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This is a follow up on some similar "answered" questions about git handling binary files and how git can't follow file history very well.

So, git can't properly follow file history. Heck, even git log --follow -M100% --name-only -- path-to-my-file won't do it, and I'm supposedly telling it to only follow files that are 100% similar!

Then we are supposed to use other ways to find who to blame, such as bisecting. Problem here is: those doesn't seem to work with binaries. And accodring to Linus we are unlikely to get a git log --follow fully working any time soon.

In the end my question here is:

Do we have any automated way to enable some kind of git log to follow renamed / moved binaries?

Or maybe is there any similar Version Controlling System but with this functionality?

As an example of a kind of solution, I would accept some safe and simple way of using filter-branch, but I never toyed with it and got no idea how dangerous it might be. Would we be able to pull and push without issues after issuing such a procedure? Can we easily revert it? Can we track the old names / references without reverting? You know, in a versioning system access to history is everything.

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cregox
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filter branch is safe. Just don't change anything in the script you provide. I'm annoyed at the -M option too. 100% doesn't work for regular files either. Try it.

Adam Dymitruk
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  • Are you sure? As far as I'm concerned, rewriting history is always dangerous. Will it properly be pulled and pushed among cloned repos? Will I be able to easily revert it, at any time? Can I track back the old name without reverting it? – cregox Jul 05 '12 at 19:40
  • make a backup if you like. But index filter and work tree filter do nothing except execute what you say to execute for each commit it goes over. – Adam Dymitruk Jul 05 '12 at 21:06
  • This is not so urgent I'd go through the trouble of backing up and testing all that... But you didn't answer any of the questions! :D – cregox Jul 06 '12 at 16:09