
+tree using this command:
+
+----------------
+git ls-files -z | xargs -0 rm -f
+----------------
+
+and then "untar" the new code in the working tree. Alternately
+you could "rsync" the changes into the working tree.
+
+After that, the easiest way to record all removals, additions, and
+modifications in the working tree is:
+
+----------------
+git add -A
+----------------
+
+See linkgit:git-add[1].
+
+Other ways
+~~~~~~~~~~
+If all you really want to do is to remove from the index the files
+that are no longer present in the working tree (perhaps because
+your working tree is dirty so that you cannot use `git commit -a`),
+use the following command:
+
+----------------
+git diff --name-only --diff-filter=D -z | xargs -0 git rm --cached
+----------------
EXAMPLES
--------
-git-rm Documentation/\\*.txt::
-
- Removes all `\*.txt` files from the index that are under the
- `Documentation` directory and any of its subdirectories. The
- files are not removed from the working tree.
+git rm Documentation/\*.txt::
+ Removes all `*.txt` files from the index that are under the
+ `Documentation` directory and any of its subdirectories.
+
-Note that the asterisk `\*` is quoted from the shell in this
-example; this lets the command include the files from
-subdirectories of `Documentation/` directory.
-
-git-rm -f git-*.sh::
+Note that the asterisk `*` is quoted from the shell in this
+example; this lets git, and not the shell, expand the pathnames
+of files and subdirectories under the `Documentation/` directory.
- Remove all git-*.sh scripts that are in the index. The files
- are removed from the index, and (because of the -f option),
- from the working tree as well. Because this example lets the
- shell expand the asterisk (i.e. you are listing the files
- explicitly), it does not remove `subdir/git-foo.sh`.
+git rm -f git-*.sh::
+ Because this example lets the shell expand the asterisk
+ (i.e. you are listing the files explicitly), it
+ does not remove `subdir/git-foo.sh`.
-See Also
+SEE ALSO
--------
-gitlink:git-add[1]
+linkgit:git-add[1]
Author
------
GIT
---
-Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite
-
+Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite