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git config

Beginner Git CLI Safe ≈ 6 min

Summary: git config <key> <value> writes a setting; git config <key> reads it; --global targets your user-wide file, no flag targets the current repository, --system the machine.

Safe — settings affect future commands only; nothing in history or in your files changes. A wrong value is fixed by setting it again or unsetting it.

What it does

Edits one of three plain-text INI files (/etc/gitconfig, ~/.gitconfig, .git/config) or reads them with the precedence local > global > system.

Why it exists

Git needs to know who you are, which editor to open, how to handle line endings and remotes, and a hundred optional preferences; all of it lives in these files.

When to use it

  • First-time setup: identity, default branch, editor, credential helper (lesson 3.3).
  • A per-project override (a different email for one repository).
  • Diagnosing "why does Git do that?" with --list --show-origin.
  • Aliases for long commands.

When not to use it

  • For ignore rules (.gitignore) or attributes (.gitattributes): those are files in the repository so that the team shares them.
  • To store secrets: never put tokens or passwords in a config value.

Syntax

Form Meaning
git config --global <key> "<value>" Set for all your repositories
git config <key> "<value>" Set for this repository only
git config <key> Read the effective value
git config --global <key> Read the global value only
git config --list All effective settings
git config --list --show-origin …with the file each comes from
git config --global --unset <key> Remove a setting
git config --global --edit Open the file in your editor
git config --global alias.<name> "<git subcommand>" Define a shortcut

Keys are section.name, case-insensitive: user.email, init.defaultBranch, core.editor, core.autocrlf, pull.rebase, push.autoSetupRemote, fetch.prune, credential.helper, merge.conflictstyle.

Examples

Terminal
$ git config --global user.name "Ana Lopez"
$ git config --global user.email "ana@northwind-trails.example"
$ git config --global init.defaultBranch main
$ git config --global --list
user.name=Ana Lopez
user.email=ana@northwind-trails.example
init.defaultbranch=main
core.editor=code --wait
pull.rebase=false
push.autosetupremote=true

Terminal
$ git config user.email "ana@personal.example"
$ git config user.email
ana@personal.example
Terminal
$ git config --global user.email
ana@northwind-trails.example

Where a value comes from:

Terminal
$ git config --list --show-origin
file:/Users/you/.gitconfig	user.name=Ana Lopez
file:/Users/you/.gitconfig	user.email=ana@northwind-trails.example
file:.git/config	core.repositoryformatversion=0
file:.git/config	core.bare=false

(Abbreviated; system-level lines appear first.) The global file itself:

~/.gitconfig
[user]
	name = Ana Lopez
	email = ana@northwind-trails.example
[init]
	defaultBranch = main
[core]
	editor = code --wait

Expected result

A line added or changed in the relevant file; the next Git command uses it. No output on success.

Common mistakes

  • Typo in the key. git config --global user.nmae is stored silently (exit code 1, no message) and never used. Read back with --list.
  • Wrong level. Set inside a repository without --global applies only there.
  • Expecting existing commits to change after fixing the email. Configuration is for future commits.
  • Quoting. Values with spaces need quotes.

How to undo or recover

git config --global --unset <key>, or edit the file with --edit and delete the line.

In VS Code

No settings page for Git's own config; use the integrated terminal. VS Code's git.* settings (Settings, search "git") configure the extension, not Git.

In IntelliJ IDEA

Settings → Version Control → Git covers the executable path and a few behaviours; identity and the rest come from ~/.gitconfig (use the terminal).

None directly; every other command reads what config wrote. git remote is a specialized editor for the [remote] sections of .git/config.

Lessons that use this command

First-time configuration · Configuration levels · A starter configuration.

Key terms

Repository (repo)

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