How do I expand a git repository

Question

I have a repository within a subdirectory, and now I would like to have the parent directories under version control too, but keep the current history of the repository.

So with the following tree:

a/b/c

c is currently holding a repository, but I would like to have a repository in a, and include all the history within c.

I'm sure there is a way to go around doing this, perhaps with some git filter-branch? I do not want to use submodules, I would like to have a single repository in the end.

Answer 1

What you need is to create your new outer repository, and merge the inner one using a subtree merge. There's a quick HOWTO at the bottom of this page.. You should temporarily move c outside of a/b, these instructions expect the c tree doesn't exist at its final location yet.

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If you want to make c appear nested in its past history (and are okay with changed sha1s), use filter-branch instead (credit):

git filter-branch --index-filter \
    'git ls-files -s | sed "s#\t#&a/b/c/#" |
            GIT_INDEX_FILE=$GIT_INDEX_FILE.new \
                    git update-index --index-info &&
     mv -T "$GIT_INDEX_FILE.new" "$GIT_INDEX_FILE"' -- --all

Answer 2

You have a choice:

You can simply move the current structure into what will be the new structure. Then move the whole repo a level up. git add -A will add all the changes which is a bunch of deletions and new file adds. git status will show them as moved. Each object is stored once, no matter what path it's on so this won't be an expensive operation. This would be the simplest option. At this time you can also put in the other high level directories.

while in c:

mkdir b
cd b
mkdir c
mv <all other objects from top level> c
git add -A
git commit -m "moved everything"
mv c a
# clean up

git will determine the fact that a file was moved if you are doing merges and help you.

Or, you can use filter branch to change history if you like, but all your commits will have different SHA1s. This may be undesireable.