GIT-MULTI-PACK-INDEX(1) Git Manual GIT-MULTI-PACK-INDEX(1)

NAME

git-multi-pack-index - Write and verify multi-pack-indexes

SYNOPSIS

git multi-pack-index [--object-dir=<dir>] [--[no-]bitmap] <sub-command>

DESCRIPTION

Write or verify a multi-pack-index (MIDX) file.

OPTIONS

--object-dir=<dir>
Use given directory for the location of Git objects. We check
<dir>/packs/multi-pack-index for the current MIDX file, and
<dir>/packs for the pack-files to index.

<dir> must be an alternate of the current repository.

--[no-]progress
Turn progress on/off explicitly. If neither is specified,
progress is shown if standard error is connected to a terminal.
Supported by sub-commands write, verify, expire, and `repack.

The following subcommands are available:

write
Write a new MIDX file. The following options are available for
the write sub-command:

--preferred-pack=<pack>
Optionally specify the tie-breaking pack used when multiple
packs contain the same object. <pack> must contain at least
one object. If not given, ties are broken in favor of the
pack with the lowest mtime.

--[no-]bitmap
Control whether or not a multi-pack bitmap is written.

--stdin-packs
Write a multi-pack index containing only the set of
line-delimited pack index basenames provided over stdin.

--refs-snapshot=<path>
With --bitmap, optionally specify a file which contains a
"refs snapshot" taken prior to repacking.

A reference snapshot is composed of line-delimited OIDs
corresponding to the reference tips, usually taken by git
repack prior to generating a new pack. A line may optionally
start with a + character to indicate that the reference which
corresponds to that OID is "preferred" (see git-config(1)'s
pack.preferBitmapTips.)

The file given at <path> is expected to be readable, and can
contain duplicates. (If a given OID is given more than once,
it is marked as preferred if at least one instance of it
begins with the special + marker).

--incremental
Write an incremental MIDX file containing only objects and
packs not present in an existing MIDX layer. Migrates
non-incremental MIDXs to incremental ones when necessary.
Incompatible with --bitmap.

verify
Verify the contents of the MIDX file.

expire
Delete the pack-files that are tracked by the MIDX file, but have
no objects referenced by the MIDX (with the exception of .keep
packs and cruft packs). Rewrite the MIDX file afterward to remove
all references to these pack-files.

Note
this mode is incompatible with incremental MIDX files.

repack
Create a new pack-file containing objects in small pack-files
referenced by the multi-pack-index. If the size given by the
--batch-size=<size> argument is zero, then create a pack
containing all objects referenced by the multi-pack-index. For a
non-zero batch size, Select the pack-files by examining packs
from oldest-to-newest, computing the "expected size" by counting
the number of objects in the pack referenced by the
multi-pack-index, then divide by the total number of objects in
the pack and multiply by the pack size. We select packs with
expected size below the batch size until the set of packs have
total expected size at least the batch size, or all pack-files
are considered. If only one pack-file is selected, then do
nothing. If a new pack-file is created, rewrite the
multi-pack-index to reference the new pack-file. A later run of
git multi-pack-index expire will delete the pack-files that were
part of this batch.

If repack.packKeptObjects is false, then any pack-files with an
associated .keep file will not be selected for the batch to
repack.

Note
this mode is incompatible with incremental MIDX files.

EXAMPLES

+o Write a MIDX file for the packfiles in the current .git
directory.

$ git multi-pack-index write

+o Write a MIDX file for the packfiles in the current .git directory
with a corresponding bitmap.

$ git multi-pack-index write --preferred-pack=<pack> --bitmap

+o Write a MIDX file for the packfiles in an alternate object store.

$ git multi-pack-index --object-dir <alt> write

+o Verify the MIDX file for the packfiles in the current .git
directory.

$ git multi-pack-index verify

SEE ALSO

See The Multi-Pack-Index Design Document[1] and gitformat-pack(5) for
more information on the multi-pack-index feature and its file format.

GIT

Part of the git(1) suite

NOTES

1. The Multi-Pack-Index Design Document
git-htmldocs/technical/multi-pack-index.html

Git 2.48.1 2025-01-13 GIT-MULTI-PACK-INDEX(1)