{ "content": [ { "type": "text", "text": "# git-init(1) (man)\n\n**Summary:** git-init - Create an empty Git repository or reinitialize an existing one\n\n**Synopsis:** git init [-q | --quiet] [--bare] [--template=]\n[--separate-git-dir ] [--object-format=]\n[-b | --initial-branch=]\n[--shared[=]] [directory]\n\n## Flags\n\n| Flag | Long | Arg | Description |\n|------|------|-----|-------------|\n| -q | --quiet | — | Only print error and warning messages; all other output will be suppressed. |\n| — | --bare | — | Create a bare repository. If GITDIR environment is not set, it is set to the current working directory. --object-format= |\n| — | — | — | Specify that the Git repository is to be shared amongst several users. This allows users belonging to the same group to |\n\n## Examples\n\n- `Start a new Git repository for an existing code base`\n- `$ cd /path/to/my/codebase`\n- `$ git init (1)`\n- `$ git add . (2)`\n- `$ git commit (3)`\n- `1. Create a /path/to/my/codebase/.git directory.`\n- `2. Add all existing files to the index.`\n- `3. Record the pristine state as the first commit in the history.`\n\n## Section Outline\n\n- **NAME** (2 lines)\n- **SYNOPSIS** (6 lines)\n- **DESCRIPTION** (15 lines)\n- **OPTIONS** (1 lines) — 3 subsections\n - -q, --quiet (2 lines)\n - --bare (30 lines)\n - --shared[=(false|true|umask|group|all|world|everybody|0xxx)] (34 lines)\n- **TEMPLATE DIRECTORY** (21 lines)\n- **EXAMPLES** (11 lines)\n- **GIT** (5 lines)\n\n## Full Content\n\n### NAME\n\ngit-init - Create an empty Git repository or reinitialize an existing one\n\n### SYNOPSIS\n\ngit init [-q | --quiet] [--bare] [--template=]\n[--separate-git-dir ] [--object-format=]\n[-b | --initial-branch=]\n[--shared[=]] [directory]\n\n### DESCRIPTION\n\nThis command creates an empty Git repository - basically a .git directory with subdirectories\nfor objects, refs/heads, refs/tags, and template files. An initial branch without any commits\nwill be created (see the --initial-branch option below for its name).\n\nIf the $GITDIR environment variable is set then it specifies a path to use instead of ./.git\nfor the base of the repository.\n\nIf the object storage directory is specified via the $GITOBJECTDIRECTORY environment\nvariable then the sha1 directories are created underneath - otherwise the default\n$GITDIR/objects directory is used.\n\nRunning git init in an existing repository is safe. It will not overwrite things that are\nalready there. The primary reason for rerunning git init is to pick up newly added templates\n(or to move the repository to another place if --separate-git-dir is given).\n\n### OPTIONS\n\n#### -q, --quiet\n\nOnly print error and warning messages; all other output will be suppressed.\n\n#### --bare\n\nCreate a bare repository. If GITDIR environment is not set, it is set to the current\nworking directory.\n\n--object-format=\nSpecify the given object format (hash algorithm) for the repository. The valid values are\nsha1 and (if enabled) sha256. sha1 is the default.\n\nTHIS OPTION IS EXPERIMENTAL! SHA-256 support is experimental and still in an early stage.\nA SHA-256 repository will in general not be able to share work with \"regular\" SHA-1\nrepositories. It should be assumed that, e.g., Git internal file formats in relation to\nSHA-256 repositories may change in backwards-incompatible ways. Only use\n--object-format=sha256 for testing purposes.\n\n--template=\nSpecify the directory from which templates will be used. (See the \"TEMPLATE DIRECTORY\"\nsection below.)\n\n--separate-git-dir=\nInstead of initializing the repository as a directory to either $GITDIR or ./.git/,\ncreate a text file there containing the path to the actual repository. This file acts as\nfilesystem-agnostic Git symbolic link to the repository.\n\nIf this is reinitialization, the repository will be moved to the specified path.\n\n-b , --initial-branch=\nUse the specified name for the initial branch in the newly created repository. If not\nspecified, fall back to the default name (currently master, but this is subject to change\nin the future; the name can be customized via the init.defaultBranch configuration\nvariable).\n\n#### --shared[=(false|true|umask|group|all|world|everybody|0xxx)]\n\nSpecify that the Git repository is to be shared amongst several users. This allows users\nbelonging to the same group to push into that repository. When specified, the config\nvariable \"core.sharedRepository\" is set so that files and directories under $GITDIR are\ncreated with the requested permissions. When not specified, Git will use permissions\nreported by umask(2).\n\nThe option can have the following values, defaulting to group if no value is given:\n\numask (or false)\nUse permissions reported by umask(2). The default, when --shared is not specified.\n\ngroup (or true)\nMake the repository group-writable, (and g+sx, since the git group may be not the\nprimary group of all users). This is used to loosen the permissions of an otherwise\nsafe umask(2) value. Note that the umask still applies to the other permission bits\n(e.g. if umask is 0022, using group will not remove read privileges from other\n(non-group) users). See 0xxx for how to exactly specify the repository permissions.\n\nall (or world or everybody)\nSame as group, but make the repository readable by all users.\n\n0xxx\n0xxx is an octal number and each file will have mode 0xxx. 0xxx will override users'\numask(2) value (and not only loosen permissions as group and all does). 0640 will\ncreate a repository which is group-readable, but not group-writable or accessible to\nothers. 0660 will create a repo that is readable and writable to the current user\nand group, but inaccessible to others.\n\nBy default, the configuration flag receive.denyNonFastForwards is enabled in shared\nrepositories, so that you cannot force a non fast-forwarding push into it.\n\nIf you provide a directory, the command is run inside it. If this directory does not exist,\nit will be created.