Git Status

The most-used Git command by far is git status. It tells you the current state of your repository: which files have changed, which are staged, and which are not being tracked yet.

git status

In a freshly initialized repo with no files, the output looks like:

On branch main

No commits yet

nothing to commit (create/copy files and use "git add" to track)

Once you add files, git status highlights them under Untracked files. As you make commits, it shows what is modified, staged, or clean.

For a compact, machine-friendly view, use the short form:

git status --short

This prints one line per changed file, with a two-letter code explaining its state (we will cover those codes in the next chapter).