git-show-ref
List references in the local repository
TLDR
List all refs
$ git show-ref
Show heads only$ git show-ref --heads
Show tags only$ git show-ref --tags
Verify ref exists$ git show-ref --verify refs/heads/main
Quiet mode$ git show-ref -q --verify refs/heads/main
SYNOPSIS
git show-ref [options] [pattern]
DESCRIPTION
git show-ref lists references in the local repository, showing SHA-1 hashes and ref names for branches, tags, and other refs. It is a plumbing command commonly used in scripts.
The verify mode checks whether a specific ref exists without listing all refs, returning an appropriate exit code.
PARAMETERS
PATTERN
Filter refs by pattern.--heads
Show only heads.--tags
Show only tags.--verify
Verify ref exists.-q, --quiet
No output, exit code only.--hash
Show hash only.-d, --dereference
Dereference tags.--help
Display help information.
CAVEATS
Plumbing command. Shows local refs only. Use git ls-remote for remote refs.
HISTORY
git show-ref is a core Git plumbing command for reference inspection, commonly used in scripts.
SEE ALSO
git-ls-remote(1), git-for-each-ref(1)