NAME
----
-git-remote-helpers - Helper programs for interoperation with remote git
+git-remote-helpers - Helper programs to interact with remote repositories
SYNOPSIS
--------
-'git remote-<transport>' <remote>
+'git remote-<transport>' <repository> [<URL>]
DESCRIPTION
-----------
-These programs are normally not used directly by end users, but are
-invoked by various git programs that interact with remote repositories
-when the repository they would operate on will be accessed using
-transport code not linked into the main git binary. Various particular
-helper programs will behave as documented here.
+Remote helper programs are normally not used directly by end users,
+but they are invoked by git when it needs to interact with remote
+repositories git does not support natively. A given helper will
+implement a subset of the capabilities documented here. When git
+needs to interact with a repository using a remote helper, it spawns
+the helper as an independent process, sends commands to the helper's
+standard input, and expects results from the helper's standard
+output. Because a remote helper runs as an independent process from
+git, there is no need to re-link git to add a new helper, nor any
+need to link the helper with the implementation of git.
+
+Every helper must support the "capabilities" command, which git will
+use to determine what other commands the helper will accept. Other
+commands generally concern facilities like discovering and updating
+remote refs, transporting objects between the object database and
+the remote repository, and updating the local object store.
+
+Helpers supporting the 'fetch' capability can discover refs from the
+remote repository and transfer objects reachable from those refs to
+the local object store. Helpers supporting the 'push' capability can
+transfer local objects to the remote repository and update remote refs.
+
+Git comes with a "curl" family of remote helpers, that handle various
+transport protocols, such as 'git-remote-http', 'git-remote-https',
+'git-remote-ftp' and 'git-remote-ftps'. They implement the capabilities
+'fetch', 'option', and 'push'.
+
+INVOCATION
+----------
+
+Remote helper programs are invoked with one or (optionally) two
+arguments. The first argument specifies a remote repository as in git;
+it is either the name of a configured remote or a URL. The second
+argument specifies a URL; it is usually of the form
+'<transport>://<address>', but any arbitrary string is possible.
+
+When git encounters a URL of the form '<transport>://<address>', where
+'<transport>' is a protocol that it cannot handle natively, it
+automatically invokes 'git remote-<transport>' with the full URL as
+the second argument. If such a URL is encountered directly on the
+command line, the first argument is the same as the second, and if it
+is encountered in a configured remote, the first argument is the name
+of that remote.
+
+A URL of the form '<transport>::<address>' explicitly instructs git to
+invoke 'git remote-<transport>' with '<address>' as the second
+argument. If such a URL is encountered directly on the command line,
+the first argument is '<address>', and if it is encountered in a
+configured remote, the first argument is the name of that remote.
+
+Additionally, when a configured remote has 'remote.<name>.vcs' set to
+'<transport>', git explicitly invokes 'git remote-<transport>' with
+'<name>' as the first argument. If set, the second argument is
+'remote.<name>.url'; otherwise, the second argument is omitted.
COMMANDS
--------
'capabilities'::
Lists the capabilities of the helper, one per line, ending
- with a blank line.
+ with a blank line. Each capability may be preceded with '*'.
+ This marks them mandatory for git version using the remote
+ helper to understand (unknown mandatory capability is fatal
+ error).
'list'::
Lists the refs, one per line, in the format "<value> <name>
+
Supported if the helper has the "push" capability.
+'import' <name>::
+ Produces a fast-import stream which imports the current value
+ of the named ref. It may additionally import other refs as
+ needed to construct the history efficiently. The script writes
+ to a helper-specific private namespace. The value of the named
+ ref should be written to a location in this namespace derived
+ by applying the refspecs from the "refspec" capability to the
+ name of the ref.
++
+Supported if the helper has the "import" capability.
+
+'connect' <service>::
+ Connects to given service. Standard input and standard output
+ of helper are connected to specified service (git prefix is
+ included in service name so e.g. fetching uses 'git-upload-pack'
+ as service) on remote side. Valid replies to this command are
+ empty line (connection established), 'fallback' (no smart
+ transport support, fall back to dumb transports) and just
+ exiting with error message printed (can't connect, don't
+ bother trying to fall back). After line feed terminating the
+ positive (empty) response, the output of service starts. After
+ the connection ends, the remote helper exits.
++
+Supported if the helper has the "connect" capability.
+
If a fatal error occurs, the program writes the error message to
stderr and exits. The caller should expect that a suitable error
message has been printed if the child closes the connection without
'push'::
This helper supports the 'push' command.
+'import'::
+ This helper supports the 'import' command.
+
+'refspec' 'spec'::
+ When using the import command, expect the source ref to have
+ been written to the destination ref. The earliest applicable
+ refspec takes precedence. For example
+ "refs/heads/*:refs/svn/origin/branches/*" means that, after an
+ "import refs/heads/name", the script has written to
+ refs/svn/origin/branches/name. If this capability is used at
+ all, it must cover all refs reported by the list command; if
+ it is not used, it is effectively "*:*"
+
+'connect'::
+ This helper supports the 'connect' command.
+
REF LIST ATTRIBUTES
-------------------
commands. A helper might chose to acquire the ref list by
opening a different type of connection to the destination.
+'unchanged'::
+ This ref is unchanged since the last import or fetch, although
+ the helper cannot necessarily determine what value that produced.
+
OPTIONS
-------
'option verbosity' <N>::
but don't actually change any repository data. For most
helpers this only applies to the 'push', if supported.
+'option servpath <c-style-quoted-path>'::
+ Set service path (--upload-pack, --receive-pack etc.) for
+ next connect. Remote helper MAY support this option. Remote
+ helper MUST NOT rely on this option being set before
+ connect request occurs.
+
+SEE ALSO
+--------
+linkgit:git-remote[1]
+
Documentation
-------------
-Documentation by Daniel Barkalow.
+Documentation by Daniel Barkalow and Ilari Liusvaara
GIT
---
projects / git.git / blobdiff