[PATCH] completion: add 'git history' subcommands

[PATCH] completion: add 'git history' subcommands

[Vincent Mailhol]

Use the parse-options completion helpers for the "git history"
subcommands and their options. Complete positional arguments as
revisions, and add coverage for each kind of completion.

Signed-off-by: Vincent Mailhol <mailhol@kernel.org>
---
 contrib/completion/git-completion.bash | 24 ++++++++++++++++++++++++
 t/t9902-completion.sh                  | 17 +++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 41 insertions(+)

diff --git a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
index e875787710..f10813c8d7 100644
--- a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
+++ b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
@@ -2137,6 +2137,30 @@ _git_help ()
 	fi
 }
 
+_git_history ()
+{
+	local subcommands subcommand
+
+	__git_resolve_builtins "history"
+
+	subcommands="$___git_resolved_builtins"
+	subcommand="$(__git_find_subcommand "$subcommands")"
+
+	if [ -z "$subcommand" ]; then
+		__gitcomp "$subcommands"
+		return
+	fi
+
+	case "$cur" in
+	--*)
+		__gitcomp_builtin "history_$subcommand"
+		;;
+	*)
+		__git_complete_refs
+		;;
+	esac
+}
+
 _git_init ()
 {
 	case "$cur" in
diff --git a/t/t9902-completion.sh b/t/t9902-completion.sh
index 9ae3c48ebd..08ecf682ed 100755
--- a/t/t9902-completion.sh
+++ b/t/t9902-completion.sh
@@ -3107,6 +3107,23 @@ test_expect_success 'git clone --config= - value' '
 	EOF
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'git history subcommands' '
+	test_completion "git history " <<-\EOF
+	drop Z
+	fixup Z
+	reword Z
+	split Z
+	EOF
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'git history subcommand options' '
+	test_completion "git history fixup --upd" "--update-refs="
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'git history revisions' '
+	test_completion "git history split ma" "main "
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'git reflog show' '
 	test_when_finished "git checkout - && git branch -d shown" &&
 	git checkout -b shown &&

---
base-commit: 5b2471720c93ee30e5764a19f3d3b3ae9ec9712a
change-id: 20260804-history_autocompletion-84620c2f8500

Re: [PATCH] completion: add 'git history' subcommands

[Patrick Steinhardt]

On Tue, Aug 04, 2026 at 09:56:32PM +0200, Vincent Mailhol wrote:
> Use the parse-options completion helpers for the "git history"
> subcommands and their options. Complete positional arguments as
> revisions, and add coverage for each kind of completion.

Ah, great! I wanted to write shell completion for git-history(1) for a
while but never really found the time to actually do it.

> diff --git a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
> index e875787710..f10813c8d7 100644
> --- a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
> +++ b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
> @@ -2137,6 +2137,30 @@ _git_help ()
>  	fi
>  }
>  
> +_git_history ()
> +{
> +	local subcommands subcommand
> +
> +	__git_resolve_builtins "history"
> +
> +	subcommands="$___git_resolved_builtins"
> +	subcommand="$(__git_find_subcommand "$subcommands")"
> +
> +	if [ -z "$subcommand" ]; then
> +		__gitcomp "$subcommands"
> +		return
> +	fi

Okay. We first try to figure out whether there is any subcommand passed
by the user already. If not, we complete available subcommands.

> +	case "$cur" in
> +	--*)
> +		__gitcomp_builtin "history_$subcommand"
> +		;;
> +	*)
> +		__git_complete_refs
> +		;;
> +	esac
> +}

Otherwise we try to either complete available options if we see a
leading "--", or alternatively we complete references. This works well
for "drop", "fixup" and "reword".

The one command where this falls flat a bit is `git history split`.
While the first non-option argument is indeed a reference, subsequent
arguments are pathspecs. So ideally, we'd notice that we already have a
reference there and, if so, complete file paths.

But that being said, I think this is a good-enough first iteration and a
strict improvement over the status quo -- we don't have to be perfect
right from the start. So if you want to also make that case work then
great, but I won't insist on it.

> diff --git a/t/t9902-completion.sh b/t/t9902-completion.sh
> index 9ae3c48ebd..08ecf682ed 100755
> --- a/t/t9902-completion.sh
> +++ b/t/t9902-completion.sh
> @@ -3107,6 +3107,23 @@ test_expect_success 'git clone --config= - value' '
>  	EOF
>  '
>  
> +test_expect_success 'git history subcommands' '
> +	test_completion "git history " <<-\EOF
> +	drop Z
> +	fixup Z
> +	reword Z
> +	split Z
> +	EOF
> +'

This will cause conflicts with "seen", as there's a new upcoming
"squash" command that's currently cooking there. That's fine though,
nothing you can do about that.

Thanks!

Patrick

Re: [PATCH] completion: add 'git history' subcommands

[D. Ben Knoble]

Hi all,

I agree with Patrick's review below, this looks good to me! One note…

On Wed, Aug 5, 2026 at 2:25 AM Patrick Steinhardt <ps@pks.im> wrote:
>
> On Tue, Aug 04, 2026 at 09:56:32PM +0200, Vincent Mailhol wrote:
> > Use the parse-options completion helpers for the "git history"
> > subcommands and their options. Complete positional arguments as
> > revisions, and add coverage for each kind of completion.
>
> Ah, great! I wanted to write shell completion for git-history(1) for a
> while but never really found the time to actually do it.
>
> > diff --git a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
> > index e875787710..f10813c8d7 100644
> > --- a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
> > +++ b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
> > @@ -2137,6 +2137,30 @@ _git_help ()
> >       fi
> >  }
> >
> > +_git_history ()
> > +{
> > +     local subcommands subcommand
> > +
> > +     __git_resolve_builtins "history"
> > +
> > +     subcommands="$___git_resolved_builtins"
> > +     subcommand="$(__git_find_subcommand "$subcommands")"
> > +
> > +     if [ -z "$subcommand" ]; then
> > +             __gitcomp "$subcommands"
> > +             return
> > +     fi
>
> Okay. We first try to figure out whether there is any subcommand passed
> by the user already. If not, we complete available subcommands.
>
> > +     case "$cur" in
> > +     --*)
> > +             __gitcomp_builtin "history_$subcommand"
> > +             ;;
> > +     *)
> > +             __git_complete_refs
> > +             ;;
> > +     esac
> > +}
>
> Otherwise we try to either complete available options if we see a
> leading "--", or alternatively we complete references. This works well
> for "drop", "fixup" and "reword".
>
> The one command where this falls flat a bit is `git history split`.
> While the first non-option argument is indeed a reference, subsequent
> arguments are pathspecs. So ideally, we'd notice that we already have a
> reference there and, if so, complete file paths.

…here: I think it's probably going to look a bit like what _git_reflog
and _git_config do, checking the subcommand and using somewhat more
specific completion in that case.

BTW, I'm also reminded of <xmqqpl6g9fyu.fsf@gitster.g>, where Junio
suggested we devise a way to improve _git_stash. Looking at it again
with some context, I bet we can reuse the __git_resolve_builtins
pattern there, too. Not for this patch, of course, just thinking
aloud!

> But that being said, I think this is a good-enough first iteration and a
> strict improvement over the status quo -- we don't have to be perfect
> right from the start. So if you want to also make that case work then
> great, but I won't insist on it.
>
> > diff --git a/t/t9902-completion.sh b/t/t9902-completion.sh
> > index 9ae3c48ebd..08ecf682ed 100755
> > --- a/t/t9902-completion.sh
> > +++ b/t/t9902-completion.sh
> > @@ -3107,6 +3107,23 @@ test_expect_success 'git clone --config= - value' '
> >       EOF
> >  '
> >
> > +test_expect_success 'git history subcommands' '
> > +     test_completion "git history " <<-\EOF
> > +     drop Z
> > +     fixup Z
> > +     reword Z
> > +     split Z
> > +     EOF
> > +'
>
> This will cause conflicts with "seen", as there's a new upcoming
> "squash" command that's currently cooking there. That's fine though,
> nothing you can do about that.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Patrick

Thanks!

