Git + Python
Automate Git from Python — diffs, hooks, release tags, and repo housekeeping.
Amend Last Commit Message in Python
This script uses subprocess to run `git commit --amend` and update the most recent commit's message in your repository.
import subprocess
import sys
def amend_last_commit_message(new_message: str) -> None:
"""Change the message of the most recent commit."""
result = subprocess.run(
["git", "commit", "--amend", "-m", new_message],
capture_output=True,
text=True,
check=False,
)
if result.…Find the Commit That Introduced a String in Git History Using Python
Use git log -S with Python subprocess to find the earliest commit that introduced a specific string across your repository history.
import subprocess
import sys
def find_introducing_commit(repo_path: str, search_string: str, file_glob: str = "*") -> str:
"""Find the first commit that introduced a given string in a git repository."""
result = subprocess.run(
["git", "-C", repo_path, "log", "--all", "--oneline", "-S", search_string…How to Archive a Repository as a ZIP in Python
Create a ZIP archive of a repository directory with a mock export, skipping hidden files and __pycache__ folders.
import zipfile
import io
import os
from pathlib import Path
def archive_repo_mock(repo_path, output_path="repo_archive.zip"):
"""Create a zip archive of a repository directory (mock export)."""
repo = Path(repo_path)
if not repo.exists():
raise FileNotFoundError(f"Repository not found: {repo}")
…How to Build a Branch Protection Audit Mock API in Python
A mock HTTP API that serves branch protection rules for repositories and audits them for compliance, built with Python's standard library.
import json
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
from urllib.parse import urlparse, parse_qs
REPOSITORIES = {
"alpha": {
"default_branch": "main",
"branches": ["main", "develop", "feature-x"],
"protection_rules": {
"main": {"required_reviews": 2, "dismiss_…How to Filter Git History to Remove Secret File Entries in Python
A pure-Python mock that filters a repository's history to drop any commit that touched a secret file, so you can plan a cleanup before rewriting Git history.
from pathlib import Path
import json
def filter_history(history, secret_path):
"""Remove entries that touch the secret file."""
return [entry for entry in history if secret_path not in entry["files"]]
if __name__ == "__main__":
repo_history = [
{"commit": "a1b2c3", "message": "Add app", "files": …How to Generate Git LFS Extension Patterns in Python
This script builds mock Git LFS file patterns for common geospatial extensions and filters them based on compression suffixes.
import itertools
import re
LFS_EXTENSIONS = {".csv", ".geojson", ".tif", ".shp", ".gpkg"}
def build_mock_lfs_pattern(base_name="data_usgs_lidar"):
patterns = []
for ext in sorted(LFS_EXTENSIONS):
for variant in (("", ".lz4"), (".compressed",), (".b", ".a"), ("_v1", ".zip")):
full_pattern …How to List Changed Files in the Last Git Commit with Python
Runs `git diff --name-only HEAD~1 HEAD` via subprocess to list the names of files changed in the most recent commit.
import subprocess
def list_changed_files():
result = subprocess.run(
["git", "diff", "--name-only", "HEAD~1", "HEAD"],
capture_output=True,
text=True,
check=True
)
files = result.stdout.strip().splitlines()
return files
if __name__ == "__main__":
changed = list_cha…How to Mirror a Bare Git Repository Backup in Python
Run a git clone --bare subprocess to create a timestamped bare-repo backup folder with error handling.
import subprocess
import shlex
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime
def mirror_bare_repo(source_url: str, backup_dir: str) -> str:
"""Mirror a bare git repository to a timestamped backup folder."""
backup_path = Path(backup_dir)
backup_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
timest…How to Mock Git Cherry-Pick in Python for Tests
Mock the `repo.git.cherry_pick` method with `unittest.mock` to test a Git cherry-pick helper without a real repository.
from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
class GitCherryPicker:
def __init__(self):
self.applied_commits = []
def cherry_pick(self, commit_hash, repo):
try:
result = repo.git.cherry_pick(commit_hash)
self.applied_commits.append(commit_hash)
return f"A…How to Mock Git Stash and Pop in Python
Mock Git stash, apply, and pop operations using unittest.mock so you can test Git automation without touching a real repository.
import git
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
def stash_and_pop(repo):
"""Mock a stash operation and then pop it back."""
repo.git.stash("save", "WIP: temp changes")
stashed_output = repo.git.stash("list")
# Simulate the stash was applied, then pop
repo.git.stash("apply", "stash@{0}")
…How to Push Git Tags to a Remote with Python
Push specified git tags (or all tags) to a remote repository using Python's subprocess module with error handling.
import subprocess
import sys
def push_tags_to_remote(remote: str = "origin", tags: list[str] | None = None) -> None:
"""
Push git tags to a remote repository.
If no tags are given, push all local tags.
"""
if tags:
subprocess.run(["git", "push", remote, *tags], check=True)
else:
…How to Revert a Commit and Create a New Revert Commit in Python
Demonstrates a mock Git repository that creates a new revert commit on top of the current head when reverting an existing commit.
class GitCommit:
"""Minimal mock of a git commit for demonstrating revert behavior."""
def __init__(self, sha, message):
self.sha = sha
self.message = message
self.parent = None
class GitRepository:
"""Mock repository tracking a simple commit chain."""
def __init__(self):
…How to sync a fork with upstream in Python
Run git fetch and merge commands from Python with subprocess to sync a forked repository with upstream/main.
import subprocess
import sys
def sync_fork_with_upstream():
"""Simulate syncing a forked repo with upstream via git commands."""
# Mock git operations: pretend to fetch from upstream and merge into main
fetch_result = subprocess.run(
["git", "fetch", "upstream"],
capture_output=True, tex…Browse by section
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Git + Python — Python code examples
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This page collects git + python snippets — short, copy-ready Python you can paste into our free online IDE and run without installing anything. Each sample includes a plain-English explanation and the full source code.
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