# Re: bug: setting GIT\_DIR to $(git rev-parse --git-dir) changes behavior

- From: Martin Nicolay \<hidden\>
- Date: 2021-03-01 08:10:17 
- List: git
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/git/2021/03/7878195

```text
On Saturday 2021-02-27 22:06, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> Martin Nicolay [ref] writes:
>> *facepalm* The part about GIT_DIR setting the work-tree in addition to
>>  the repository I hadn't read. How embarrasing.
>>
>> I apoligize for my bad reading skills and wasting you time.
>
> We would love to hear observations on which part of the
> documentation was misleading and suggestions on how to make it
> harder to misinterpret it.

There are multiple explanations regarding $DIR_DIR or --git-dir.

From git(1) two parts:

1)
       --git-dir=<path>
           Set the path to the repository (".git" directory). This can also be
           controlled by setting the GIT_DIR environment variable. It can be
           an absolute path or relative path to current working directory.

           Specifying the location of the ".git" directory using this option
           (or GIT_DIR environment variable) turns off the repository
           discovery that tries to find a directory with ".git" subdirectory
           (which is how the repository and the top-level of the working tree
           are discovered), and tells Git that you are at the top level of the
           working tree. If you are not at the top-level directory of the
           working tree, you should tell Git where the top-level of the
           working tree is, with the --work-tree=<path> option (or
           GIT_WORK_TREE environment variable)

2)
       GIT_DIR
           If the GIT_DIR environment variable is set then it specifies a path
           to use instead of the default .git for the base of the repository.
           The --git-dir command-line option also sets this value.

The first part mentions the dual effect of setting git-dir, the second not so.

As I had used GIT_DIR described in the second part, I feel vindicated ;-)
Hooray, instead of a software-bug I've found a documentation-bug.

My suggestion is to ammend the first sentence to something like "If the GIT_DIR environment variable is set then it specifies a path to use instead of the default .git for the base of the repository and also the top-level directory of the working tree."
```