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+git-clone(1)
+============
+
+NAME
+----
+git-clone - Clone a repository into a new directory
+
+
+SYNOPSIS
+--------
+[verse]
+'git clone' [--template=<template_directory>]
+ [-l] [-s] [--no-hardlinks] [-q] [-n] [--bare] [--mirror]
+ [-o <name>] [-b <name>] [-u <upload-pack>] [--reference <repository>]
+ [--dissociate] [--separate-git-dir <git dir>]
+ [--depth <depth>] [--[no-]single-branch] [--no-tags]
+ [--recurse-submodules[=<pathspec>]] [--[no-]shallow-submodules]
+ [--[no-]remote-submodules] [--jobs <n>] [--sparse]
+ [--filter=<filter>] [--] <repository>
+ [<directory>]
+
+DESCRIPTION
+-----------
+
+Clones a repository into a newly created directory, creates
+remote-tracking branches for each branch in the cloned repository
+(visible using `git branch --remotes`), and creates and checks out an
+initial branch that is forked from the cloned repository's
+currently active branch.
+
+After the clone, a plain `git fetch` without arguments will update
+all the remote-tracking branches, and a `git pull` without
+arguments will in addition merge the remote master branch into the
+current master branch, if any (this is untrue when "--single-branch"
+is given; see below).
+
+This default configuration is achieved by creating references to
+the remote branch heads under `refs/remotes/origin` and
+by initializing `remote.origin.url` and `remote.origin.fetch`
+configuration variables.
+
+
+OPTIONS
+-------
+-l::
+--local::
+ When the repository to clone from is on a local machine,
+ this flag bypasses the normal "Git aware" transport
+ mechanism and clones the repository by making a copy of
+ HEAD and everything under objects and refs directories.
+ The files under `.git/objects/` directory are hardlinked
+ to save space when possible.
++
+If the repository is specified as a local path (e.g., `/path/to/repo`),
+this is the default, and --local is essentially a no-op. If the
+repository is specified as a URL, then this flag is ignored (and we
+never use the local optimizations). Specifying `--no-local` will
+override the default when `/path/to/repo` is given, using the regular
+Git transport instead.
+
+--no-hardlinks::
+ Force the cloning process from a repository on a local
+ filesystem to copy the files under the `.git/objects`
+ directory instead of using hardlinks. This may be desirable
+ if you are trying to make a back-up of your repository.
+
+-s::
+--shared::
+ When the repository to clone is on the local machine,
+ instead of using hard links, automatically setup
+ `.git/objects/info/alternates` to share the objects
+ with the source repository. The resulting repository
+ starts out without any object of its own.
++
+*NOTE*: this is a possibly dangerous operation; do *not* use
+it unless you understand what it does. If you clone your
+repository using this option and then delete branches (or use any
+other Git command that makes any existing commit unreferenced) in the
+source repository, some objects may become unreferenced (or dangling).
+These objects may be removed by normal Git operations (such as `git commit`)
+which automatically call `git gc --auto`. (See linkgit:git-gc[1].)
+If these objects are removed and were referenced by the cloned repository,
+then the cloned repository will become corrupt.
++
+Note that running `git repack` without the `--local` option in a repository
+cloned with `--shared` will copy objects from the source repository into a pack
+in the cloned repository, removing the disk space savings of `clone --shared`.
+It is safe, however, to run `git gc`, which uses the `--local` option by
+default.
++
+If you want to break the dependency of a repository cloned with `--shared` on
+its source repository, you can simply run `git repack -a` to copy all
+objects from the source repository into a pack in the cloned repository.
+
+--reference[-if-able] <repository>::
+ If the reference repository is on the local machine,
+ automatically setup `.git/objects/info/alternates` to
+ obtain objects from the reference repository. Using
+ an already existing repository as an alternate will
+ require fewer objects to be copied from the repository
+ being cloned, reducing network and local storage costs.
+ When using the `--reference-if-able`, a non existing
+ directory is skipped with a warning instead of aborting
+ the clone.
++
+*NOTE*: see the NOTE for the `--shared` option, and also the
+`--dissociate` option.