-- 
D. Ben Knoble

Re: [PATCH] completion: add 'git history' subcommands

[Junio C Hamano]

Patrick Steinhardt <ps@pks.im> writes:

> On Tue, Aug 04, 2026 at 09:56:32PM +0200, Vincent Mailhol wrote:
>> Use the parse-options completion helpers for the "git history"
>> subcommands and their options. Complete positional arguments as
>> revisions, and add coverage for each kind of completion.
>
> Ah, great! I wanted to write shell completion for git-history(1) for a
> while but never really found the time to actually do it.
>
>> diff --git a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
>> index e875787710..f10813c8d7 100644
>> --- a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
>> +++ b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
>> @@ -2137,6 +2137,30 @@ _git_help ()
>>  	fi
>>  }
>>  
>> +_git_history ()
>> +{
>> +	local subcommands subcommand
>> +
>> +	__git_resolve_builtins "history"
>> +
>> +	subcommands="$___git_resolved_builtins"
>> +	subcommand="$(__git_find_subcommand "$subcommands")"
>> +
>> +	if [ -z "$subcommand" ]; then
>> +		__gitcomp "$subcommands"
>> +		return
>> +	fi
>
> Okay. We first try to figure out whether there is any subcommand passed
> by the user already. If not, we complete available subcommands.

This may be a tangent, but anyway.  I was looking at this patch (not
that I think I am capable of giving a completion patch a serious
review), comparing with other completions, and the similarity of the
boilerplate part above was so striking.  I suspect that these were
organically grown, but at some point when the tree is quiescent, can
we coalesce the completion routines for subcommands that share the
same pattern for better maintainability?

Thanks.

Re: [PATCH] completion: add 'git history' subcommands

[Vincent Mailhol]

On 05/08/2026 at 18:15, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> Patrick Steinhardt <ps@pks.im> writes:
> 
>> On Tue, Aug 04, 2026 at 09:56:32PM +0200, Vincent Mailhol wrote:
>>> Use the parse-options completion helpers for the "git history"
>>> subcommands and their options. Complete positional arguments as
>>> revisions, and add coverage for each kind of completion.
>>
>> Ah, great! I wanted to write shell completion for git-history(1) for a
>> while but never really found the time to actually do it.
>>
>>> diff --git a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
>>> index e875787710..f10813c8d7 100644
>>> --- a/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
>>> +++ b/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash
>>> @@ -2137,6 +2137,30 @@ _git_help ()
>>>  	fi
>>>  }
>>>  
>>> +_git_history ()
>>> +{
>>> +	local subcommands subcommand
>>> +
>>> +	__git_resolve_builtins "history"
>>> +
>>> +	subcommands="$___git_resolved_builtins"
>>> +	subcommand="$(__git_find_subcommand "$subcommands")"
>>> +
>>> +	if [ -z "$subcommand" ]; then
>>> +		__gitcomp "$subcommands"
>>> +		return
>>> +	fi
>>
>> Okay. We first try to figure out whether there is any subcommand passed
>> by the user already. If not, we complete available subcommands.
> 
> This may be a tangent, but anyway.  I was looking at this patch (not
> that I think I am capable of giving a completion patch a serious
> review), comparing with other completions, and the similarity of the
> boilerplate part above was so striking.  I suspect that these were
> organically grown, but at some point when the tree is quiescent, can
> we coalesce the completion routines for subcommands that share the
> same pattern for better maintainability?

I am not sure if this would increase the maintainability.

For example, I started looking at Patrick's suggestion ※ to cover the

  git history split

special case. If we add this, we would need to dispatch this in
_git_history() by adding something like:

	if [ "$subcommand" = "split" ]; then
		__git_complete_history_split
		return
	fi

but if we coalesce the completion routine for the subcommands, where
should this dispatcher go?

I see this boilerplate as a skeleton waiting for extensions. Of course,
maybe I am missing some points and maybe we can coalesce the code while
still allowing for extensions. But currently, I am not able to depict
how this should look like.


※ The fact that I started to look at the 'git history split' completion
doesn't mean that I am committing myself to implement it. I will do a
best effort try in my available time. If I get a decent result, I will
share, if not, I would ask you to bear with the current patch!


Yours sincerely,
Vincent Mailhol

Re: [PATCH] completion: add 'git history' subcommands

[Patrick Steinhardt]

On Wed, Aug 05, 2026 at 11:20:58PM +0200, Vincent Mailhol wrote:
> On 05/08/2026 at 18:15, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> ※ The fact that I started to look at the 'git history split' completion
> doesn't mean that I am committing myself to implement it. I will do a
> best effort try in my available time. If I get a decent result, I will
> share, if not, I would ask you to bear with the current patch!

Works for me. Would be great if you could give us an update though over
the next days to say whether you will or will not submit a v2 with `git
history split`.

Thanks!

Patrick