How can I choose to overwrite remote repository with local commits?

Question

Basically, due to events beyond my control, my remote repo was moved - I did a lot of work on my local copy in the meantime and now I really just want to overwrite everything in the remote repo with my local files.

However, I don't seem to be able to do this. The closest I can get is to pull and merge, but then it wants to walk me through some convoluted process for merging. I don't want to merge. I want to overwrite. I don't need a new branch - basically, I just want a fresh start.

The remote repo is on unfuddle.

Novanovaculite

Possible duplicate of Force "git push" to overwrite remote files – Hexapody

Answer 1

You can remove the branch and recreate it, let's say the branch that you want to overwrite is dev:

Remove the branch in your remote host(github)

git push origin :dev  

Then just push your dev again:

git push origin dev

I use Github for hosting, not familiar with unfuddle, but I think it'll works for the unfuddle, too. :)

---

Just as @melee mentioned, you can also use

git push origin dev -f

(not sure whether the -f is valid, but --force is OK)

git push origin dev --force

to force overwrite the branch. I remember I did it before. Thanks @melee. :)

Regardless

I think (and I'm not sure here) you could achieve the same result by doing git push origin dev -f – Twitch

@melee yeah, it may not the only way to do so. I just like use : to remove the branch. :D – Regardless

Thanks, guys. I had tried to use --force, but that didn't work. I had already figured out another way to achieve this by the time you wrote so didn't get to try your solution. Thank you, though. – Novanovaculite

In the end, I didn't solve this using git commands, per se. Instead, I just copied my local files to a temp directory, and then deleted my local files. then 'pull'ed down the out-dated files from the remote repo into the now-empty local folder. Then I copied over those out of date files from the temp directory, did a commit and then a push back to the repo. That at least solved my immediate problem and now I am back on track with local and remote repo being in sync. – Novanovaculite

@Novanovaculite you should add that as an answer! – Twitch

^ Except you lose all git history, which surely isn't ideal. – Suppress

@Suppress yeah, but that's what the OP want ;) – Regardless

-f and --force are synonyms. – Palaeontology

If I do this for the masterbranch (git push origin master -f), git does a Writing objects, then it seems all done, because a subsequent git push origin master just gives Everything up-to-date. I suppose it's fine then. – Sublett

@DavidTonhofer right, it should be fine. However, personally, I don't suggest force updating master br, which suppose to be a stable branch. It's a good idea to use git merge --squash whenever merge new feature br to dev or master, so whenever sth happens unexpectedly, u can just revert that commit. – Regardless

Answer 2

Been having the same problem. This command worked for me.

git push --set-upstream origin master --force

Polliwog

Very Good solution, clean! BUT WARNING! DO IT ONLY ON SOLO, OR WITH AGREEMENTS OF WHOLE TEAM. Very very dangerous for a fully collaborative repos. – Officinal

Answer 3

How to do this for master branch, without pulling data down from the remote repo:

1. Create a new folder, init git, add remote repo - don't pull or fetch!

   mkdir clean_repo

   git init

   git remote add origin <remote-repo>

2. create (and switch to) empty local branch, add, commit and push a test file into this.

   git checkout test

   echo "test" > test

   git add .

   git commit -m "adding test"

   git push origin:test

3. On github / bitbucket, change default branch to new branch

4. On local, switch to master branch, commit and push to remote repo / branch

   git checkout -b master

   git push origin --mirror

Housework

Answer 4

Add remote repo if hadn't:

git remote add <remote-name> <remote-repo>

git push --set-upstream <remote-name> <branch-name> --force

Pudendum

Answer 5

I'm not an expert in github ecosystem, but why can't you just reset your remote repository url?

git remote set-url origin /path/to/your/new/remote/repository/url

You might also need to configure your up-stream branch by looking in here.

for more on git remote..., please take a look here.

Jacelynjacenta