\n\n### TEMPLATE DIRECTORY\n\nFiles and directories in the template directory whose name do not start with a dot will be\ncopied to the $GITDIR after it is created.\n\nThe template directory will be one of the following (in order):\n\n• the argument given with the --template option;\n\n• the contents of the $GITTEMPLATEDIR environment variable;\n\n• the init.templateDir configuration variable; or\n\n• the default template directory: /usr/share/git-core/templates.\n\nThe default template directory includes some directory structure, suggested \"exclude\npatterns\" (see gitignore(5)), and sample hook files.\n\nThe sample hooks are all disabled by default. To enable one of the sample hooks rename it by\nremoving its .sample suffix.\n\nSee githooks(5) for more general info on hook execution.\n\n### EXAMPLES\n\nStart a new Git repository for an existing code base\n\n$ cd /path/to/my/codebase\n$ git init (1)\n$ git add . (2)\n$ git commit (3)\n\n1. Create a /path/to/my/codebase/.git directory.\n2. Add all existing files to the index.\n3. Record the pristine state as the first commit in the history.\n\n### GIT\n\nPart of the git(1) suite\n\n\n\nGit 2.34.1 02/26/2026 GIT-INIT(1)\n\n" } ], "structuredContent": { "command": "git-init", "section": "1", "mode": "man", "summary": "git-init - Create an empty Git repository or reinitialize an existing one", "synopsis": "git init [-q | --quiet] [--bare] [--template=]\n[--separate-git-dir ] [--object-format=]\n[-b | --initial-branch=]\n[--shared[=]] [directory]", "flags": [ { "flag": "-q", "long": "--quiet", "arg": null, "description": "Only print error and warning messages; all other output will be suppressed." }, { "flag": "", "long": "--bare", "arg": null, "description": "Create a bare repository. If GITDIR environment is not set, it is set to the current working directory. --object-format= Specify the given object format (hash algorithm) for the repository. The valid values are sha1 and (if enabled) sha256. sha1 is the default. THIS OPTION IS EXPERIMENTAL! SHA-256 support is experimental and still in an early stage. A SHA-256 repository will in general not be able to share work with \"regular\" SHA-1 repositories. It should be assumed that, e.g., Git internal file formats in relation to SHA-256 repositories may change in backwards-incompatible ways. Only use --object-format=sha256 for testing purposes. --template= Specify the directory from which templates will be used. (See the \"TEMPLATE DIRECTORY\" section below.) --separate-git-dir= Instead of initializing the repository as a directory to either $GITDIR or ./.git/, create a text file there containing the path to the actual repository. This file acts as filesystem-agnostic Git symbolic link to the repository. If this is reinitialization, the repository will be moved to the specified path. -b , --initial-branch= Use the specified name for the initial branch in the newly created repository. If not specified, fall back to the default name (currently master, but this is subject to change in the future; the name can be customized via the init.defaultBranch configuration variable)." }, { "flag": "", "long": null, "arg": null, "description": "Specify that the Git repository is to be shared amongst several users. This allows users belonging to the same group to push into that repository. When specified, the config variable \"core.sharedRepository\" is set so that files and directories under $GITDIR are created with the requested permissions. When not specified, Git will use permissions reported by umask(2). The option can have the following values, defaulting to group if no value is given: umask (or false) Use permissions reported by umask(2). The default, when --shared is not specified. group (or true) Make the repository group-writable, (and g+sx, since the git group may be not the primary group of all users). This is used to loosen the permissions of an otherwise safe umask(2) value. Note that the umask still applies to the other permission bits (e.g. if umask is 0022, using group will not remove read privileges from other (non-group) users). See 0xxx for how to exactly specify the repository permissions. all (or world or everybody) Same as group, but make the repository readable by all users. 0xxx 0xxx is an octal number and each file will have mode 0xxx. 0xxx will override users' umask(2) value (and not only loosen permissions as group and all does). 0640 will create a repository which is group-readable, but not group-writable or accessible to others. 0660 will create a repo that is readable and writable to the current user and group, but inaccessible to others. By default, the configuration flag receive.denyNonFastForwards is enabled in shared repositories, so that you cannot force a non fast-forwarding push into it. If you provide a directory, the command is run inside it. If this directory does not exist, it will be created." } ], "examples": [ "Start a new Git repository for an existing code base", "$ cd /path/to/my/codebase", "$ git init (1)", "$ git add . (2)", "$ git commit (3)", "1. Create a /path/to/my/codebase/.git directory.", "2. Add all existing files to the index.", "3. Record the pristine state as the first commit in the history." ], "see_also": [], "section_outline": [ { "name": "NAME", "lines": 2, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "SYNOPSIS", "lines": 6, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "DESCRIPTION", "lines": 15, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "OPTIONS", "lines": 1, "subsections": [ { "name": "-q, --quiet", "lines": 2, "flag": "-q", "long": "--quiet" }, { "name": "--bare", "lines": 30, "long": "--bare" }, { "name": "--shared[=(false|true|umask|group|all|world|everybody|0xxx)]", "lines": 34 } ] }, { "name": "TEMPLATE DIRECTORY", "lines": 21, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "EXAMPLES", "lines": 11, "subsections": [] }, { "name": "GIT", "lines": 5, "subsections": [] } ] } }