simplydata/git-series

Track changes to a patch series over time

git series tracks changes to a patch series over time. git series also tracks a cover letter for the patch series, formats the series for email, and prepares pull requests.

About git-series

A patch series typically goes through multiple iterations before submission; the path from idea to RFC to [PATCHv12 1/8] includes many invocations of git rebase -i. However, while Git tracks and organizes commits quite well, it doesn't actually track changes to a patch series at all, outside of the ephemeral reflog. This makes it a challenge to collaborate on a patch series, distribution package, backport, or any other development process that includes rebasing or non-fast-forward development.

Typically, tracking the evolution of a patch series over time involves moving part of the version control outside of git. You can move the patch series from git into quilt or a distribution package, and then version the patch files with git, losing the power of git's tools. Or, you can keep the patch series in git, and version it via multiple named branches; however, names like feature-v2, feature-v3-typofix, and feature-v8-rebased-4.6-alice-fix sound like filenames from corporate email, not modern version control. And either way, git doesn't track your cover letter at all.

git-series tracks both a patch series and its evolution within the same git repository. git-series works entirely with existing git features, allowing git to push and pull a series to any git repository along with other branches and tags. git-series also tracks a cover letter for the patch series, formats the series for email, and prepares pull requests.

Building and installing

git-series is written in Rust. You'll need both Rust and Cargo installed to build it. If your OS distribution includes packages for Rust and Cargo, start by installing those (for instance, on Debian, apt install rustc cargo). Otherwise, you can download the stable version of Rust and Cargo from the rust-lang.org download page.

With Rust and Cargo installed, you can download and install the latest release of git-series with:

cargo install --root ~/.local git-series

This will install git-series into ~/.local/bin/git-series. If you don't already have ~/.local/bin on your $PATH, you may want to add it there, or change the --root. You may also want to install the included manpage, git-series.1, into ~/.local/share/man/man1/git-series.1.

If you'd like to package git-series for your distribution, please contact me.

Getting started

• Use git series start seriesname to start a patch series seriesname.

• Use git series base somecommit to set the base commit for the series. (This is the upstream commit you based the series on, not the first patch in the series.)

• Use normal git commands to commit changes.

• Use git series status to check what has changed.

• Use git series cover to add or edit a cover letter.

• Use git series rebase -i to help rework or reorganize the patch series.

• Use git series add and git series commit (or git series commit -a) to commit changes to the patch series. You can do this whenever you've changed the base or cover letter, or whenever you've changed HEAD to a new commit. Make a series commit whenever you've made a semantic change to the patch series that you want to record, such as rebasing on a new upstream version, reorganizing patches, or incorporating feedback.

• Use git series format to prepare the patch series to send via email, or use git series req to prepare a "please pull" mail (after pushing the changes to a repository as a branch or tag).