Checking Status

git status answers the question "what's going on in my repository right now?" — which branch you're on, what you've changed, what's ready to commit, and what Git isn't tracking. Experienced users run it constantly, before and after almost every other command.

A clean working tree

Right after a commit, with nothing changed, the status is short:

git status

On branch main
nothing to commit, working tree clean

"Working tree clean" means every tracked file matches the last commit and there are no new files. It's the safe state to be in before switching branches or pulling in other people's work.

Reading a busy status

Sam edits one recipe, stages it, edits another without staging, and creates a new file:

echo "Pancakes: flour, milk, eggs, a pinch of salt" > pancakes.txt
git add pancakes.txt
echo "Omelette: eggs, butter, chives" > omelette.txt
echo "Granola: oats, honey, nuts" > granola.txt
git status

On branch main
Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
	modified:   pancakes.txt

Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
	modified:   omelette.txt

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
	granola.txt

The output has up to three sections, always in this order:

A file can be in two sections

Staging records the file as it is at that moment. Edit it again afterwards and it appears twice:

echo "Serves 4" >> pancakes.txt
git status

On branch main
Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
	modified:   pancakes.txt

Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
	modified:   omelette.txt
	modified:   pancakes.txt

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
	granola.txt

The staged version has the salt; the working tree also has "Serves 4". If you commit now, only the salt goes in. Run git add pancakes.txt again to stage the newer version.

Short format

-s (--short) gives one line per file — great once you know the codes:

git status -s

 M omelette.txt
MM pancakes.txt
?? granola.txt

Each line starts with two columns: the left one is the staging area, the right one is the working tree.

Add -b to include the branch name on the first line:

git status -sb

## main
 M omelette.txt
MM pancakes.txt
?? granola.txt

Status and branches

The first line always names the branch. Once your repository is connected to a server (lesson 32), status also compares your branch with the server's copy — for example "Your branch is ahead of 'origin/main' by 2 commits", meaning you have commits you haven't pushed yet. During a merge, rebase or cherry-pick, status says so and tells you how to continue or abort; when you're unsure what state you're in, status is the first thing to check.

Status in a subfolder

Run inside a subfolder, git status still reports on the whole repository, but shows paths relative to where you are. If you want just one folder, give it as an argument:

mkdir desserts
echo "Brownies: chocolate, butter, sugar" > desserts/brownies.txt
git status -s desserts

?? desserts/

Notice that Git shows the folder (desserts/) rather than each file inside it, because the whole folder is untracked.

Try it yourself

In a repository with at least one commit, produce each of these short-status codes in turn and check them with git status -s: ??, A , M, M and MM.