Git Cheat

A lightweight CLI cheat sheet generator for your favorite git aliases

Git Cheat turns your git alias config into a cheat sheet you can read in the terminal or export to markdown or html.

It is designed for exactly the workflow you described:

• Use git config as source of truth
• Keep docs close to aliases via comments
• Include global aliases and selected project-local aliases
• Keep a small local config of which project folders to include

v1 scope

This first version keeps things intentionally simple:

• One cheat-sheet set
• Global aliases included by default
• Add/remove project folders to include local aliases
• Aliases are included when tagged with a cheat comment

How alias inclusion works

Only aliases with a cheat marker comment immediately above the alias line are shown.

Example:

[alias]
    # cheat: Compact status output
    st = status -sb

    # cheat: Pretty one-line graph
    lg = log --graph --oneline --decorate --all

    # Not included (no cheat marker)
    co = checkout

Supported marker forms:

• # cheat
• # cheat: description
• ; cheat
• ; cheat: description

The optional description is shown in output.

Installation

Clone and install alias:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/git-cheat.git
cd git-cheat
./bin/install_alias.sh

The installer also writes a # cheat: cheat sheet generator marker comment above the alias in your global git config so that git cheat show includes the cheat command itself — try it right after install. Re-running the installer is safe: the comment is only added if it isn't already there.

Manual alias setup:

git config --global alias.cheat '!bash /path/to/git-cheat/bin/git-cheat.sh'

Usage

• Show help (this is also what bare git cheat does):

git cheat
git cheat help

• Render your cheat sheet in the terminal:

git cheat show

• Show config path and setup guidance:

git cheat configure

• Guided setup helper (recommended after first install):

git cheat edit

git cheat edit shows where your global git config lives, prints the right edit command for your $EDITOR/$VISUAL, lists every project repo you have already added, and offers to open the global config in your default editor so you can start adding # cheat: ... markers right away.

Set GIT_CHEAT_NO_PROMPT=1 to suppress the interactive prompt (useful in scripts and CI).

• Add a project repo whose local aliases should be included:

git cheat config add /path/to/project

• Remove a project repo:

git cheat config remove /path/to/project

• List current config:

git cheat config list

• Export:

git cheat export md ./git-cheat-sheet.md
git cheat export html ./git-cheat-sheet.html

Notes:

• If output path is omitted, the file is saved to ~/Downloads (falling back to ~/Desktop, then ~).
• After an html export the script prints the right open command for your platform so you can preview it immediately.

Config file format

Default config file path:

~/.config/git-cheat/config

Example:

# git-cheat config (v1)
include_global=true
project=/Users/you/code/project-a
project=/Users/you/code/project-b

Running tests

./bin/git-cheat_test.sh