1 files changed, 37 insertions, 1 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/technical/api-setup.txt b/Documentation/technical/api-setup.txt
index 4f63a04d7d..540e455689 100644
--- a/Documentation/technical/api-setup.txt
+++ b/Documentation/technical/api-setup.txt
@@ -8,6 +8,42 @@ Talk about
 * is_inside_git_dir()
 * is_inside_work_tree()
 * setup_work_tree()
-* get_pathspec()
 
 (Dscho)
+
+Pathspec
+--------
+
+See glossary-context.txt for the syntax of pathspec. In memory, a
+pathspec set is represented by "struct pathspec" and is prepared by
+parse_pathspec(). This function takes several arguments:
+
+- magic_mask specifies what features that are NOT supported by the
+  following code. If a user attempts to use such a feature,
+  parse_pathspec() can reject it early.
+
+- flags specifies other things that the caller wants parse_pathspec to
+  perform.
+
+- prefix and args come from cmd_* functions
+
+get_pathspec() is obsolete and should never be used in new code.
+
+parse_pathspec() helps catch unsupported features and reject them
+politely. At a lower level, different pathspec-related functions may
+not support the same set of features. Such pathspec-sensitive
+functions are guarded with GUARD_PATHSPEC(), which will die in an
+unfriendly way when an unsupported feature is requested.
+
+The command designers are supposed to make sure that GUARD_PATHSPEC()
+never dies. They have to make sure all unsupported features are caught
+by parse_pathspec(), not by GUARD_PATHSPEC. grepping GUARD_PATHSPEC()
+should give the designers all pathspec-sensitive codepaths and what
+features they support.
+
+A similar process is applied when a new pathspec magic is added. The
+designer lifts the GUARD_PATHSPEC restriction in the functions that
+support the new magic. At the same time (s)he has to make sure this
+new feature will be caught at parse_pathspec() in commands that cannot
+handle the new magic in some cases. grepping parse_pathspec() should
+help.