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How do I fetch a branch on someone else's fork on GitHub?

I've forked from a repo on GitHub. I want to get the code from a branch on another user's fork.

Must I clone this user's whole repo to a separate local repo or can I do something like git checkout link_to_the_other_users_branch?

Solution 
  • $ git remote add theirusername [email protected]:theirusername/reponame.git
$ git fetch theirusername
$ git checkout -b mynamefortheirbranch theirusername/theirbranch

    Note that there are multiple "correct" URIs you can use for the remote when you add it in the first step.

    • [email protected]:theirusername/reponame.git is an SSH-based URI
    • https://github.com/theirusername/reponame.git is an HTTPS URI

    Which one you prefer to use will depend on your situation. GitHub has a help article explaining the difference and helping you choose: Choosing a URL for your remote repository