[PATCH] doc: git-rebase: Update incompatible options

[PATCH] doc: git-rebase: Update incompatible options

[Omri Sarig]

Several options in the rebase man page were described as incompatible,
where this is no longer the case:

- Commit 1a66d8c6f658051a02b6d8f024e80e06fccdcd11 removed
  `--allow-empty-message` for the incompatible option list, but did not
  update the the documentation of the option itself.
- Commit a74b35081c51adbde3ef01870ba03e859db33be6 removed the
  `--preserve-merges` option from rebase, which removes all
  incompatbiilty references to `--ignore-date, --reset-author-date` and
  `--signoff`.

Update the description of these option, to no longer reference the
INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS section.

Signed-off-by: Omri Sarig <omri.sarig13@gmail.com>
---

I've also found out that the option `--onto` is now mentioned in the
INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS section, but is not referencing it from its own
documentation. If this is not intentional, I'll happily send another patch/V2
to address this issue as well.

 Documentation/git-rebase.adoc | 6 ------
 1 file changed, 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/git-rebase.adoc b/Documentation/git-rebase.adoc
index 6536ebdc90..9fd3cf8ce2 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-rebase.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-rebase.adoc
@@ -334,8 +334,6 @@ See also <<INCOMPATIBLE_OPTIONS,INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS>> below.
 	and this option would override that behavior, allowing commits
 	with empty messages to be rebased.  Now commits with an empty
 	message do not cause rebasing to halt.
-+
-See also <<INCOMPATIBLE_OPTIONS,INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS>> below.
 
 -m::
 --merge::
@@ -489,15 +487,11 @@ applying (in terms of the author date).
 	Instead of using the author date of the original commit, use
 	the current time as the	author date of the rebased commit.  This
 	option implies `--force-rebase`.
-+
-See also <<INCOMPATIBLE_OPTIONS,INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS>> below.
 
 --signoff::
 	Add a `Signed-off-by` trailer to all the rebased commits. Note
 	that if `--interactive` is given then only commits marked to be
 	picked, edited or reworded will have the trailer added.
-+
-See also <<INCOMPATIBLE_OPTIONS,INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS>> below.
 
 --trailer=<trailer>::
 	Append the given trailer to every rebased commit message, processed

Re: [PATCH] doc: git-rebase: Update incompatible options

[Phillip Wood]

Hi Omri

On 18/10/2026 14:25, Omri Sarig wrote:
> Several options in the rebase man page were described as incompatible,
> where this is no longer the case:

Our convention is to use the present tense when describing the current 
situation so we'd say

Several options in the rebase man page link to the "INCOMPATIBLE 
OPTIONS" section when the option is no-longer incompatible with any 
other option.
> 
> - Commit 1a66d8c6f658051a02b6d8f024e80e06fccdcd11 removed
>    `--allow-empty-message` for the incompatible option list, but did not
>    update the the documentation of the option itself.

It is very helpful to link to the commit that introduced the change like 
this, but we format commit references in commit messages with "git log 
--format=reference" so this would be

Commit 1a66d8c6f6 (rebase: remove --allow-empty-message from 
incompatible opts, 2023-01-25) removed "--allow-empty-message" from the 
INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS section, but did not remove the link to that 
section from the option description.


> - Commit a74b35081c51adbde3ef01870ba03e859db33be6 removed the
>    `--preserve-merges` option from rebase, which removes all
>    incompatbiilty references to `--ignore-date, --reset-author-date` and
>    `--signoff`.

The same applies here

> Update the description of these option, to no longer reference the
> INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS section.

Excellent
> Signed-off-by: Omri Sarig <omri.sarig13@gmail.com>
> ---
> 
> I've also found out that the option `--onto` is now mentioned in the
> INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS section, but is not referencing it from its own
> documentation. If this is not intentional, I'll happily send another patch/V2
> to address this issue as well.

"--onto" is incompatible with "--keep-base" and "--keep-base" links to 
INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS so "--onto" should probably do so too.

The changes below all look correct, thanks for improving the documentation.

Phillip

>   Documentation/git-rebase.adoc | 6 ------
>   1 file changed, 6 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/git-rebase.adoc b/Documentation/git-rebase.adoc
> index 6536ebdc90..9fd3cf8ce2 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git-rebase.adoc
> +++ b/Documentation/git-rebase.adoc
> @@ -334,8 +334,6 @@ See also <<INCOMPATIBLE_OPTIONS,INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS>> below.
>   	and this option would override that behavior, allowing commits
>   	with empty messages to be rebased.  Now commits with an empty
>   	message do not cause rebasing to halt.
> -+
> -See also <<INCOMPATIBLE_OPTIONS,INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS>> below.
>   
>   -m::
>   --merge::
> @@ -489,15 +487,11 @@ applying (in terms of the author date).
>   	Instead of using the author date of the original commit, use
>   	the current time as the	author date of the rebased commit.  This
>   	option implies `--force-rebase`.
> -+
> -See also <<INCOMPATIBLE_OPTIONS,INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS>> below.
>   
>   --signoff::
>   	Add a `Signed-off-by` trailer to all the rebased commits. Note
>   	that if `--interactive` is given then only commits marked to be
>   	picked, edited or reworded will have the trailer added.
> -+
> -See also <<INCOMPATIBLE_OPTIONS,INCOMPATIBLE OPTIONS>> below.
>   
>   --trailer=<trailer>::
>   	Append the given trailer to every rebased commit message, processed