What's new in Git 2.55.0? (opens in new tab)
Git 2.55.0 introduces improvements focused on stacked-branch workflows, large repositories, multi-remote setups, and clearer history visualization. Highlights include `git history fixup`, a built-in Linux filesystem monitor, remote-group pushing, and a configurable width limit for `git log --graph`. The release also continues Git’s Rust adoption and improves performance for partial clones. ## `git history fixup` - Adds `git history fixup <commit-id>`. - Takes staged changes and amends them directly into an existing commit. - Avoids creating a separate fixup commit and running an interactive autosquash rebase. - Automatically updates other local branches containing the amended commit, making it useful for stacked branches. ## Built-in fsmonitor support for Linux - Git’s filesystem monitor speeds up `git status` by tracking changed files instead of scanning the entire worktree. - Git 2.55 extends the built-in `core.fsmonitor=true` daemon from Windows and macOS to GNU/Linux. - Linux support uses `inotify`, avoiding the elevated privileges required by `fanotify`. - The daemon needs a watcher for every repository directory, so large repositories may require increasing `fs.inotify.max_user_watches`. ## Pushing to remote groups - Remote groups were previously supported by `git fetch` but not `git push`. - Configure a group, for example: ```bash git config set remotes.forks "origin upstream" ``` - Push to every remote in the group with: ```bash git push forks main ``` - Each remote is handled independently and follows its own `remote.<name>.push` mappings and mirror settings. ## Limiting `git log --graph` width - `git log --graph` can become difficult to read in repositories with many parallel branches. - Git 2.55 adds a way to limit the graph’s lane width, preventing the ASCII history from expanding indefinitely. - This is particularly useful for large projects such as Git itself, where the graph can become many lanes wide after only a few commits. ## Rust adoption and partial-clone performance - The release continues the gradual evolution of Rust within Git’s codebase. - `git grep` and `git cherry` receive performance improvements when operating in partial clones. Git 2.55 is especially useful for developers working in large monorepos or stacked-branch workflows. Enabling the Linux fsmonitor, using `git history fixup`, and configuring remote groups can provide immediate productivity benefits, while graph-width limits make complex histories easier to inspect.