REPO(1)

📦
version 2.69 · 13 versions
, in fedora 43, fedora 44

💖 REPO(1) — the repo manual page, sync edition 🦋

okay bestie, so this is the manual for repo sync, from the Repo Manual. It's literally the page for the repo sync command. Grab a snack, we're going in 💅

✨ NAME ✨

repo — it's the manual page for repo sync, periodt.

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

repo sync [<project>...]

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

Summary

Update working tree to the latest revision ✨

👑 OPTIONS 👑

  • -h, --help — shows this help message and then dips out (exits).
  • -j JOBS, --jobs=JOBS — how many jobs run in parallel. (default: based on number of CPU cores)
  • --jobs-network=JOBS — how many network jobs run in parallel (defaults to --jobs or 1). Ngl, this one is ignored unless --no-interleaved is set.
  • --jobs-checkout=JOBS — how many local checkout jobs run in parallel (defaults to --jobs or based on number of CPU cores). Also ignored unless --no-interleaved is set, fr fr.
  • -f, --force-broken — obsolete option (to be deleted in the future). yeah she's ancient, lowkey on her way out 💀
  • --fail-fast — stop syncing after the first error is hit. no second chances, bestie.
  • --force-sync — overwrite an existing git directory if it needs to point to a different object directory. ⚠️ WARNING: this may cause loss of data.
  • --force-checkout — force checkout even if it results in throwing away uncommitted modifications. ⚠️ WARNING: this may cause loss of data.
  • --force-remove-dirty — force remove projects with uncommitted modifications if projects no longer exist in the manifest. ⚠️ WARNING: this may cause loss of data.
  • --rebase — rebase local commits regardless of whether they are published.
  • -l, --local-only — only update the working tree, don't fetch. stay local, she's an introvert 🧚
  • --no-manifest-update, --nmu — use the existing manifest checkout as-is. (do not update to the latest revision)
  • --interleaved — fetch and checkout projects in parallel (this is the default, iconic behavior ✨).
  • --no-interleaved — fetch and checkout projects in phases.
  • -n, --network-only — fetch only, don't update the working tree.
  • -d, --detach — detach projects back to the manifest revision.
  • -c, --current-branch — fetch only the current branch from the server.
  • --no-current-branch — fetch all branches from the server.
  • -m NAME.xml, --manifest-name=NAME.xml — temporary manifest to use for this sync.
  • -g GROUP, --groups=GROUP — sync projects matching the specific groups. Not persistent, unlike when used on init.
  • --clone-bundle — enable use of /clone.bundle on HTTP/HTTPS.
  • --no-clone-bundle — disable use of /clone.bundle on HTTP/HTTPS.
  • -u MANIFEST_SERVER_USERNAME, --manifest-server-username=MANIFEST_SERVER_USERNAME — username to authenticate with the manifest server.
  • -p MANIFEST_SERVER_PASSWORD, --manifest-server-password=MANIFEST_SERVER_PASSWORD — password to authenticate with the manifest server.
  • --recurse-submodules — sync submodules from the server.
  • --no-recurse-submodules — don't sync submodules from the server.
  • --use-superproject — use the manifest superproject to sync projects; implies -c.
  • --no-use-superproject — disable use of manifest superprojects.
  • --superproject-revision=SUPERPROJECT_REVISION — sync to superproject revision (applies to outer manifest).
  • --tags — fetch tags.
  • --no-tags — don't fetch tags (default).
  • --optimized-fetch — only fetch projects fixed to sha1 if revision does not exist locally.
  • --retry-fetches=RETRY_FETCHES — number of times to retry fetches on transient errors.
  • --prune — delete refs that no longer exist on the remote (default).
  • --no-prune — do not delete refs that no longer exist on the remote.
  • --auto-gc — run garbage collection on all synced projects.
  • --no-auto-gc — do not run garbage collection on any projects (default).
  • -s, --smart-sync — smart sync using manifest from the latest known good build.
  • --no-smart-sync — disable smart sync and sync to ToT instead.
  • -t SMART_TAG, --smart-tag=SMART_TAG — smart sync using manifest from a known tag.

🫶 Logging options

  • -v, --verbose — show all output. spill the tea, everything.
  • -q, --quiet — only show errors. silence is golden ✨

🌈 Multi-manifest options

  • --outer-manifest — operate starting at the outermost manifest.
  • --no-outer-manifest — do not operate on outer manifests.
  • --this-manifest-only — only operate on this (sub)manifest.
  • --no-this-manifest-only, --all-manifests — operate on this manifest and its submanifests.

💜 repo Version options

  • --no-repo-verify — do not verify repo source code.

🍓 post-sync hooks

  • --no-verify — Do not run the post-sync hook.
  • --verify — Run the post-sync hook without prompting.
  • --ignore-hooks — Do not abort if post-sync hooks fail.

Run repo help sync to view the detailed manual. (yes that's really what it says, go look 👀)

🔥 DETAILS 🔥

The repo sync command synchronizes local project directories with the remote repositories specified in the manifest. If a local project does not yet exist, it will clone a new local directory from the remote repository and set up tracking branches as specified in the manifest. If the local project already exists, repo sync will update the remote branches and rebase any new local changes on top of the new remote changes. it's giving "stay in sync, bestie" 💅

repo sync will synchronize all projects listed at the command line. Projects can be specified either by name, or by a relative or absolute path to the project's local directory. If no projects are specified, repo sync will synchronize all projects listed in the manifest.

The -d/--detach option can be used to switch specified projects back to the manifest revision. This option is especially helpful if the project is currently on a topic branch, but the manifest revision is temporarily needed.

The -s/--smart-sync option can be used to sync to a known good build as specified by the manifest-server element in the current manifest. The -t/--smart-tag option is similar and allows you to specify a custom tag/label.

The -u/--manifest-server-username and -p/--manifest-server-password options can be used to specify a username and password to authenticate with the manifest server when using the -s or -t option.

If -u and -p are not specified when using the -s or -t option, repo sync will attempt to read authentication credentials for the manifest server from the user's .netrc file.

repo sync will not use authentication credentials from -u/-p or .netrc if the manifest server specified in the manifest file already includes credentials.

By default, all projects will be synced. The --fail-fast option can be used to halt syncing as soon as possible when the first project fails to sync.

The --force-sync option can be used to overwrite existing git directories if they have previously been linked to a different object directory. ⚠️ WARNING: This may cause data to be lost since refs may be removed when overwriting.

The --force-checkout option can be used to force git to switch revs even if the index or the working tree differs from HEAD, and if there are untracked files. ⚠️ WARNING: This may cause data to be lost since uncommitted changes may be removed.

The --force-remove-dirty option can be used to remove previously used projects with uncommitted changes. ⚠️ WARNING: This may cause data to be lost since uncommitted changes may be removed with projects that no longer exist in the manifest.

The --no-clone-bundle option disables any attempt to use $URL/clone.bundle to bootstrap a new Git repository from a resumeable bundle file on a content delivery network. This may be necessary if there are problems with the local Python HTTP client or proxy configuration, but the Git binary works.

The --recurse-submodules option enables syncing Git submodules of all projects from the server. The --no-recurse-submodules option disables syncing Git submodules, even when a project has sync-s="true" in the manifest.

The --fetch-submodules and --no-fetch-submodules options are deprecated aliases for --recurse-submodules and --no-recurse-submodules, respectively. (old news, still works, but like… retired 💀)

The -c/--current-branch option can be used to only fetch objects that are on the branch specified by a project's revision.

The --optimized-fetch option can be used to only fetch projects that are fixed to a sha1 revision if the sha1 revision does not already exist locally.

The --prune option can be used to remove any refs that no longer exist on the remote.

The --auto-gc option can be used to trigger garbage collection on all projects. By default, repo does not run garbage collection.

🦋 SSH Connections

If at least one project remote URL uses an SSH connection (ssh://, git+ssh://, or user@host:path syntax) repo will automatically enable the SSH ControlMaster option when connecting to that host. This feature permits other projects in the same repo sync session to reuse the same SSH tunnel, saving connection setup overheads. iconic efficiency, no cap ✨

To disable this behavior on UNIX platforms, set the GIT_SSH environment variable to ssh. For example:

export GIT_SSH=ssh repo sync

🌈 Compatibility

This feature is automatically disabled on Windows, due to the lack of UNIX domain socket support. (Windows, you're on your own bestie 😭)

This feature is not compatible with url.insteadof rewrites in the user's ~/.gitconfig. repo sync is currently not able to perform the rewrite early enough to establish the ControlMaster tunnel.

If the remote SSH daemon is Gerrit Code Review, version 2.0.10 or later is required to fix a server side protocol bug.

💖 that's the whole page! every flag, every default, every ⚠️ warning — all of it, preserved, just with ✨vibes✨ now.

okay and for the lil sign-off: this page is from repo sync, dated September 2026, part of the REPO(1) manual. slay, go sync something, mwah 💅🎀

📦 where this page comes from