git-touch

Create new files and add them to the index

$ git touch [path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ...]

git touch [options] file...

file...
    One or more files whose timestamps are to be updated or which are to be created if they do not exist. These files are typically then staged for Git.

-a
    Change only the access time of the file(s).

-m
    Change only the modification time of the file(s).

-c, --no-create
    Do not create any files; only update timestamps of existing files. If a file does not exist, no action is performed.

-r file, --reference=file
    Use the access and modification times from a specified reference file instead of the current time. The timestamps of the reference file are applied to the target file(s).

-t [[CC]YY]MMDDhhmm[.ss]
    Use a specified time instead of the current time. The format allows specifying century (CC), year (YY), month (MM), day (DD), hour (hh), minute (mm), and optionally seconds (ss).

--
    A convention used to signify the end of command options. All subsequent arguments are treated as filenames, even if they begin with a hyphen (-).

The git-touch command is not a standard Linux or Git command. It commonly refers to a user-defined Git alias or a custom shell script that combines the functionality of the standard touch(1) utility with Git operations, most frequently git-add(1). Its primary purpose is to provide a convenient way to create new empty files, or update the access and modification timestamps of existing files, and then immediately stage these changes into the Git index. This streamlines the workflow for developers who often need to 'touch' files and ensure they are tracked by Git, without manually running both touch and git add separately.

The functionality of git-touch is entirely dependent on its specific implementation as a user-defined alias or script. It is not distributed as part of Git or standard Linux utilities, meaning its behavior, supported options, and even existence can vary widely between different development environments. Users should consult their Git configuration or custom scripts to understand its precise behavior. If implemented poorly, it could lead to unexpected file modifications or Git staging issues, such as overwriting existing content (though the standard touch utility itself does not overwrite file content, only metadata).

A typical and widely used implementation of git touch as a Git alias might look like this, defined in your Git configuration (e.g., via git config):

git config --global alias.touch '!touch "$@" && git add "$@"'

This alias allows passing all arguments (indicated by "$@") directly to the touch command, and then subsequently to git add. This ensures that any files created or whose timestamps are modified by touch are automatically staged for the next Git commit. Other implementations might add more complex logic, such as immediately committing changes, handling specific file types, or providing additional custom options.

As git-touch is not a standard command, it lacks a formal development history or official releases. Its emergence is a testament to the Git community's flexibility in extending Git's capabilities through aliasing and scripting. Developers frequently create it as a personal convenience utility, arising from the common workflow need to quickly create new files or update existing ones and immediately incorporate them into the Git repository's staging area. Its specific implementation varies, but the underlying concept of combining touch with git add has been a persistent user-driven enhancement for streamlining Git workflows.

touch(1), git-add(1), git-update-index(1), git-config(1)