GITMODULES(5) Git Manual GITMODULES(5)
NAME
gitmodules - defining submodule properties
SYNOPSIS
$GIT_WORK_DIR/.gitmodules
DESCRIPTION
The .gitmodules file, located in the top-level directory of a Git
working tree, is a text file with a syntax matching the requirements of
git-config(1).
The file contains one subsection per submodule, and the subsection
value is the name of the submodule. The name is set to the path where
the submodule has been added unless it was customized with the --name
option of git submodule add. Each submodule section also contains the
following required keys:
submodule.<name>.path
Defines the path, relative to the top-level directory of the Git
working tree, where the submodule is expected to be checked out.
The path name must not end with a /. All submodule paths must be
unique within the .gitmodules file.
submodule.<name>.url
Defines a URL from which the submodule repository can be cloned.
This may be either an absolute URL ready to be passed to git-
clone(1) or (if it begins with ./ or ../) a location relative to
the superproject's origin repository.
submodule.<name>.update
Defines what to do when the submodule is updated by the
superproject. If checkout (the default), the new commit specified
in the superproject will be checked out in the submodule on a
detached HEAD. If rebase, the current branch of the submodule will
be rebased onto the commit specified in the superproject. If merge,
the commit specified in the superproject will be merged into the
current branch in the submodule. If none, the submodule with name
$name will not be updated by default.
This config option is overridden if 'git submodule update' is given
the '--merge', '--rebase' or '--checkout' options.
submodule.<name>.branch
A remote branch name for tracking updates in the upstream
submodule. If the option is not specified, it defaults to master.
See the --remote documentation in git-submodule(1) for details.
submodule.<name>.fetchRecurseSubmodules
This option can be used to control recursive fetching of this
submodule. If this option is also present in the submodules entry
in .git/config of the superproject, the setting there will override
the one found in .gitmodules. Both settings can be overridden on
the command line by using the "--[no-]recurse-submodules" option to
"git fetch" and "git pull".
submodule.<name>.ignore
Defines under what circumstances "git status" and the diff family
show a submodule as modified. When set to "all", it will never be
considered modified, "dirty" will ignore all changes to the
submodules work tree and takes only differences between the HEAD of
the submodule and the commit recorded in the superproject into
account. "untracked" will additionally let submodules with modified
tracked files in their work tree show up. Using "none" (the default
when this option is not set) also shows submodules that have
untracked files in their work tree as changed. If this option is
also present in the submodules entry in .git/config of the
superproject, the setting there will override the one found in
.gitmodules. Both settings can be overridden on the command line by
using the "--ignore-submodule" option.
EXAMPLES
Consider the following .gitmodules file:
[submodule "libfoo"]
path = include/foo
url = git://foo.com/git/lib.git
[submodule "libbar"]
path = include/bar
url = git://bar.com/git/lib.git
This defines two submodules, libfoo and libbar. These are expected to
be checked out in the paths include/foo and include/bar, and for both
submodules a URL is specified which can be used for cloning the
submodules.
SEE ALSO
git-submodule(1) git-config(1)
GIT
Part of the git(1) suite
Git 1.8.3.1 07/30/2024 GITMODULES(5)