Is there a way of pushing to a forked repo without cloning all its content to local computer?

Question

I was invited to collaborate on a git project which is very large. I need to push just a few files into it via merge request.

The files I need to push will be located in distinct folders inside the project, but I'd like to push them altogether, as it will close a single issue.

I already forked this repo and I'm wondering if is there a way I can push to this repo via

$ git checkout -b newbranch
$ git add .
$ git commit -m "hello world - issue #1"
$ git push origin newbranch

without cloning all its content into my PC first?

Thanks in advance!

I don't think you can avoid a clone of _some_ sort. If your version of Git is 1.9+, you might be able to do this by combining a shallow clone (i.e. specify the `--depth` flag using `clone`) with creating a patch with your changes. See https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11375070/pushing-to-github-after-a-shallow-clone — miqh, Feb 16 '16 at 23:55
Thanks for your input @miqid! But I couldn't follow the question you mentioned... I'm not an expert on git, I just handle the basics. ;) — Virtua Creative, Feb 17 '16 at 00:27

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 17 '16 at 00:13

2

To get just the past X commits, use git clone --depth=X. This should cut down on the size dramatically.

answered Feb 17 '16 at 00:13

David Deutsch

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Please note it's not completely reliable (or in some cases of project histories, not possible) to push commits made on top of shallow clones. – miqh Feb 17 '16 at 01:10
Would this clone all folders? I mean, would I have the repo's structure intact to place the new files properly? – Virtua Creative Feb 17 '16 at 02:41
@VirtuaCreative- it would clone all folders, but only the main (i.e. HEAD) branch. – David Deutsch Feb 17 '16 at 02:42
@DavidDeutsch Great! Thanks! I'm gonna give it a try via `git clone --depth=1` and get back to you! But I'll be able to add a new branch via `git checkout -b newbranch`, won't I? – Virtua Creative Feb 17 '16 at 05:02
@VirtuaCreative - sure. – David Deutsch Feb 17 '16 at 11:38
`git checkout -b newbranch` worked like a charm! Thanks @DavidDeutsch! – Virtua Creative Feb 23 '16 at 16:37

Is there a way of pushing to a forked repo without cloning all its content to local computer?

1 Answers1