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From: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
To: git@vger.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH 9/9] docs: document symlink restrictions for dot-files
Date: Sat, 1 May 2021 11:43:09 -0400	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <YI13DTkOpDRP4YGa@coredump.intra.peff.net> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <YI12hK4X/gfl3u29@coredump.intra.peff.net>

We stopped allowing symlinks for .gitmodules files in 10ecfa7649
(verify_path: disallow symlinks in .gitmodules, 2018-05-04), and we
stopped following symlinks for .gitattributes, .gitignore, and .mailmap
in the commits from 204333b015 (Merge branch 'jk/open-dotgitx-with-nofollow',
2021-03-22). The reasons are discussed in detail there, but we never
adjusted the documentation to let users know.

This hasn't been a big deal since the point is that such setups were
mildly broken and thought to be unusual anyway. But it certainly doesn't
hurt to be clear and explicit about it.

Suggested-by: Philip Oakley <philipoakley@iee.email>
Signed-off-by: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
---
 Documentation/gitattributes.txt | 7 +++++++
 Documentation/gitignore.txt     | 5 +++++
 Documentation/gitmailmap.txt    | 7 +++++++
 Documentation/gitmodules.txt    | 8 ++++++++
 4 files changed, 27 insertions(+)

diff --git a/Documentation/gitattributes.txt b/Documentation/gitattributes.txt
index cfcfa800c2..dfda94d996 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitattributes.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitattributes.txt
@@ -1247,6 +1247,13 @@ to:
 [attr]binary -diff -merge -text
 ------------
 
+NOTES
+-----
+
+Note that Git does not follow symbolic links when accessing a
+`.gitattributes` file in the working tree. This keeps behavior
+consistent when the file is accessed from the index or a tree versus
+from the filesystem.
 
 EXAMPLES
 --------
diff --git a/Documentation/gitignore.txt b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
index 5751603b13..4b6fd8d2cd 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitignore.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
@@ -149,6 +149,11 @@ not tracked by Git remain untracked.
 To stop tracking a file that is currently tracked, use
 'git rm --cached'.
 
+Note that Git does not follow symbolic links when accessing a
+`.gitignore` file in the working tree. This keeps behavior consistent
+when the file is accessed from the index or a tree versus from the
+filesystem.
+
 EXAMPLES
 --------
 
diff --git a/Documentation/gitmailmap.txt b/Documentation/gitmailmap.txt
index 3fb39f801f..eb65eeb37f 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitmailmap.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitmailmap.txt
@@ -55,6 +55,13 @@ this would also match the 'Commit Name <commit&#64;email.xx>' above:
 	Proper Name <proper@email.xx> CoMmIt NaMe <CoMmIt@EmAiL.xX>
 --
 
+NOTES
+-----
+
+Note that Git does not follow symbolic links when accessing a `.mailmap`
+file in the working tree. This keeps behavior consistent when the file
+is accessed from the index or a tree versus from the filesystem.
+
 EXAMPLES
 --------
 
diff --git a/Documentation/gitmodules.txt b/Documentation/gitmodules.txt
index 8e333dde1b..ca1c42b405 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitmodules.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitmodules.txt
@@ -98,6 +98,14 @@ submodule.<name>.shallow::
 	shallow clone (with a history depth of 1) unless the user explicitly
 	asks for a non-shallow clone.
 
+NOTES
+-----
+
+Note that Git does not allow the `.gitmodules` file within a working
+tree to be a symbolic link, and will refuse to check out such a tree
+entry. This keeps behavior consistent when the file is accessed from the
+index or a tree versus from the filesystem, and helps Git reliably
+enforce security checks of the file contents.
 
 EXAMPLES
 --------
-- 
2.31.1.875.g5dccece0aa

  parent reply	other threads:[~2021-05-01 15:43 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 35+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2021-05-01 15:40 [PATCH 0/9] leftover bits from symlinked gitattributes, etc topics Jeff King
2021-05-01 15:41 ` [PATCH 1/9] t7415: remove out-dated comment about translation Jeff King
2021-05-03  9:46   ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2021-05-03 20:29     ` Jeff King
2021-05-01 15:41 ` [PATCH 2/9] fsck_tree(): fix shadowed variable Jeff King
2021-05-03 11:15   ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2021-05-03 20:13     ` Jeff King
2021-05-04 10:10       ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2021-05-01 15:41 ` [PATCH 3/9] fsck_tree(): wrap some long lines Jeff King
2021-05-03 11:22   ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2021-05-03 20:23     ` Jeff King
2021-05-01 15:42 ` [PATCH 4/9] t7415: rename to expand scope Jeff King
2021-05-01 15:42 ` [PATCH 5/9] t7450: test verify_path() handling of gitmodules Jeff King
2021-05-01 18:55   ` Eric Sunshine
2021-05-01 19:03     ` Eric Sunshine
2021-05-03 19:39       ` Jeff King
2021-05-03 10:12   ` Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2021-05-03 20:32     ` Jeff King
2021-05-01 15:42 ` [PATCH 6/9] t7450: test .gitmodules symlink matching against obscured names Jeff King
2021-05-01 15:42 ` [PATCH 7/9] t0060: test ntfs/hfs-obscured dotfiles Jeff King
2021-05-01 15:43 ` [PATCH 8/9] fsck: warn about symlinked dotfiles we'll open with O_NOFOLLOW Jeff King
2021-05-01 15:43 ` Jeff King [this message]
2021-05-01 19:16   ` [PATCH 9/9] docs: document symlink restrictions for dot-files Eric Sunshine
2021-05-03 20:33     ` Jeff King
2021-05-03  5:36 ` [PATCH 0/9] leftover bits from symlinked gitattributes, etc topics Junio C Hamano
2021-05-03 20:42 ` [PATCH v2 " Jeff King
2021-05-03 20:43   ` [PATCH v2 1/9] t7415: remove out-dated comment about translation Jeff King
2021-05-03 20:43   ` [PATCH v2 2/9] fsck_tree(): fix shadowed variable Jeff King
2021-05-03 20:43   ` [PATCH v2 3/9] fsck_tree(): wrap some long lines Jeff King
2021-05-03 20:43   ` [PATCH v2 4/9] t7415: rename to expand scope Jeff King
2021-05-03 20:43   ` [PATCH v2 5/9] t7450: test verify_path() handling of gitmodules Jeff King
2021-05-03 20:43   ` [PATCH v2 6/9] t7450: test .gitmodules symlink matching against obscured names Jeff King
2021-05-03 20:43   ` [PATCH v2 7/9] t0060: test ntfs/hfs-obscured dotfiles Jeff King
2021-05-03 20:43   ` [PATCH v2 8/9] fsck: warn about symlinked dotfiles we'll open with O_NOFOLLOW Jeff King
2021-05-03 20:43   ` [PATCH v2 9/9] docs: document symlink restrictions for dot-files Jeff King

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