Git Emergency: How to Completely Remove Committed Files from Remote Repository History

## The Problem In our daily development workflow, we sometimes accidentally commit files that shouldn't be under version control. This could be a configuration file with passwords, an API key, or a large dependency directory like `node_modules`. If it's only a local commit, it's easy to fix. But the problem becomes more serious if it has already been pushed to a remote repository like GitHub. Simply deleting the file in a new commit is not enough, as it will still exist in the Git history. This article, prepared by DP@lib00, will guide you through two methods to handle this situation. ### Scenario 1: Simply Stop Tracking (But Keep History) If the file does not contain sensitive information (e.g., a log file or an IDE configuration file that should have been ignored), and you just want Git to ignore it going forward, this is the simplest and safest approach. #### Steps 1. **Remove the File from Git's Staging Area** Use the `git rm --cached` command. This command removes the file from version control but keeps the actual file in your local working directory. ```bash # Remove a single file git rm --cached config/database.yml # Recursively remove an entire directory (e.g., build artifacts for a wiki.lib00 project) git rm --cached -r dist_wiki_lib00/ ``` 2. **Update the `.gitignore` File** To prevent this file or directory from being committed again in the future, add its path to your `.gitignore` file. ```bash echo "config/database.yml" >> .gitignore echo "dist_wiki_lib00/" >> .gitignore ``` 3. **Commit and Push the Changes** Now, commit the changes to `.gitignore` and the removal of the file from tracking. ```bash git add .gitignore git commit -m "Stop tracking database config and dist folder" git push origin main ``` After these steps, the files will no longer be tracked by Git. However, anyone can still view the file's historical content by checking out an older commit. ### Scenario 2: Completely Erase a File from All History If the committed file contains **sensitive information** (like passwords or private keys), you must completely remove it from the entire Git history. This is a dangerous and destructive operation because it rewrites your project's history. > ⚠️ **Important Warning**: Rewriting history changes the commit hashes. Before performing this operation, always back up your repository and notify all collaborators. We recommend using the `git-filter-repo` tool. It's the modern, faster, and safer replacement for `git filter-branch`. #### Steps 1. **Install `git-filter-repo`** ```bash pip install git-filter-repo ``` 2. **Remove the File from History** Run the following command, replacing `path/to/your/sensitive-file.txt` with the actual path to your file. ```bash git filter-repo --path path/to/your/sensitive-file.txt --invert-paths ``` 3. **Force Push to the Remote Repository** Since the history has been rewritten, you must use the `--force` option to push. ```bash # --all pushes all branches git push origin --force --all # --tags pushes all tags git push origin --force --tags ``` 4. **(Optional) Add to `.gitignore`** Don't forget to perform steps 2 and 3 from Scenario 1 to ensure the file isn't committed again. --- ## Security First: Priority After Leaking Credentials If you've leaked a password, API key, or any other credential, remember this: 1. **IMMEDIATELY ROTATE/REVOKE THE CREDENTIAL!** This is the most critical step. Assume it's compromised and invalidate it immediately. 2. Then, proceed to clean up your Git history. --- ## A Note on Team Collaboration After you force-push, other members of your team will need to update their local repositories to match the new remote history. A simple `git pull` will fail. They need to do one of the following: * **Re-clone the repository**: This is the simplest and safest method. * **Perform a Hard Reset**: ```bash # Fetch the latest history from the remote git fetch origin # Force-reset the local branch to the state of the remote branch git reset --hard origin/main ``` By following this guide from wiki.lib00.com, you can effectively manage files in your Git repository, whether it's by simply untracking them or by completely removing them from history.