+
+--dissociate::
+ Borrow the objects from reference repositories specified
+ with the `--reference` options only to reduce network
+ transfer, and stop borrowing from them after a clone is made
+ by making necessary local copies of borrowed objects. This
+ option can also be used when cloning locally from a
+ repository that already borrows objects from another
+ repository--the new repository will borrow objects from the
+ same repository, and this option can be used to stop the
+ borrowing.
+
+-q::
+--quiet::
+ Operate quietly. Progress is not reported to the standard
+ error stream.
+
+-v::
+--verbose::
+ Run verbosely. Does not affect the reporting of progress status
+ to the standard error stream.
+
+--progress::
+ Progress status is reported on the standard error stream
+ by default when it is attached to a terminal, unless `--quiet`
+ is specified. This flag forces progress status even if the
+ standard error stream is not directed to a terminal.
+
+--server-option=<option>::
+ Transmit the given string to the server when communicating using
+ protocol version 2. The given string must not contain a NUL or LF
+ character. The server's handling of server options, including
+ unknown ones, is server-specific.
+ When multiple `--server-option=<option>` are given, they are all
+ sent to the other side in the order listed on the command line.
+
+-n::
+--no-checkout::
+ No checkout of HEAD is performed after the clone is complete.
+
+--bare::
+ Make a 'bare' Git repository. That is, instead of
+ creating `<directory>` and placing the administrative
+ files in `<directory>/.git`, make the `<directory>`
+ itself the `$GIT_DIR`. This obviously implies the `--no-checkout`
+ because there is nowhere to check out the working tree.
+ Also the branch heads at the remote are copied directly
+ to corresponding local branch heads, without mapping
+ them to `refs/remotes/origin/`. When this option is
+ used, neither remote-tracking branches nor the related
+ configuration variables are created.
+
+--sparse::
+ Initialize the sparse-checkout file so the working
+ directory starts with only the files in the root
+ of the repository. The sparse-checkout file can be
+ modified to grow the working directory as needed.
+
+--filter=<filter-spec>::
+ Use the partial clone feature and request that the server sends
+ a subset of reachable objects according to a given object filter.
+ When using `--filter`, the supplied `<filter-spec>` is used for
+ the partial clone filter. For example, `--filter=blob:none` will
+ filter out all blobs (file contents) until needed by Git. Also,
+ `--filter=blob:limit=<size>` will filter out all blobs of size
+ at least `<size>`. For more details on filter specifications, see
+ the `--filter` option in linkgit:git-rev-list[1].
+
+--mirror::
+ Set up a mirror of the source repository. This implies `--bare`.
+ Compared to `--bare`, `--mirror` not only maps local branches of the
+ source to local branches of the target, it maps all refs (including
+ remote-tracking branches, notes etc.) and sets up a refspec configuration such
+ that all these refs are overwritten by a `git remote update` in the
+ target repository.
+
+-o <name>::
+--origin <name>::
+ Instead of using the remote name `origin` to keep track
+ of the upstream repository, use `<name>`.
+
+-b <name>::
+--branch <name>::
+ Instead of pointing the newly created HEAD to the branch pointed
+ to by the cloned repository's HEAD, point to `<name>` branch
+ instead. In a non-bare repository, this is the branch that will
+ be checked out.
+ `--branch` can also take tags and detaches the HEAD at that commit
+ in the resulting repository.
+
+-u <upload-pack>::
+--upload-pack <upload-pack>::
+ When given, and the repository to clone from is accessed
+ via ssh, this specifies a non-default path for the command
+ run on the other end.
+
+--template=<template_directory>::
+ Specify the directory from which templates will be used;
+ (See the "TEMPLATE DIRECTORY" section of linkgit:git-init[1].)
+
+-c <key>=<value>::
+--config <key>=<value>::
+ Set a configuration variable in the newly-created repository;
+ this takes effect immediately after the repository is
+ initialized, but before the remote history is fetched or any
+ files checked out. The key is in the same format as expected by
+ linkgit:git-config[1] (e.g., `core.eol=true`). If multiple
+ values are given for the same key, each value will be written to
+ the config file. This makes it safe, for example, to add
+ additional fetch refspecs to the origin remote.
++
+Due to limitations of the current implementation, some configuration
+variables do not take effect until after the initial fetch and checkout.
+Configuration variables known to not take effect are:
+`remote.<name>.mirror` and `remote.<name>.tagOpt`. Use the
+corresponding `--mirror` and `--no-tags` options instead.
