Git Reflog and Recovery Cheat Sheet

git reflog

# List recent local HEAD and branch movements.

git log -g --oneline --decorate

# Browse reflog entries using log formatting.

git reflog show main

# Inspect reference updates for a named branch.

git reflog expire --expire=30.days --all --dry-run

# See what would be pruned from reflog without changing anything.

git reset --hard HEAD@{3}

# Move the current branch back to a previous recorded state.

git branch recovered-work HEAD@{3}

# Create a new branch from a reflog entry without moving current branch yet.

git checkout <lost_commit_sha>

# Inspect a recovered commit before deciding what to do with it.

git cherry-pick <lost_commit_sha>

# Apply a recovered commit onto the current branch.

git fsck --lost-found

# List objects that are no longer reachable from refs.

git branch recovered-orig ORIG_HEAD

# Use ORIG_HEAD as a quick recovery anchor.

git reflog --all | grep feature-branch

# Find likely commit hashes for branch recovery.

git update-ref refs/heads/feature <commit_sha>

# Move a branch ref to a specific commit hash.

git switch --detach HEAD@{3}

# Inspect a previous HEAD state without changing refs.

git config --global gc.reflogExpire 90.days

# Customize how long normal reflog entries are retained.

git config --global gc.reflogExpireUnreachable 30.days

# Control retention for entries that are no longer reachable.

git gc --prune=now

# Force garbage collection and immediate pruning.

git count-objects -vH

# Check repository object counts and size details.