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Create a new git repository from a existing local branch


I have a Git repository with two branches: master and redesign. The redesign branch was created from master, and master has not been touched since then:

master
...|--m50--\
            \--m51--|--m52--|--m53-- redesign

The redesign branch has evolved so much that I would like to create a new whole repository from it, taking the first commit of redesign as the initial commit of the new repository and forgetting the previous history inherited from master:

master
...|--m50--

redesign
--r1--|--r2--|--r3--

Is this possible with Git? There is a related question to this, but its goal is to use a directory, not a branch.

Thanks!


Solution

  • You could:

    • checkout the commit you want for the "root" of your new repo
    • copy all the files to your new directory (except the .git directory)
    • check out your redesign branch
    • git format-patch master..redesign
    • move all the generated patch files somewhere handy

    Then go to your new directory and:

    $ git init
    $ git add .           # make sure your .gitignore is in place though
    $ git commit -m"..."
    $ git am /path/to/patches/*.patch