git-utimes

Change all files modification time to their last commit date

$ git utimes

$ git utimes --newer

git-utimes <path>

<path>
    Path to the file or directory whose atime and mtime to reset to current second-precision values

git-utimes is an internal helper program from the Git source code's test suite, located at t/helper/git-utimes.c. It is not a publicly installed command but a small executable used during Git's automated testing to precisely control file timestamps.

The program takes a single path argument, statistically retrieves the file's current access time (atime) and modification time (mtime), and then uses utimensat(2) to reset them. Importantly, it truncates nanosecond precision by setting tv_nsec to 0 while preserving the second-level timestamps from stat(2). This ensures consistent, whole-second timestamps in test environments, avoiding flakiness due to sub-second variations.

Usage is typically via ./t/helper/git-utimes somefile within Git's t/ test directory. It exits with 0 on success or dies with an error message on failure (e.g., stat or utimensat errors). Not meant for production or general filesystem manipulation.

Internal Git test tool only; not installed or documented for users.
Requires executable permissions on the binary.
Truncates nanoseconds, altering precise timestamps.

Reads path via argv[1], calls stat(), constructs timespec array with tv_nsec=0, invokes utimensat(AT_FDCWD, path, ts, 0).

Compiled as part of make test in Git source; run from git --exec-path or t/helper/.

Part of Git's test suite helpers since around Git 2.20 (2018), used in tests like t7003-filter-branch.sh to normalize timestamps for reproducible outcomes.

touch(1), utimes(2), utimensat(2), git-update-index(1)