Undo git update-index --assume-unchanged

Question

The way you Git ignore watching/tracking a particular dir/file. you just run this:

git update-index --assume-unchanged <file>

Now how do you undo it so they are watched again? (Let's call it un-assume.)

Answer 1

If this is a command that you use often - you may want to consider having an alias for it as well. Add to your global .gitconfig:

[alias]
    hide = update-index --assume-unchanged
    unhide = update-index --no-assume-unchanged

How to set an alias (if you don't know already):

git config --configLocation alias.aliasName 'command --options'

Example:

git config --global alias.hide 'update-index --assume-unchanged'
git config... etc

After saving this to your .gitconfig, you can run a cleaner command.

git hide myfile.ext

or

git unhide myfile.ext

This git documentation was very helpful.

As per the comments, this is also a helpful alias to find out what files are currently being hidden:

[alias]
    hidden = ! git ls-files -v | grep '^h' | cut -c3-

Answer 2

I assume (heh) you meant --assume-unchanged, since I don't see any --assume-changed option. The inverse of --assume-unchanged is --no-assume-unchanged.

Answer 3

To synthesize the excellent original answers from @adardesign, @adswebwork and @AnkitVishwakarma, and comments from @Bdoserror, @Retsam, @seanf, and @torek, with additional documentation links and concise aliases...

Basic Commands

To reset a file that is assume-unchanged back to normal:

git update-index --no-assume-unchanged <file>

To list all files that are assume-unchanged:

git ls-files -v | grep '^[a-z]' | cut -c3-

To reset all assume-unchanged files back to normal:

git ls-files -v | grep '^[a-z]' | cut -c3- | xargs git update-index --no-assume-unchanged --

Note: This command which has been listed elsewhere does not appear to reset all assume-unchanged files any longer (I believe it used to and previously listed it as a solution):

git update-index --really-refresh

Shortcuts

To make these common tasks easy to execute in git, add/update the following alias section to .gitconfig for your user (e.g. ~/.gitconfig on a *nix or macOS system):

[alias]
    hide = update-index --assume-unchanged
    unhide = update-index --no-assume-unchanged
    unhide-all = ! git ls-files -v | grep '^[a-z]' | cut -c3- | xargs git update-index --no-assume-unchanged --
    hidden = ! git ls-files -v | grep '^[a-z]' | cut -c3-

Answer 4

If you are using Git Extensions, then follow below steps:

1. Go to commit window.
2. Click on the dropdown named Working directory changes.
3. Select Show assummed-unchanged files option.
4. Right click on the file you want to unassumme.
5. Select Do no assumme unchanged.

You are done.

Answer 5

git update-index function has several option you can find typing as below:

git update-index --help

Here you will find various option - how to handle with the function update-index.

[if you don't know the file name]

git update-index --really-refresh 

[if you know the file name ]

git update-index --no-assume-unchanged <file>

will revert all the files those have been added in ignore list through.

git update-index --assume-unchanged <file>

Answer 6

To get undo/show dir's/files that are set to assume-unchanged run this:

git update-index --no-assume-unchanged <file>

To get a list of dir's/files that are assume-unchanged run this:

git ls-files -v|grep '^h'