Re: Git re-creates newly added directory when it is pushed

[Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com>]

On Sun, Aug 29, 2021 at 5:07 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>
> Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com> writes:
>
> >> Why does Git have to delete and then create again the directory when it
> >> is already there?
> >>
> >>
> >> This isn't a big issue, but it is very odd that git deletes the working
> >> directory.
> >
> > It was deleted by the rebase operation, because rebase (currently)
> > works by first checking out the target commit onto which it will apply
> > all your local patches.  That target didn't have the directory; the
> > directory was added by your local patches.  So checking out that
> > commit necessarily deletes the directory.  Then rebase applies each of
> > your local patches, one by one, updating the working directory as it
> > applies them.  Since your local patches create that directory, it gets
> > re-created by this process.
>
> This is one of the reasons why "rebase" (especially "rebase -i") may
> want to insist starting at the top-level of the working tree, like
> "git bisect" does.  Because running the command from a subdirectory
> works most of the time until it doesn't, people tend to complain why
> they should go up to the top-level before they can run the command.
>
> And this is why---it causes end-user confusion.

Makes sense to me; I'll submit a patch.