Git rebase -i is not that scary • Hacker News Board

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#21

Post by nicoburns » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 2:59 AM UTC

trescenzi wrote: post #12

Another git command I love using is `git add -p`. I always want to commit in chunks as I go but sometimes I wait to long or realize later I could have broken it up. Being able to select only pieces of a file to add to a specific commit is so great. Editing the chunks manually can be a bit intimidating but since it only stages the change you can always restore the file and try again if the diff doesn't look right afte…

That "git add -p" works from the command line is cool, but this is the one git task that I feel is significantly easier using a GUI tool (I use one specifically for this (and viewing diffs) while otherwise mostly using the command line).

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#22

Post by zahrevsky » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 3:09 AM UTC

koolba wrote: post #14

That “-I” really needs to be lowercase.

Someone should collect all the cases when header capitalization on HN affected meaning

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#23

Post by dionian » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 3:11 AM UTC

sometimes i wish mercurial won, if nothing else for the fact that i found its ux to be more enjoyable. I respect and use git, but never got comfortable with merging. im thankful AI can automate it for me now

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#24

Post by maxloh » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 3:23 AM UTC

I found the VS Code GitLens extension to be a good abstraction for interactive rebase. It provides a drag-and-drop UI with a dropdown to select actions applied to each commit. That is much easier than editing a text file.

Here's a GIF I found with Google: https://yogwang.site/2025/cursor-vscode-gitlens-rebase-edito...

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#25

Post by KoleSeise1277 » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 3:24 AM UTC

I still make a throwaway branch before a complicated rebase. It costs nothing and turns the whole operation into a low-stakes edit instead of a leap of faith.

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#26

Post by jordanboxer » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 3:24 AM UTC

  git commit —fixup= 
  git rebase -i —autosquash

This is my best friend

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#27

Post by ed_mercer » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 3:38 AM UTC

I cannot recall the last time I committed manually, let alone rebase manually. An agent can do it for you faster and without making mistakes.

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#28

Post by tupton » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 3:40 AM UTC

jordanboxer wrote: post #26

git commit —fixup= git rebase -i —autosquash This is my best friend

Then you will really like:

    git history fixup

https://git-scm.com/docs/git-history#Documentation/git-histo...

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#29

Post by russdill » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 3:48 AM UTC

KoleSeise1277 wrote: post #25

I still make a throwaway branch before a complicated rebase. It costs nothing and turns the whole operation into a low-stakes edit instead of a leap of faith.

Yes, and you can diff the two branches when you are done!

Re: Git rebase -i is not that scary

#30

Post by sodapopcan » Sun, Jul 26, 2026, 3:51 AM UTC

nicoburns wrote: post #21

trescenzi wrote: post #12

Another git command I love using is `git add -p`. I always want to commit in chunks as I go but sometimes I wait to long or realize later I could have broken it up. Being able to select only pieces of a file to add to a specific commit is so great. Editing the chunks manually can be a bit intimidating but since it only stages the change you can always restore the file and try again if the diff doesn't look right afte…

That "git add -p" works from the command line is cool, but this is the one git task that I feel is significantly easier using a GUI tool (I use one specifically for this (and viewing diffs) while otherwise mostly using the command line).

I used to feel the same, and I still use a TUI tool, but after working with people who always used the CLI for this (who oddly otherwise were big into IDEs) it's actually an oddly really nice experience and not really any faster or slower. In fact, seeing a hunk at a time has this "focusing" affect on thinking about each change.

Again, though, I still use a visual tool.