+
+--depth <depth>::
+ Create a 'shallow' clone with a history truncated to the
+ specified number of commits. Implies `--single-branch` unless
+ `--no-single-branch` is given to fetch the histories near the
+ tips of all branches. If you want to clone submodules shallowly,
+ also pass `--shallow-submodules`.
+
+--shallow-since=<date>::
+ Create a shallow clone with a history after the specified time.
+
+--shallow-exclude=<revision>::
+ Create a shallow clone with a history, excluding commits
+ reachable from a specified remote branch or tag. This option
+ can be specified multiple times.
+
+--[no-]single-branch::
+ Clone only the history leading to the tip of a single branch,
+ either specified by the `--branch` option or the primary
+ branch remote's `HEAD` points at.
+ Further fetches into the resulting repository will only update the
+ remote-tracking branch for the branch this option was used for the
+ initial cloning. If the HEAD at the remote did not point at any
+ branch when `--single-branch` clone was made, no remote-tracking
+ branch is created.
+
+--no-tags::
+ Don't clone any tags, and set
+ `remote.<remote>.tagOpt=--no-tags` in the config, ensuring
+ that future `git pull` and `git fetch` operations won't follow
+ any tags. Subsequent explicit tag fetches will still work,
+ (see linkgit:git-fetch[1]).
++
+Can be used in conjunction with `--single-branch` to clone and
+maintain a branch with no references other than a single cloned
+branch. This is useful e.g. to maintain minimal clones of the default
+branch of some repository for search indexing.
+
+--recurse-submodules[=<pathspec]::
+ After the clone is created, initialize and clone submodules
+ within based on the provided pathspec. If no pathspec is
+ provided, all submodules are initialized and cloned.
+ This option can be given multiple times for pathspecs consisting
+ of multiple entries. The resulting clone has `submodule.active` set to
+ the provided pathspec, or "." (meaning all submodules) if no
+ pathspec is provided.
++
+Submodules are initialized and cloned using their default settings. This is
+equivalent to running
+`git submodule update --init --recursive <pathspec>` immediately after
+the clone is finished. This option is ignored if the cloned repository does
+not have a worktree/checkout (i.e. if any of `--no-checkout`/`-n`, `--bare`,
+or `--mirror` is given)
+
+--[no-]shallow-submodules::
+ All submodules which are cloned will be shallow with a depth of 1.
+
+--[no-]remote-submodules::
+ All submodules which are cloned will use the status of the submodule's
+ remote-tracking branch to update the submodule, rather than the
+ superproject's recorded SHA-1. Equivalent to passing `--remote` to
+ `git submodule update`.
+
+--separate-git-dir=<git dir>::
+ Instead of placing the cloned repository where it is supposed
+ to be, place the cloned repository at the specified directory,
+ then make a filesystem-agnostic Git symbolic link to there.
+ The result is Git repository can be separated from working
+ tree.
+
+-j <n>::
+--jobs <n>::
+ The number of submodules fetched at the same time.
+ Defaults to the `submodule.fetchJobs` option.
+
+<repository>::
+ The (possibly remote) repository to clone from. See the
+ <<URLS,GIT URLS>> section below for more information on specifying
+ repositories.
+
+<directory>::
+ The name of a new directory to clone into. The "humanish"
+ part of the source repository is used if no directory is
+ explicitly given (`repo` for `/path/to/repo.git` and `foo`
+ for `host.xz:foo/.git`). Cloning into an existing directory
+ is only allowed if the directory is empty.
+
+:git-clone: 1
+include::urls.txt[]
+
+EXAMPLES
+--------
+
+* Clone from upstream:
++
+------------
+$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux.git my-linux
+$ cd my-linux
+$ make
+------------
+
+
+* Make a local clone that borrows from the current directory, without checking things out:
++
+------------
+$ git clone -l -s -n . ../copy
+$ cd ../copy
+$ git show-branch
+------------
+
+
+* Clone from upstream while borrowing from an existing local directory:
++
+------------
+$ git clone --reference /git/linux.git \
+ git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux.git \
+ my-linux
+$ cd my-linux
+------------
+
+
+* Create a bare repository to publish your changes to the public:
++
+------------
+$ git clone --bare -l /home/proj/.git /pub/scm/proj.git
+------------
+
+
+GIT
+---
+Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite