git-contrib

Display all commit hashes and their corresponding commit messages from a specific author

$ git contrib [author]

No unified git-contrib command.
Invoke individual tools: git <contrib-tool> [options] [args]

The git-contrib refers to the contrib/ directory in the Git source repository, which contains a collection of community-contributed scripts, hooks, and utilities that extend Git's core functionality. These tools are not part of the standard Git installation's core commands but are valuable for specialized workflows, such as migrating from other version control systems or integrating with proprietary tools.

Key examples include git-p4 for Perforce integration, git-subtree for managing subtrees, git-cvsserver for CVS compatibility, and various client-side hooks for custom behaviors. Historically, some contrib tools like git-send-email and git-request-pull have been promoted to core Git, while others like git-svn (Subversion bridge) remain but are deprecated in favor of modern alternatives. git-filter-branch was moved out to the separate git-filter-repo project.

These scripts are typically Perl or shell-based and invoked directly as git <tool> after installation. They require the Git source or package manager installation and may need extra dependencies like subversion or p4 client. The contrib area fosters community innovation without bloating the core codebase, allowing users to opt-in for niche features.

git-contrib is a source directory, not an executable.
Some tools deprecated; check git --list-cmds=alias or docs for availability.
May need manual setup or dependencies.

Compile Git from source to include contrib/
or install via distro packages (e.g., git-p4).
Run from Git repo: contrib/<tool>/<script>

git p4 clone //depot/project@all
or git subtree add origin contrib-subtree master --prefix=contrib

Created in 2005 with Git's early development by Linus Torvalds and contributors. Served as incubator for non-core features. Evolved with Git: many tools upstreamed (e.g., git-archimport removed), others spun off. Still active for experimental code as of Git 2.46+.

git(1), git-svn(1), git-p4(1), git-subtree(1), git-cvsserver(1)