Git Editor Utility

This repository provides a utility to rewrite Git history in bulk, allowing you to:

• Change the remote origin URL
• Redistribute commit dates into a specified interval
• Change author name and email for all commits
• Optionally force-push the rewritten history to the remote

There are two implementations:

• git-editor.go (Go)
• git-editor.py (Python 3)

Both scripts perform identical operations and have the same command-line interfaces.

Features

• Bulk rewrite of commit dates: Squeeze all commit timestamps into a user-specified interval.
• Change author info: Set a new author name and email for all commits.
• Change remote URL: Update the origin remote to a new URL.
• Timezone support: Specify timezone for commit dates (default: IST +05:30).
• Force-push option: Optionally force-push the rewritten history to the new remote.
• Safety checks: Prompts for missing arguments and validates repository state.

Usage

Prerequisites

• For git-editor.go: Go 1.18+ (or compatible)
• For git-editor.py: Python 3.7+
• A clean working directory (no uncommitted changes)
• A backup of your repository (rewriting history is destructive!)

1. Build or use the script

Go version

# Build
$ go build -o git-editor git-editor.go
# Run
$ ./git-editor --help
$ ./git-editor [flags]

Python version

$ python3 git-editor.py --help
$ python3 git-editor.py [flags]

2. Command-line Flags

If any flag is omitted, you will be prompted interactively.

3. Examples

Go Version

# Example: Rewrite history for a repo with IST timezone (default)
$ ./git-editor \
    --repo-path ~/my-repo \
    --remote-url git@github.com:me/new-repo.git \
    --start-time 2025-01-01T00:00:00 \
    --end-time 2025-06-30T23:59:59 \
    --author-name "Alice Example" \
    --author-email "alice@example.com"

Python Version

# Example: Rewrite history with a custom timezone (PST)
$ python3 git-editor.py \
    --repo-path ~/my-repo \
    --remote-url git@github.com:me/new-repo.git \
    --start-time 2025-01-01T00:00:00 \
    --end-time 2025-06-30T23:59:59 \
    --timezone "-08:00" \
    --author-name "Alice Example" \
    --author-email "alice@example.com"

Both Versions Support All Features

# Example: Rewrite history with UTC timezone (Go)
$ ./git-editor \
    --timezone "+00:00" \
    --start-time 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z \
    --end-time 2025-06-30T23:59:59Z \
    --author-name "Bob Example" \
    --author-email "bob@example.com"
 
# Example: Rewrite history with UTC timezone (Python)
$ python3 git-editor.py \
    --timezone "+00:00" \
    --start-time 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z \
    --end-time 2025-06-30T23:59:59Z \
    --author-name "Bob Example" \
    --author-email "bob@example.com"

You will be prompted to confirm the force-push at the end.

Note: For more detailed examples including working hours, timezone references, and troubleshooting, see EXAMPLES.md.

How it Works

1. Update origin URL: Sets the origin remote to the new URL.
2. List all commits: Gets all commit hashes in chronological order (oldest to newest).
3. Redistribute dates: Evenly spaces commit dates between the start and end times.
4. Apply timezone: Converts commit timestamps to the specified timezone (default: IST +05:30).
5. Rewrite history: Uses git rebase to update commit dates and author info.
6. Cleanup: Removes reflog entries and runs git gc --aggressive.
7. Force-push: Optionally pushes the rewritten history to the remote.

Safety Notes

• This operation rewrites history and is destructive.
• Always make a backup of your repository before running this tool.
• All branches and tags will be rewritten.
• You will need to force-push (--force --all) to update the remote.
• Collaborators will need to re-clone or reset their local copies.

License

See LICENSE.