git-check-ref-format(1) ======================= NAME ---- git-check-ref-format - Make sure ref name is well formed SYNOPSIS -------- 'git check-ref-format' <refname> DESCRIPTION ----------- Checks if a given 'refname' is acceptable, and exits non-zero if it is not. A reference is used in git to specify branches and tags. A branch head is stored under `$GIT_DIR/refs/heads` directory, and a tag is stored under `$GIT_DIR/refs/tags` directory. git imposes the following rules on how refs are named: . It can include slash `/` for hierarchical (directory) grouping, but no slash-separated component can begin with a dot `.`; . It cannot have two consecutive dots `..` anywhere; . It cannot have ASCII control character (i.e. bytes whose values are lower than \040, or \177 `DEL`), space, tilde `~`, caret `{caret}`, colon `:`, question-mark `?`, asterisk `*`, or open bracket `[` anywhere; . It cannot end with a slash `/`. These rules makes it easy for shell script based tools to parse refnames, pathname expansion by the shell when a refname is used unquoted (by mistake), and also avoids ambiguities in certain refname expressions (see linkgit:git-rev-parse[1]). Namely: . double-dot `..` are often used as in `ref1..ref2`, and in some context this notation means `{caret}ref1 ref2` (i.e. not in ref1 and in ref2). . tilde `~` and caret `{caret}` are used to introduce postfix 'nth parent' and 'peel onion' operation. . colon `:` is used as in `srcref:dstref` to mean "use srcref\'s value and store it in dstref" in fetch and push operations. It may also be used to select a specific object such as with 'git-cat-file': "git cat-file blob v1.3.3:refs.c". GIT --- Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite