Getting help (git help, man, -h)

Git ships its own complete documentation; -h, git help, and man give you a quick synopsis, the full manual, and the same manual via the system pager — so you rarely need to leave the terminal.

Why it matters

Git has 150+ subcommands and dense flag sets; guessing flags from memory causes data-losing mistakes (e.g. the difference between —soft and —hard). Built-in help is offline, version-accurate to your installed Git, and authoritative — unlike a stale blog post that may describe a different version’s behavior. It also surfaces config keys and exit-code semantics you won’t find elsewhere.

How it works

Three tiers, fastest to fullest:

Command	Shows	Where
git <cmd> -h	one-screen synopsis + flags	stderr, no pager
git help <cmd>	full manual page	opens in browser/man
man git-<cmd>	same manual	system pager (less)
git help -a	list all commands	pager
git help -g	concept guides (e.g. gitglossary)	pager

-h (single dash) prints a terse usage block and exits — ideal mid-task. git help <cmd> and man git-<cmd> render the identical full page; the only difference is the viewer. Inside the less pager, /word searches, n jumps to the next hit, q quits. For settings, git help config documents every key referenced in git-config-user-name-user-email-core-editor.

Example

You forget which flag squashes during a rebase:

git rebase -h        → ... -i, --interactive   (instant, no pager)
git help rebase      → full man page; type /squash , n , n , q
git help -g          → lists guides: gittutorial, giteveryday, gitglossary
git help glossary    → defines "detached HEAD", "fast-forward", "refspec"

git <cmd> -h answers 90% of “what was that flag?” moments without breaking flow.

Pitfalls

• --help opens a browser — on desktop installs git x --help may launch a web page; use -h for a quick in-terminal hit.
• Reading the wrong version’s docs online — your installed Git may differ from the latest; man/git help always match git --version.
• man git ≠ man git-commit — bare man git is the top-level overview; per-command pages are hyphenated.
• Pager confusion — output “vanishes” because it’s in less; press q to exit, not Ctrl-C.

See also

• git-config-user-name-user-email-core-editor
• viewing-history-git-log