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feat(cli): allow an alternate Git repository path to be specified #1468

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331e6dc
feat(cli): allow an alternate Git repository path to be specified
smoyer64 May 29, 2025
2e108ac
docs(cli): improve wording of help for the -C flag
smoyer64 May 29, 2025
1708387
docs: fix Go doc comment
smoyer64 Feb 6, 2026
8a9e4ce
Merge branch 'trunk' into feat/1467/git-repo-path
smoyer64 Feb 17, 2026
22f12e2
chore: rework --git-dir to behave like Git
smoyer64 Feb 17, 2026
923385c
test(git-dir): make tests (more) OS-agnostic
smoyer64 Feb 17, 2026
5928757
chore(git-dir): fix spelling in test name
smoyer64 Feb 17, 2026
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1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions commands/execenv/env.go
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ type Env struct {
In In
Out Out
Err Out
GitDir string

@MichaelMure MichaelMure Feb 25, 2026

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As we discussed, let's remove this from Env. There is better ways and there is no good reason to have this here.

}

func NewEnv() *Env {
Expand Down
43 changes: 39 additions & 4 deletions commands/execenv/loading.go
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
package execenv

import (
"errors"
"fmt"
"os"

Expand All @@ -14,18 +15,18 @@ import (
"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/util/interrupt"
)

// LoadRepo is a pre-run function that load the repository for use in a command
// LoadRepo is a pre-run function that loads the repository for use in a command.
func LoadRepo(env *Env) func(*cobra.Command, []string) error {
return func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
cwd, err := os.Getwd()
repoPath, err := getRepoPath(env)
if err != nil {
return fmt.Errorf("unable to get the current working directory: %q", err)
return err
}

// Note: we are not loading clocks here because we assume that LoadRepo is only used
// when we don't manipulate entities, or as a child call of LoadBackend which will
// read all clocks anyway.
env.Repo, err = repository.OpenGoGitRepo(cwd, gitBugNamespace, nil)
env.Repo, err = repository.OpenGoGitRepo(repoPath, gitBugNamespace, nil)
if err == repository.ErrNotARepo {
return fmt.Errorf("%s must be run from within a git Repo", RootCommandName)
}
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -171,3 +172,37 @@ func CacheBuildProgressBar(env *Env, events chan cache.BuildEvent) error {

return nil
}

var errNotDirectory = errors.New("path must be a directory for --git-dir or GIT_DIR")

func getRepoPath(env *Env) (string, error) {
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var path string

if gitDir := os.Getenv("GIT_DIR"); gitDir != "" {
path = gitDir
}

if path == "" && env.GitDir != "" {
path = env.GitDir
}

if path == "" {
wd, err := os.Getwd()
if err != nil {
return "", fmt.Errorf("unable to get the current working directory: %q", err)
}

path = wd
}

fi, err := os.Stat(path)
if err != nil {
return "", err
}

if !fi.IsDir() {
return "", errNotDirectory
}

return path, nil
}
81 changes: 81 additions & 0 deletions commands/execenv/loading_test.go
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
package execenv

import (
"os"
"path/filepath"
"strings"
"testing"

"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
)

// ***** WARNING ***** - due to the use of testing with an environment
//
// variable, do NOT use t.Parallel() with these
// test cases.
func TestGetRepoPath(t *testing.T) {
t.Run("no Git path provided (use WD)", func(t *testing.T) {
// WD during tests is the directory containing the test file
path, err := getRepoPath(&Env{})
require.NoError(t, err)
assert.True(t, strings.HasSuffix(path, filepath.Join("commands", "execenv")))
})

t.Run("flag provided", func(t *testing.T) {
gitDir, err := os.UserHomeDir()
require.NoError(t, err)

path, err := getRepoPath(&Env{
GitDir: gitDir,
})
require.NoError(t, err)
assert.Equal(t, gitDir, path)
})

t.Run("environment variable provided", func(t *testing.T) {
gitDir, err := os.UserHomeDir()
require.NoError(t, err)
t.Setenv("GIT_DIR", gitDir)

path, err := getRepoPath(&Env{})
require.NoError(t, err)
assert.Equal(t, gitDir, path)
})

t.Run("GIT_DIR supersedes --git-dir", func(t *testing.T) {
cacheDir, err := os.UserCacheDir()
require.NoError(t, err)

configDir, err := os.UserConfigDir()
require.NoError(t, err)
t.Setenv("GIT_DIR", configDir)

path, err := getRepoPath(&Env{
GitDir: cacheDir,
})
require.NoError(t, err)
assert.Equal(t, configDir, path)

})

t.Run("path does not exist", func(t *testing.T) {
_, err := getRepoPath(&Env{
GitDir: filepath.Join("/", "tmp", "does-not-exist"),
})
require.ErrorIs(t, err, os.ErrNotExist)
})

t.Run("path is not a directory", func(t *testing.T) {
gitDir := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "plain-file")

f, err := os.Create(gitDir)
require.NoError(t, err)
require.NoError(t, f.Close())

_, err = getRepoPath(&Env{
GitDir: gitDir,
})
require.ErrorIs(t, err, errNotDirectory)
})
}
11 changes: 8 additions & 3 deletions commands/root.go
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ import (

"github.com/spf13/cobra"

"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/bridge"
"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/bug"
bridgecmd "github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/bridge"
bugcmd "github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/bug"
"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/execenv"
"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/user"
usercmd "github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/user"
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)

func NewRootCommand(version string) *cobra.Command {
Expand All @@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ git-bug use git objects to store the bug tracking separated from the files
history. As bugs are regular git objects, they can be pushed and pulled from/to
the same git remote you are already using to collaborate with other people.

By default, git-bug manages bugs and users in the Git repository containing
the current working directory. This behavior can be changed using the --git-dir
flag described below, or by setting the GIT-DIR environment variable, which

@MichaelMure MichaelMure Feb 25, 2026

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Suggested change
flag described below, or by setting the GIT-DIR environment variable, which
flag described below, or by setting the GIT_DIR environment variable, which

takes precedence over the CLI flag.
`,

PersistentPreRun: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -55,6 +59,7 @@ the same git remote you are already using to collaborate with other people.
}

env := execenv.NewEnv()
cmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&env.GitDir, "git-dir", "", `run as if git-bug was started in <path>`)

@MichaelMure MichaelMure Feb 25, 2026

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should we mention the env variable in the comment?


addCmdWithGroup(bugcmd.NewBugCommand(env), entityGroup)
addCmdWithGroup(usercmd.NewUserCommand(env), entityGroup)
Expand Down