git_repo: Create or discover a local Git repository

In gert: Simple Git Client for R

Create or discover a local Git repository

Description

• git_init() creates a new repository

• git_find() to discover an existing local repository.

• git_info() shows basic information about a repository, such as the SHA and branch of the current HEAD.

Usage

git_init(path = ".", bare = FALSE)

git_find(path = ".")

git_info(repo = ".")

Arguments

path	the location of the git repository, see the "path" section.
bare	if true, a Git repository without a working directory is created
repo	The path to the git repository. If the directory is not a repository, parent directories are considered (see git_find()). To disable this search, provide the filepath protected with I(). When using this parameter, always explicitly call by name (i.e. ⁠repo = ⁠) because future versions of gert may have additional parameters.

Value

• git_find() and git_init(): the path to the Git repository.

• git_info(): A list of information of the Git repository.

Path

For git_init() the path parameter sets the directory of the git repository to create. If this directory already exists, it must be empty. If it does not exist, it is created, along with any intermediate directories that don't yet exist.

For git_find(), the path parameter specifies the directory at which to start the search for a git repository. If it is not a git repository itself, then its parent directory is consulted, then the parent's parent, and so on.

Detached head

If git_info()$shorthand is equal to HEAD, it means the repository is in a detached head state.

Related libgit2 documentation

repository.

See Also

Other git: git_archive, git_branch(), git_commit(), git_config(), git_diff(), git_fetch(), git_history, git_ignore, git_merge(), git_rebase(), git_remote, git_reset(), git_restore(), git_revert(), git_signature(), git_stash, git_tag, git_worktree

Examples

# directory does not yet exist
r <- tempfile(pattern = "gert")
git_init(r)
git_find(r)
git_info(r)

# create a child directory, then a grandchild, then search
r_grandchild_dir <- file.path(r, "aaa", "bbb")
dir.create(r_grandchild_dir, recursive = TRUE)
git_find(r_grandchild_dir)

# cleanup
unlink(r, recursive = TRUE)

# directory exists but is empty
r <- tempfile(pattern = "gert")
dir.create(r)
git_init(r)
git_find(r)

# cleanup
unlink(r, recursive = TRUE)

gert documentation built on July 22, 2026, 5:07 p.m.