Checking status with git status

Why git status is your home base

What changed? Before every stage and every commit, that's the question, and git status answers it. It's the safest command in Git. It only reads, never writes, so run it as often as you like.

git status

One quick payoff: run it in a folder that isn't a repository and Git replies "not a git repository". That's a fast way to confirm your git init actually took.

Reading git status output

In the previous chapter you met the three areas: working directory, staging area, and repository. git status shows you where each changed file currently sits.

A file falls into one of these groups:

• Untracked - a new file Git has never seen. Git isn't watching it yet.
• Modified - a tracked file you've edited, but the change isn't staged.
• Staged - a change you've marked to go into the next commit.

Here's a typical output on a clean repository:

On branch main
nothing to commit, working tree clean

And here's one with changes:

On branch main
Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
        modified:   index.html

Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
        modified:   style.css

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
        notes.txt

Read it top to bottom:

• Changes to be committed = staged. index.html will go into your next commit.
• Changes not staged for commit = modified but not staged. style.css was edited but won't be committed yet.
• Untracked files = brand new. notes.txt isn't tracked at all.

Notice Git spells out the commands to move files between groups. It's a helpful guide, not just a report. The order is always the same too: staged, then unstaged, then untracked, top to bottom.

The short status format (git status -s)

Once you're comfortable, the short format packs the same info onto one line per file.

git status -s

M  index.html
 M style.css
?? notes.txt

The two columns are staged (left) and unstaged (right). ?? means untracked. It's the same story, just compact.

FAQ

How often should I run git status?

As often as you want. It changes nothing, so run it before staging, before committing, and any time you're unsure what state you're in.

What does "working tree clean" mean?

It means there are no changes at all - nothing untracked, modified, or staged. Your working directory matches your last commit.