git-fsck-objects

git-fsck-objects [--strict] [--no-dangling] [--no-full] [--connectivity-only] [object-id...]

--strict
    Performs more rigorous checks for various repository issues, ensuring higher data integrity scrutiny.

--no-dangling
    Prevents the command from reporting objects that are 'dangling' (reachable but not referenced by any branch, tag, or other reference).

--no-full
    Suppresses reporting on objects that are not reachable from any of the specified object-ids, implicitly disabling dangling object reports.

--connectivity-only
    Limits the check to object connectivity only, skipping content validity checks for faster verification.

object-id...
    An optional list of specific object IDs to check. If provided, the command will only verify these objects and their ancestors.

git-fsck-objects is a low-level Git 'plumbing' command designed to verify the connectivity and validity of objects within the Git object database. It systematically checks for corrupted, missing, or inconsistent objects, ensuring the integrity of the object graph.

Unlike the higher-level git fsck, it focuses exclusively on the objects themselves, ignoring references, the index, or the working tree. It is frequently invoked internally by git fsck but can be run independently for more specific diagnostic purposes. Detected errors and warnings are reported to standard error.

This is a low-level 'plumbing' command; for general repository integrity checks, git fsck is recommended as it wraps this command with broader checks.

Running this command on very large repositories can be resource-intensive and time-consuming due to the thorough nature of its integrity checks.

git-fsck-objects has been a fundamental component of Git's architecture since its early development. It underpins Git's strong guarantees of data integrity by providing the core mechanism for verifying the object database, which is crucial for the reliability and consistency of all Git operations.

git fsck(1), git verify-pack(1), git gc(1), git cat-file(1)