Start bisect with good and bad revisions
Initialize bisect and mark boundaries.
bashANYgitbisectdebugging
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git bisect start <bad_commit> <good_commit>Notes
Fastest way to launch a bisect session when both endpoints are already known.
Git Bisect, Cherry-pick, and Submodule Cheat Sheet
Advanced workflows for regression hunting, selective commit transfer, and repository dependency management.
Export
Copy the compact sheet, download it, or print it.
Download
`D` dense toggle · `C` copy all
Bisect Workflows
Use binary search to identify the commit that introduced a bug or behavior change.
Mark current commit as good
Tell bisect the current checked-out commit does not contain the bug.
bashANYgitbisectdebugging
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git bisect goodNotes
Bisect uses your good/bad classification to narrow the search range.
Mark current commit as bad
Tell bisect the current checked-out commit contains the bug.
bashANYgitbisectdebugging
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git bisect badNotes
Each classification halves the remaining search space.
Automate bisect with a test script
Let Git drive bisect using a command exit code.
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git bisect run ./test-regression.shNotes
Powerful for deterministic regressions where a test script can return success/failure automatically.
bash
git bisect resetNotes
Always reset at the end so you are no longer on a temporary bisect-selected revision.
bash
git bisect skipNotes
Useful when a revision does not build or cannot be meaningfully tested.
Cherry-pick Workflows
Copy selected commits across branches safely.
Cherry-pick one commit
Apply the changes introduced by one commit onto the current branch.
bashANYgitcherry-pickworkflow
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git cherry-pick <commit_sha>Notes
Common for backports, hotfixes, or selectively transferring changes across branches.
Cherry-pick multiple commits
Apply several explicit commits in sequence.
bashANYgitcherry-pickworkflow
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git cherry-pick <sha1> <sha2> <sha3>Notes
Useful when the commits are not contiguous in history but all need to be transferred.
bash
git cherry-pick <start_sha>^..<end_sha>Notes
Common syntax for selecting a continuous segment of commits.
Cherry-pick a merge commit
Apply changes from a merge commit relative to a chosen parent.
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git cherry-pick -m 1 <merge_commit_sha>Notes
Like revert of a merge, cherry-picking a merge requires selecting the mainline parent.
Continue cherry-pick after conflicts
Resume a paused cherry-pick sequence.
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git cherry-pick --continueNotes
Cherry-pick uses the same style of conflict lifecycle as rebase and revert.
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git cherry-pick --abortNotes
Use when conflicts are too messy or you decide not to port the change.
Submodule Workflows
Initialize, update, sync, and maintain submodule-based repositories.
Show submodule status
Inspect recorded commit pointers and checkout state.
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git submodule status --recursiveNotes
Useful for understanding whether submodules are initialized, detached, or out of sync.
Clone including submodules
Clone a repository and initialize its submodules immediately.
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git clone --recurse-submodules <repo_url>Notes
Saves an extra initialization step after clone for repositories that depend on submodules.
Update submodules to their tracked remote branches
Fetch and move submodules according to configured tracking branches.
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git submodule update --remote --recursiveNotes
Useful when submodules are meant to follow upstream branch tips rather than staying pinned until manually updated.
Run a command in every submodule
Execute a shell command across all submodules.
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git submodule foreach --recursive 'git status --short'Notes
Great for auditing or applying common operations across many submodules.
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git submodule sync --recursiveNotes
Important after changing submodule remote URLs in `.gitmodules`.
bash
git rm path/to/submoduleNotes
Modern Git handles most removal cleanup well, but you should still review `.gitmodules` and config state afterward.
More in Git Advanced
Git Stash, Worktree, and Clean Cheat Sheet
Temporary work preservation, multi-worktree workflows, cleanup commands, and conflict-resolution reuse.
Git Reset, Revert, and Restore Cheat Sheet
Understand the differences between reset, revert, and restore and use the right recovery command safely.
Git Reflog and Recovery Cheat Sheet
Recover commits, branches, and work after resets, rebases, deletes, and mistaken force updates.
Git Rebase Cheat Sheet
Advanced rebase commands, interactive workflows, conflict handling, and branch-transplant patterns.
Git Advanced Cheat Sheet
Advanced Git commands and workflows for rewriting history, recovering commits, debugging regressions, working with multiple trees, and maintaining repositories.