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Autocomplete Git Commands and Branch Names

In a terminal on Mac OS X, you can use [TAB] to autocomplete file names and file paths.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do the same with git commands and branch names?

Step 1: Get git-completion script

Get the git-completion.bash script and put it in your home directory:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash -o ~/.git-completion.bash

Step 2: Update .bash_profile

Make sure that you are in your home directory:

cd ~/

Add the following code to your .bash_profile (~/.bash_profile).

if [ -f ~/.git-completion.bash ]; then
  . ~/.git-completion.bash
fi

If you don’t have .bash_profile file just create it and append the code on the end.

Step 3: Apply the changes

The script will work for all new terminal tabs (or windows), to have it running right away you need to execute it:

source ~/.bash_profile

Step 4: Check if it’s working

Go to any folder with git repository. You should find that [TAB] now autocompletes commands and branch names.

git commands autocompletion
git commands autocompletion
git branch names autocompletion
git branch names autocompletion
Chris Lojniewski

CEO at Pagepro - React & React Native software house specialising in building tailor-made web applications for clients around the world. Chris is currently spearheading a mission close to his heart: making development frictionless. His philosophy transcends the conventional, recognising that while modern tech, especially React & React Native, is a game-changer, the real revolution lies in combining cutting-edge technology with effective processes, creative exploration, and strategic foresight.

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  • J

    Posted on

    This is great! I wish it worked with my git aliases. For instance, instead of typing `git checkout`, I like typing `gco`. Unfortunately I don’t get branch auto-completion this way.

  • Ruth Morata Gil

    Posted on

    So simple and still, for some reason, it won’t work for me :/
    I get the same as always when I hit tab after “git” in a folder with git repo. Oh well!

  • Andrey

    Posted on

    When running the command
    source ~/.bash_profile
    I get this
    ERROR: this script is obsolete, please see git-completion.zsh

  • Meg G.

    Posted on

    Worked like a charm, thanks for posting this!

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