Re: git pull --rebase differs in behavior from git fetch + git rebase

On Thu, 26 Aug 2010, Joshua Jensen wrote:

I have a case where 'git pull --rebase' does not do the Right Thing 
(according to me).

If I run 'git rebase origin/master', that rebase does the right thing, 
perfectly reapplying my *single* commit on top of the upstream.

'git pull --rebase' ends up reapplying a bunch of much earlier commits and 
ends up with a conflict.

The documentation for git pull --rebase states: "Instead of a merge, perform 
a rebase after fetching. If there is a remote ref for the upstream branch, 
and this branch was rebased since last fetched, the rebase uses that 
information to avoid rebasing non-local changes."  I do not understand

I'm studying the git-pull script right now, but I have to admit this is 
beyond me.  I'm sure if I stare hard enough, I'll get it.

I mistakenly have assumed 'git pull' = 'git fetch; git merge' and that 'git 
pull --rebase' = 'git fetch; git rebase'.  Does anyone want to clarify what 
is really going on?  Unfortunately, I can't publish the repository in 
question.

Are you by any chance running a git with commit cf65426de?  If not, give
it a try and see if it corrects your issue.

The main difference between "git pull --rebase" and "git fetch && git
rebase @{u}" is that "git pull --rebase" will attempt to use the reflog
to find a suitable "upstream" candidate instead of assuming your
tracking branch is the upstream itself.  This is intended to help
recover from upstream rebases, but has adverse effects sometimes, which
commit cf65426de should help with.

     Dave