Documentation/git-sparse-checkout.txt

git-sparse-checkout(1)
======================

NAME
----
git-sparse-checkout - Initialize and modify the sparse-checkout
configuration, which reduces the checkout to a set of paths
given by a list of atterns.


SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
'git sparse-checkout <subcommand> [options]'


DESCRIPTION
-----------

Initialize and modify the sparse-checkout configuration, which reduces
the checkout to a set of paths given by a list of patterns.

THIS COMMAND IS EXPERIMENTAL. ITS BEHAVIOR, AND THE BEHAVIOR OF OTHER
COMMANDS IN THE PRESENCE OF SPARSE-CHECKOUTS, WILL LIKELY CHANGE IN
THE FUTURE.


COMMANDS
--------
'list'::
	Provide a list of the contents in the sparse-checkout file.

'init'::
	Enable the `core.sparseCheckout` setting. If the
	sparse-checkout file does not exist, then populate it with
	patterns that match every file in the root directory and
	no other directories, then will remove all directories tracked
	by Git. Add patterns to the sparse-checkout file to
	repopulate the working directory.
+
To avoid interfering with other worktrees, it first enables the
`extensions.worktreeConfig` setting and makes sure to set the
`core.sparseCheckout` setting in the worktree-specific config file.

'set'::
	Write a set of patterns to the sparse-checkout file, as given as
	a list of arguments following the 'set' subcommand. Update the
	working directory to match the new patterns. Enable the
	core.sparseCheckout config setting if it is not already enabled.
+
When the `--stdin` option is provided, the patterns are read from
standard in as a newline-delimited list instead of from the arguments.

SPARSE CHECKOUT
---------------

"Sparse checkout" allows populating the working directory sparsely.
It uses the skip-worktree bit (see linkgit:git-update-index[1]) to tell
Git whether a file in the working directory is worth looking at. If
the skip-worktree bit is set, then the file is ignored in the working
directory. Git will not populate the contents of those files, which
makes a sparse checkout helpful when working in a repository with many
files, but only a few are important to the current user.

The `$GIT_DIR/info/sparse-checkout` file is used to define the
skip-worktree reference bitmap. When Git updates the working
directory, it updates the skip-worktree bits in the index based
on this file. The files matching the patterns in the file will
appear in the working directory, and the rest will not.

## FULL PATTERN SET

By default, the sparse-checkout file uses the same syntax as `.gitignore`
files.

While `$GIT_DIR/info/sparse-checkout` is usually used to specify what
files are included, you can also specify what files are _not_ included,
using negative patterns. For example, to remove the file `unwanted`:

----------------
/*
!unwanted
----------------

Another tricky thing is fully repopulating the working directory when you
no longer want sparse checkout. You cannot just disable "sparse
checkout" because skip-worktree bits are still in the index and your working
directory is still sparsely populated. You should re-populate the working
directory with the `$GIT_DIR/info/sparse-checkout` file content as
follows:

----------------
/*
----------------

Then you can disable sparse checkout. Sparse checkout support in 'git
checkout' and similar commands is disabled by default. You need to
set `core.sparseCheckout` to `true` in order to have sparse checkout
support.

SEE ALSO
--------

linkgit:git-read-tree[1]
linkgit:gitignore[5]

GIT
---
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite