How to Show Git Status in Your Bash Prompt
25 Jul 2015Here is how to have your bash prompt tell you if you have changed or untracked
files in your working directory. The key is to set a couple of environment
variables that are used by the __git_ps1 function that git provides.
Add these lines to ~/.bash_profile:
source /usr/local/etc/bash_completion
GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE=true
GIT_PS1_SHOWUNTRACKEDFILES=true
export PS1='\u@\h \w$(__git_ps1) \$ '
(The location for bash_completion will vary; this is for OSX with homebrew
installed git. The actual file you need is git-prompt.sh, which is
distributed as part of git, but is copied by the installer to the
bash_completion.d directory that bash_completion loads.)
The prompt for a clean working directory shows the current branch in parentheses:
showaltb@Bobs-MBP ~/work/myproject (develop) $
A % character indicates untracked file(s). For example, let’s create a new
file:
showaltb@Bobs-MBP ~/work/myproject (develop) $ touch foo
showaltb@Bobs-MBP ~/work/myproject (develop %) $ git status
On branch develop
Your branch is up-to-date with 'origin/develop'.
Untracked files:
(use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
foo
nothing added to commit but untracked files present (use "git add" to track)
A * character indicates changed or deleted file(s). Let’s try removing a
file.
showaltb@Bobs-MBP ~/work/myproject (develop) $ rm README.md
showaltb@Bobs-MBP ~/work/myproject (develop *) $ git status
On branch develop
Your branch is up-to-date with 'origin/develop'.
Changes not staged for commit:
(use "git add/rm <file>..." to update what will be committed)
(use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
deleted: README.md
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")