Summary

The steps outlined in this article show how to update the commit author using the git replace command.

Environment

Bitbucket Server and Data Center

Solution

Follow these steps to change the commit author with the git replace command:

• Clone the repository.
• Locate the commit that requires the author to be changed via the git log command.

• Use the commit ID in the git replace command

  git replace --edit <commit-id>

• You can now edit the commit. Replace the author with the new details and save your changes.

• You'll see a replacement ref created on the local repo under .git/refs/replace. Alternatively, you can run the following command to view the created ref:

  git show-ref | grep replace

• Push the replacement ref to the remote.

  git push origin 'refs/replace/*'

• Locate the repository in Bitbucket and confirm that the author has been changed for the modified commit.

Additional information about replaced objects

• Users who have cloned the repository to their local machines may not see the replaced objects. The following command will fetch the replacement refs from the remote repository.

  git fetch origin 'refs/replace/*:refs/replace/*'

• You can still display the original author when listing the commits on the local repository. This can be done by using the GIT_NO_REPLACE_OBJECTS environment variable.

  #Display the original author
  export GIT_NO_REPLACE_OBJECTS=1
  git show <commit-id>
  
  #Display the new author
  unset GIT_NO_REPLACE_OBJECTS
  git show <commit-id>