git-force-clone

force-clone a repository, replacing the target directory if it exists

TLDR

Force clone into a directory, removing any existing contents first

$ git force-clone [url] [directory]

Force clone at a specific branch

$ git force-clone -b [branch] [url] [directory]

Force clone and reset to the remote head even if the dir is a checkout

$ git force-clone [https://github.com/owner/repo.git] [existing-dir]

SYNOPSIS

git force-clone [-b BRANCH] URL DIRECTORY

git force-clone from the git-extras suite guarantees the target directory ends up as a fresh, clean clone of the given URL. It is the "just give me what's on the remote" hammer for deployment scripts:- If the directory does not exist, it clones normally.- If the directory is already a clone of the same URL, it fetches and hard-resets the working tree to match the remote, discarding any local changes.- If the directory exists but is a different repository (or contains unrelated files), it removes the directory and re-clones.

PARAMETERS

URL

Repository URL (https, ssh, git, or local path).

DIRECTORY

Target directory. If it already exists and contains a clone of the same repo, its contents are reset to match the remote. If it exists but is a different repo (or random files), it is removed and re-cloned.

-b BRANCH

Check out BRANCH after cloning.

--help

Show help.

INSTALL

sudo apt install git

sudo dnf install git

sudo pacman -S git

sudo apk add git

sudo zypper install git

brew install git

nix profile install nixpkgs#git

CAVEATS

Destructive. Uncommitted changes in the target directory are lost without confirmation. Local branches not pushed to the remote will be removed if the directory is re-cloned. Use with care, especially in interactive contexts — prefer `git fetch` + `git reset --hard` when you only need to resync and want to keep other local state.

HISTORY

git force-clone is part of git-extras, the long-running collection of git helpers by TJ Holowaychuk and contributors.