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Git Remove and Rename

Use git mv and git rm when a tracked file needs a new path or should leave the project. Git ultimately compares snapshots and can detect renames from similarity.

How it works

The repair note moves to a clearer filename, and a temporary tracked task list is removed. We inspect the staged path changes and commit them. A rename is not a permanent identity record stored separately from content snapshots; detection depends on comparison options and how much the content changed.

Run the disposable lab

Use Windows PowerShell 5.1 or later and Git 2.28 or later. The reviewed CLI is Git for Windows 2.53.0.windows.2. These are PowerShell examples, not Git Bash commands. Save the download as remove-rename.ps1 in a separate empty learning folder and run it in a separate process: powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\remove-rename.ps1. The execution-policy option applies to that process, not your machine policy.

The script creates bhylu-git-remove-rename and refuses an existing folder. It supplies two fictional seed files and repository-local settings, then runs the lesson commands. The literal separator is quoted as '--' so PowerShell passes it through the guard. A guard function named git calls the real CLI and stops on unexpected failures; Expect-GitFailure checks deliberately refused operations. Child-process configuration isolates your personal Git settings. File transports are allowed only for owned local remotes; internet transports are disabled in this lab. No hosting account, Apache or MySQL service is required. There is no Git playground. Leave the generated folder for inspection; choose another empty parent to run again.

Download the complete remove-rename.ps1 lab

Example

remove-rename.ps1

# Bhylu Git lab: Remove and Rename
# Run in a separate PowerShell process, in an empty learning folder.
# Existing lab folders are refused; nothing is pushed to an internet host.
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$script:GitExe = (Get-Command git -CommandType Application | Select-Object -First 1).Source
$script:LabRoot = Join-Path (Get-Location) 'bhylu-git-remove-rename'
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $script:LabRoot) { throw 'Lab folder already exists. Choose another empty parent folder.' }
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $script:LabRoot | Out-Null
$env:GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM = '1'
$env:GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL = Join-Path $script:LabRoot 'empty-global-config'
[IO.File]::WriteAllText($env:GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL, '')
$env:GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT = '0'
$env:GIT_EDITOR = 'true'
$env:GIT_SEQUENCE_EDITOR = 'true'
$env:GIT_AUTHOR_DATE = '2026-01-10T10:00:00+00:00'
$env:GIT_COMMITTER_DATE = $env:GIT_AUTHOR_DATE
function git {
    & $script:GitExe -c protocol.allow=never -c protocol.file.allow=always @args
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "Git exited with code $LASTEXITCODE" }
}
function Expect-GitFailure {
    & $script:GitExe -c protocol.allow=never -c protocol.file.allow=always @args
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) { throw 'Expected Git to refuse this operation' }
}
function Assert-Equal($Actual, $Expected) {
    if ((($Actual | Out-String).Trim()) -cne (($Expected | Out-String).Trim())) { throw "Expected [$Expected], got [$Actual]" }
}
function Write-LabFile([string]$Name, [string]$Text) {
    $target = [IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path (Get-Location) $Name))
    if (!$target.StartsWith($script:LabRoot + [IO.Path]::DirectorySeparatorChar, [StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)) { throw 'Path outside lab' }
    [IO.Directory]::CreateDirectory([IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName($target)) | Out-Null
    [IO.File]::WriteAllText($target, ($Text.Replace('\n', "`n") + "`n"), (New-Object Text.UTF8Encoding($false)))
}
function New-LabRepo([string]$Name) {
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $Name | Out-Null
    Push-Location $Name
    try {
        git init --initial-branch=main
        git config --local user.name 'Repair Lab'
        git config --local user.email 'repair@example.invalid'
        git config --local core.autocrlf false
        git config --local commit.gpgSign false
        git config --local tag.gpgSign false
        git config --local core.hooksPath (Join-Path $script:LabRoot 'empty-hooks')
        Write-LabFile 'notes.md' 'Inspect hinge'
        Write-LabFile 'tasks.txt' 'desk=open'
        git add '--' notes.md tasks.txt
        git commit -m 'Record initial repair plan'
    } finally { Pop-Location }
}
Push-Location $script:LabRoot
try {
    New-LabRepo 'desk'
    Set-Location desk
    git mv notes.md inspection.md
    git rm tasks.txt
    git diff --cached --name-status
    git commit -m 'Organize inspection record'
    Assert-Equal (git ls-files) @('inspection.md')
    Assert-Equal (git show HEAD:inspection.md) @('Inspect hinge')
    Write-Output 'Verified: remove-rename'
} finally { Pop-Location }
Focus on the lesson commands

This excerpt omits the seed repository and guard helpers. Use the complete download to run it.

Lesson excerpt

git mv notes.md inspection.md
git rm tasks.txt
git diff --cached --name-status
git commit -m 'Organize inspection record'
Assert-Equal (git ls-files) @('inspection.md')
Assert-Equal (git show HEAD:inspection.md) @('Inspect hinge')

Expected result

Only inspection.md is tracked after the commit, and it retains the original note.

The complete script ends with Verified: remove-rename only after its checks pass. Object IDs, temporary paths and progress output can differ.

Removing a tracked file from the working tree stages its deletion through git rm. To keep a generated file locally but remove it from tracking, use git rm --cached intentionally and add the appropriate ignore rule. That does not remove earlier history.

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