How to overwrite local changes when executing a git pull command

The git pull command is used to synchronize your local repository with changes from a remote repository by fetching and merging changes from the remote repository to your local branch. However, it's important to understand how to handle local changes during this process, especially when you need to overwrite them or ensure they are not overwritten unintentionally.

Understanding git pull and local changes

The git pull command is essentially a combination of git fetch followed by git merge. It fetches changes from the remote repository and then attempts to merge them into your current branch. The behavior of git pull regarding local changes depends on whether these local changes conflict with the changes being pulled.

Does git pull overwrite local changes?

By default, git pull does not overwrite unstaged local changes unless there is a conflict between your local changes and the changes coming from the remote repository. If such a conflict exists, Git will not proceed with the merge and will ask you to resolve the conflicts manually.

How to overwrite local changes with git pull

Overwriting all local changes

If you need to discard all local changes (both staged and unstaged) and fully synchronize your local branch with the remote branch, you can reset your branch to the state of the remote branch before pulling:

1. Fetch the latest changes from the remote:

   Terminal

   git fetch origin
   
   

2. Reset your local branch to match the remote branch:

   For a branch named main, you would use:

   Terminal

   git reset --hard origin/main
   
   

   This command resets the current branch's history to match the origin/main, and all local changes will be discarded.

3. Pull the changes (optional):

   Since you already synchronized your branch with git reset --hard, a git pull is typically not necessary immediately after this unless new changes have been made to the remote in the meantime.

Pulling without overwriting local changes

If you wish to fetch and merge remote changes without risking your local changes, you can take the following approach:

1. Stash your local changes:

   Terminal

   git stash push -m "Saving local changes"
   
   

2. Pull the remote changes:

   Terminal

   git pull origin main
   
   

3. Reapply your stashed changes:

   Terminal

   git stash pop
   
   

   After popping the stash, you may need to resolve conflicts between your local changes and the newly pulled changes.

Comparing git pull with Graphite's gt sync

The standard git pull command acts only on the currently checked-out branch, fetching and integrating remote changes specifically into that branch. This means if you maintain multiple dependent or stacked branches, you must manually repeat this process (git pull followed by git rebase) for each branch individually, which can become tedious and error-prone.

In contrast, Graphite's gt sync command automates synchronization across your entire stack of branches simultaneously. Specifically, it:

• Fetches the latest changes from the remote repository's main or trunk branch.
• Prompts to remove any local branches that have been merged into the main branch.
• Automatically restacks your unmerged branches onto the updated main branch, ensuring consistency and reducing manual effort.

This automated handling of multiple branches makes gt sync particularly advantageous in stacked workflows, significantly reducing the risk of merge conflicts and streamlining your workflow.

To learn more about the Graphite CLI, check out the documentation here.

Handling specific scenarios

• If you want to avoid accidentally overwriting local changes: Always run git status before a pull to check for uncommitted changes and decide whether to stash or commit them before pulling.
• When unsure about pulling changes: Use git fetch and git diff origin/main to review changes before integrating them into your local branch with git merge.

For further reading, see this guide on the git pull command.