'\" t
.\"     Title: git-check-attr
.\"    Author: [FIXME: author] [see http://www.docbook.org/tdg5/en/html/author]
.\" Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets v1.79.2 <http://docbook.sf.net/>
.\"      Date: 2025-09-12
.\"    Manual: Git Manual
.\"    Source: Git 2.51.0.244.g92c87bdc40
.\"  Language: English
.\"
.TH "GIT\-CHECK\-ATTR" "1" "2025-09-12" "Git 2\&.51\&.0\&.244\&.g92c87b" "Git Manual"
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.SH "NAME"
git-check-attr \- Display gitattributes information
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.sp
.nf
\fIgit check\-attr\fR [\-\-source <tree\-ish>] [\-a | \-\-all | <attr>\&...\:] [\-\-] <pathname>\&...\:
\fIgit check\-attr\fR \-\-stdin [\-z] [\-\-source <tree\-ish>] [\-a | \-\-all | <attr>\&...\:]
.fi
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.sp
For every pathname, this command will list if each attribute is \fIunspecified\fR, \fIset\fR, or \fIunset\fR as a gitattribute on that pathname\&.
.SH "OPTIONS"
.PP
\-a, \-\-all
.RS 4
List all attributes that are associated with the specified paths\&. If this option is used, then
\fIunspecified\fR
attributes will not be included in the output\&.
.RE
.PP
\-\-cached
.RS 4
Consider \&.\fBgitattributes\fR
in the index only, ignoring the working tree\&.
.RE
.PP
\-\-stdin
.RS 4
Read pathnames from the standard input, one per line, instead of from the command line\&.
.RE
.PP
\-z
.RS 4
The output format is modified to be machine\-parsable\&. If
\fB\-\-stdin\fR
is also given, input paths are separated with a NUL character instead of a linefeed character\&.
.RE
.PP
\-\-source=<tree\-ish>
.RS 4
Check attributes against the specified tree\-ish\&. It is common to specify the source tree by naming a commit, branch, or tag associated with it\&.
.RE
.PP
\-\-
.RS 4
Interpret all preceding arguments as attributes and all following arguments as path names\&.
.RE
.sp
If none of \fB\-\-stdin\fR, \fB\-\-all\fR, or \fB\-\-\fR is used, the first argument will be treated as an attribute and the rest of the arguments as pathnames\&.
.SH "OUTPUT"
.sp
The output is of the form: <path> COLON SP <attribute> COLON SP <info> LF
.sp
unless \fB\-z\fR is in effect, in which case NUL is used as delimiter: <path> NUL <attribute> NUL <info> NUL
.sp
<path> is the path of a file being queried, <attribute> is an attribute being queried, and <info> can be either:
.PP
\fIunspecified\fR
.RS 4
when the attribute is not defined for the path\&.
.RE
.PP
\fIunset\fR
.RS 4
when the attribute is defined as false\&.
.RE
.PP
\fIset\fR
.RS 4
when the attribute is defined as true\&.
.RE
.PP
<value>
.RS 4
when a value has been assigned to the attribute\&.
.RE
.sp
Buffering happens as documented under the \fBGIT_FLUSH\fR option in \fBgit\fR(1)\&. The caller is responsible for avoiding deadlocks caused by overfilling an input buffer or reading from an empty output buffer\&.
.SH "EXAMPLES"
.sp
In the examples, the following \fI\&.gitattributes\fR file is used:
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
*\&.java diff=java \-crlf myAttr
NoMyAttr\&.java !myAttr
README caveat=unspecified
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP \(bu 2.3
.\}
Listing a single attribute:
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
$ git check\-attr diff org/example/MyClass\&.java
org/example/MyClass\&.java: diff: java
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.RE
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP \(bu 2.3
.\}
Listing multiple attributes for a file:
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
$ git check\-attr crlf diff myAttr \-\- org/example/MyClass\&.java
org/example/MyClass\&.java: crlf: unset
org/example/MyClass\&.java: diff: java
org/example/MyClass\&.java: myAttr: set
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.RE
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP \(bu 2.3
.\}
Listing all attributes for a file:
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
$ git check\-attr \-\-all \-\- org/example/MyClass\&.java
org/example/MyClass\&.java: diff: java
org/example/MyClass\&.java: myAttr: set
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.RE
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP \(bu 2.3
.\}
Listing an attribute for multiple files:
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
$ git check\-attr myAttr \-\- org/example/MyClass\&.java org/example/NoMyAttr\&.java
org/example/MyClass\&.java: myAttr: set
org/example/NoMyAttr\&.java: myAttr: unspecified
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.RE
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP \(bu 2.3
.\}
Not all values are equally unambiguous:
.sp
.if n \{\
.RS 4
.\}
.nf
$ git check\-attr caveat README
README: caveat: unspecified
.fi
.if n \{\
.RE
.\}
.RE
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.sp
\fBgitattributes\fR(5)\&.
.SH "GIT"
.sp
Part of the \fBgit\fR(1) suite