git-unlock

Enable the ability to commit changes of a previously-locked local file

$ git unlock [path/to/file]

git unlock [options] <file>
# Non-standard; command does not exist

The git-unlock command is not part of the standard Git toolset on Linux systems. Git, a distributed version control system, generally operates without user-facing locking mechanisms for repositories or files, unlike centralized VCS like SVN.

Git creates temporary lock files (e.g., .git/index.lock) during operations like commit or merge to ensure atomicity and prevent corruption from concurrent access. If a Git process crashes or is interrupted (e.g., Ctrl+C), these locks may persist, stalling further operations. There is no built-in git-unlock to remove them; users typically delete the lock files manually using rm.

For collaborative locking of large files, Git Large File Storage (LFS) extension provides git lfs lock and git lfs unlock, which manage server-side locks on specific paths. Running plain git unlock yields: 'git: 'unlock' is not a git command. See 'git --help'.'

Third-party scripts or aliases named git-unlock may exist in custom setups for automating lock cleanup, but they are not portable or official. Always verify repository integrity post-lock removal with git fsck. This absence reflects Git's design philosophy favoring distributed, lock-free workflows.

Does not exist in standard Git; manual lock removal risks data loss if actual process runs. Use git status first.

Remove stale locks:
rm -f .git/index.lock .git/HEAD.lock
Then git status to verify.

For LFS: git lfs unlock <file> requires authentication and push after unlock.

git-lfs-lock(1), git-lfs-unlock(1), rm(1), git-fsck(1)