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Rebase

What is git rebase (in plain English)?

Rebase takes the commits on your current branch and replays them on top of another commit (often the latest main).
This creates a clean, linear history (no merge commits) as if you had started your work from that newer point.

  • Merge: combines histories as they happened, preserving branches and creating a merge commit.

  • Rebase: rewrites history to look linear by moving your branch’s commits on top of a new base.

When to use:

  • Before opening a PR, to clean up/squash commits and sync with main.

  • To remove accidental commits, fixup messages, or reorder small changes.

Safety note: Rebase rewrites commit IDs. It’s safe for local branches or branches only you own. If you’ve already pushed, use --force-with-lease when pushing, and coordinate with collaborators.

Make Git use Nano (not Vim)

One‑time for this PowerShell session


# If a rebase is in progress and you're unsure:
git rebase --abort
# Use Nano with proper quoting (space in "Program Files"!)
$env:GIT_SEQUENCE_EDITOR = '"C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\nano.exe" -w'
$env:GIT_EDITOR = $env:GIT_SEQUENCE_EDITOR
# Start interactive rebase (edit last 3 commits)
git rebase -i HEAD~3

Make Nano the default (all repos)


git config --global core.editor '"C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\nano.exe" -w' git config --global sequence.editor '"C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\nano.exe" -w'

Alternatives if needed:

  • Short path (no spaces): C:\Progra~1\Git\usr\bin\nano.exe -w

  • If nano is in PATH: set just nano -w

Interactive Rebase (Nano) — Quick How‑To

  1. Start:  git rebase -i HEAD~N

    Replace N with how many recent commits you want to edit (e.g., 3).

  2. In Nano, you’ll see lines like:


    pick abc123 First change pick def456 Duplicate message to squash pick ghi789 Tweak backoff limit

  3. Change actions at the start of each line (use arrow keys to move cursor):

    • pick — keep as‑is

    • reword — change commit message

    • edit — pause to amend content

    • squash — combine with previous, keep messages

    • fixup — combine with previous, discard this message

    • drop — remove this commit

  4. Save & exit Nano: Ctrl+O, Enter, then Ctrl+X.

  5. If you used squash/fixup, Git opens another Nano window to edit the final message. Save & exit again.

If conflicts appear:

# fix files, then: git add <files> git rebase --continue # to skip the current commit: git rebase --skip # to back out entirely: git rebase --abort

Common Workflows

A) Clean up duplicate commits (your case)

git rebase -i HEAD~3 # In Nano: change the second duplicate from 'pick' → 'squash' (or 'fixup') # Save/exit; then edit the combined message if prompted.

B) Update your feature branch to the latest main

git fetch origin git rebase origin/main # resolve conflicts → git add ... → git rebase --continue

C) Edit a commit’s content from a few commits ago

git rebase -i HEAD~3 # mark the target commit as 'edit' # when Git stops: # make changes git add <files> git commit --amend git rebase --continue

D) Change a commit message only

git rebase -i HEAD~3 # mark the commit as 'reword' # Git opens Nano to edit the message

E) Drop an accidental commit

git rebase -i HEAD~3 # change that line from 'pick' → 'drop'

F) Autosquash “fixup!” commits

git commit --fixup=<target-hash> git rebase -i --autosquash HEAD~5

Pushing after a rebase (history changed)

git push --force-with-lease

Safer than --force; refuses to overwrite unexpected remote changes.

Quick Troubleshooting

  • “In the middle of a rebase”


    git rebase --continue # or git rebase --abort

  • Editor error with spaces in path
    Use quotes when setting the editor:


    git config --global core.editor '"C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\nano.exe" -w' git config --global sequence.editor '"C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\nano.exe" -w'

  • Confirm Nano works


    & "C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\nano.exe" --version

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