git-fork

Fork and clone a GitHub repository by its URL

$ git fork [https://github.com/tldr-pages/tldr]

$ git fork [tldr-pages/tldr]

git-fork <repository> [options]
(Non-standard; use gh repo fork <repo> instead)

The git-fork command does not exist as a native part of Git. Git itself lacks a built-in fork subcommand because forking is primarily a feature of hosted platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. These services allow users to create a personal copy (fork) of a repository to contribute changes without affecting the original.

On the Linux command line, simulate forking with a workflow using core Git commands: clone the target repository, create a mirror or bare clone if needed, push to your own remote repository on the hosting service. For example:
- Create a repository on GitHub via web or CLI.
- git clone <upstream>
- git remote add origin <your-repo>
- git push -u origin main

Modern GitHub CLI (gh) provides gh repo fork as the closest native equivalent, automating the web-based fork and setting up remotes.

This absence in core Git emphasizes its distributed nature—every clone is a full fork. Third-party tools or scripts sometimes named 'git-fork' may exist in specific projects but are not portable or standard. Use platform-specific CLIs for streamlined forking in workflows like open-source contributions.

No official git-fork command exists in Git (>=2.46). Relying on non-standard tools risks incompatibility. Always verify hosting service permissions before simulating forks.

1. Create empty repo on hosting service.
2. git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
3. cd repo
4. git remote add fork https://github.com/yourusername/repo.git
5. git push -u fork main
Track upstream: git remote add upstream https://github.com/user/repo.git

GitHub: gh repo fork REPO
GitLab: glab repo fork
Use browser for one-click forks.

Forking popularized by GitHub in 2008; Git core team never added native support, favoring distributed clones. GitHub CLI introduced gh repo fork in 2020 for CLI parity.

git clone(1), git remote(1), gh repo fork(1), hub fork(1)