LinuxCommandLibrary

git-root

Find Git repository's root directory

TLDR

Print the absolute path of the current Git repository

$ git root
copy

Print the current working directory relative to the root of the current Git repository
$ git root [[-r|--relative]]
copy

SYNOPSIS

`git-root`

DESCRIPTION

The `git-root` command is a simple utility, often implemented as a shell script or alias, designed to quickly determine the absolute path to the root directory of the current Git repository. It achieves this by traversing up the directory tree from the current working directory until it finds a `.git` directory. The command then prints the absolute path of that directory.
This is invaluable for scripting, as it provides a reliable way to locate project files relative to the repository's root, regardless of the current working directory. It's useful when you want to programmatically construct paths to resources within the project, or when interacting with Git commands that require paths relative to the repository root.
Because `git-root` isn't a standard Git command, its availability depends on whether it's been explicitly installed or defined as an alias or function in the user's shell environment. Different implementations exists but most of them use `git rev-parse --show-toplevel` command.

CAVEATS

The command relies on the presence of a `.git` directory in one of the parent directories. If executed outside a Git repository, it may return an error or an empty output, depending on the specific implementation. Because `git-root` is not a standard Git command, its behavior and output format might vary slightly depending on the user's defined implementation.

IMPLEMENTATION EXAMPLES

Because it is no standard command, different implementations of this command can exist.
Example 1 (Shell Function):
`git-root() { git rev-parse --show-toplevel; }`
Example 2 (Shell Alias):
`alias git-root='git rev-parse --show-toplevel'`
Example 3 (Shell Script - `git-root` file):
`#!/bin/bash
git rev-parse --show-toplevel`
Make sure to make the script executable (`chmod +x git-root`) and place it in a directory that's in your `$PATH`.

HISTORY

The origin of `git-root` lies in the need for a convenient way to identify the top-level directory of a Git repository from within shell scripts.
Because there is no official `git-root` command, different versions are available in the internet. Often users implemented this command as shell alias or shell script.
The command `git rev-parse --show-toplevel` is often used in the implementation of the `git-root` command.

SEE ALSO

git(1), git rev-parse(1)

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