Re: Git pull doesn't get the tags

On Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:25:52 -0700
Junio C Hamano [off-list ref] wrote:

The above passage in the manual page may be stated rather poorly.

When "git fetch" is run, unless told otherwise by an explicit
--no-tags, it automatically fetches tags that point at new commits on
branches you fetch.  For example, I just tagged v1.7.3.2 last night,
so if you fetch from me to get 'maint', 'master' or other integration
branches of mine that includes 8a90438 (Git 1.7.3.2, 2010-10-21),
"git fetch" would also copy v1.7.3.2 tag from me to your repository.

In the above example, 'maint', 'master', etc. are the branch heads
that are being tracked (i.e. you will copy them to the
refs/remotes/origin hierarchy in your repository) and v1.7.3.2 is a
tag that does point at an object 8a90438 reachable from these branch
heads.  So you will get the tag without giving the --tags option from
the command line.

If you were fetching only 'html' or 'man' branches from me, on the
other hand, you would not have gotten v1.7.3.2 tag, as they are
separate histories and that particular tag does not live in their
ancestry.

Also tags that point at non-commits (e.g. in git.git, junio-gpg-pub
and spearce-gpg-pub are pointing at blob objects, and v2.6.11 and
v2.6.11-tree tags in the kernel repository are pointing at tree
objects) will not be fetched automatically either.  You would need to
explicitly ask for them if you want them by either (1) find them via
ls-remote and name them on the command line, or (2) use --tags option

A nice and meaningful explanation. Thanks for the details!