Git-fetch-file – Sync files from other repos with commit tracking and safety

Summary

Fetch and sync individual files or globs from other Git repositories, with commit tracking and local-change protection git-fetch-file(1) is a utility for importing specific files from other Git repositories into your own project while keeping a manifest (.git-remote-files) that remembers where they came from and what commit they belong to. It’s like a mini submodule, but for just the files you want. Features Pull a single file or glob from a remote Git repo Track origin, commit, and comments in .git-remote-files Optionally overwrite local changes with --force Update tracked commits with --save Simple CLI interface Installation Option 1: Git Alias (Recommended) Save the script anywhere and set up a Git alias: git config --global alias.fetch-file ' !python3 /path/to/git-fetch-file.py ' Then run it like this: git fetch-file < subcommand > [args...] Option 2: PATH Installation Save the script as git-fetch-file somewhere on your PATH. Commands add Track a file (or glob) from a remote Git repository. git fetch-file add < repo > < path > [target_dir] [--commit < commit > ] [--glob] [--no-glob] [--comment < text > ] repo: The URL or path to the remote Git repo path: Path (or glob if --glob is used) to the file(s) in the remote repo target_dir: Optional target directory to place the file (preserves filename) --commit: Optional commit, branch, or tag to track (default: HEAD) --glob: If specified, interprets path as a glob pattern --no-glob: If specified, treats path as literal filename (overrides auto-detection) --comment: Add a descriptive comment to the manifest pull Download all tracked files. git fetch-file pull [--force] [--save] --force: Overwrite local changes to files --save: Update the commit in .git-remote-files if you're tracking a branch or tag that moved status View all tracked files. git fetch-file status git fetch-file list # alias for status Each tracked file is recorded in .git-remote-files (INI format). Example entry: [file "lib/util.py"] repo = https://gith...