How do I execute a command from a specific directory without actually changing to that directory

Question

I want to execute a command like 'git tag -l' inside a directory /home/user/git/app/ but I am actually in /home/user. How can I do that in bash without changing my working directory?

So NOT:

cd /home/user/git/app && git tag -l

because that actually changes my working directory and have to do 'cd /home/user' again.

Answer 1

Just bracket the whole thing. That will run it in a subshell which can go to any directory and not affect your 'current working' one. Here's an example.

noufal@sanctuary% pwd
/tmp/foo
noufal@sanctuary% (cd ../bar && pwd && ls -a )
/tmp/bar
./  ../
noufal@sanctuary% pwd
/tmp/foo
noufal@sanctuary%            

Answer 2

Here is another solution: use pushd to change directory, then popd to return:

pushd /home/user/git/app && git tag -l; popd