git-ls-files

Show deleted files

$ git ls-files [[-d|--deleted]]

$ git ls-files [[-m|--modified]]

$ git ls-files [[-o|--others]]

$ git ls-files [[-o|--others]] --exclude-standard

git ls-files [options] [--] [pathspec...]

-c, --cached
    Show files from the index (default unless -d, -o, or -m given)

-d, --deleted
    Show files deleted from index but present in working tree

-m, --modified
    Show files modified since last commit (cached or not)

-o, --others
    Show untracked files (use with --exclude-standard)

-i, --ignored
    Show only ignored files (requires --others)

-t
    Prepend file type indicator (H=valid, ? = unmerged, etc.)

-u, --unmerged
    Show unmerged entries in index

-k, --killed-files-only
    Show only files to be removed from index (deprecated)

-x, --exclude=pattern
    Exclude files matching pattern

-X, --exclude-from=file
    Exclude patterns from file

--exclude-per-directory=file
    Read excludes from file in each directory

--exclude-standard
    Add standard ignores (.git/info/exclude, .gitignore, etc.)

-z
    Terminate entries with NUL, not newline

--eol[=diag]
    Show line ending diagnostics (i/m/w/i/m)

-s, --stage
    Show stage files (mode, object name, stage number)

--unmerged
    Same as -u

--with-tree=tree-ish
    Compare index against given tree

--full-name
    Force paths relative to top-level directory

--error-unmatch
    Exit with error if any pathspec unmatched

--recurse-submodules
    Recurse into submodules

-v, --verbose
    Add extra details (like git status)

--debug
    More verbose debug output

--short
    Emit paths relative to root in short format

The git ls-files command displays information about files in the Git index (staging area) and working directory. By default, it lists all files currently tracked in the index, making it useful for scripting, build systems, or inspecting repository state.

Key uses include:
• Listing staged files with --cached (default).
• Detecting modified files (-m), deleted files (-d), or untracked files (-o).
• Showing ignored files (-i) or unmerged entries (-u).
• Outputting stage information (-s) for conflicted files or file types (-t).

It supports pathspecs to filter output and options like --exclude-standard for .gitignore patterns. The output is stable and parseable, ideal for automation. Unlike git status, it provides machine-friendly details without human-readable summaries. Combine with --with-tree to compare against a specific tree-ish.

This command is efficient, scanning only the index and working tree without full repository traversal.

Paths are relative to current directory unless --full-name; output order is not guaranteed; use -z for safe parsing in scripts; does not respect .git/info/exclude-standard without --exclude-standard.

git ls-files --others --exclude-standard
Lists untracked files ignoring .gitignore.

git ls-files --modified --exclude-standard
Shows modified tracked files.

git ls-files -s
Lists staged files with blob modes and hashes.

0 if all pathspecs matched or no paths given; 1 if unmatch with --error-unmatch; 128+ for fatal errors.

Introduced in Git 0.99 (2005) as core plumbing command; evolved with options like --exclude-standard (v1.3, 2006) and submodule support (v1.8.2, 2013); remains stable for backward compatibility in Git 2.x series.

git status(1), git diff --name-only(1), git ls-tree(1), find(1)