Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install git-subrepo with Homebrew, apt, Nix, zypper

Git Submodule Alternative. Version 0.4.9 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install git-subrepo

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install git-subrepo

Debian stable package indexes · git-subrepo · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#git-subrepo

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/gi/git-subrepo/package.nix · source: api.github.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install git-subrepo

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · git-subrepo · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Git Submodule Alternative

Commands and aliases

  • git-subrepo

history

Project history and usage

git-subrepo is a Git extension for embedding external repositories into subdirectories while avoiding many workflow problems associated with submodules and subtrees.

Project history

The repository began in 2013 and framed git-subrepo as a solid alternative to Git submodule and subtree workflows. Its introductory documentation argues that users, collaborators, and repository owners have different needs, and that submodules especially impose knowledge and synchronization burdens on people who only want to clone and use a project.

The design stores subrepository metadata in a .gitrepo file inside the subdirectory, squashes pulls into the mainline history, and keeps refs for subrepo fetch and push workflows. A major 0.4.0-era redesign in 2018 shifted implementation details toward merge and rebase methods, with later 0.4.x releases improving testing, shell compatibility, path handling, Git version behavior, and completion scripts.

Adoption history

git-subrepo serves a persistent niche: projects that want vendored source trees with upstream synchronization but do not want users to run git submodule update. Its package-manager presence in Homebrew, Debian, Nix, and openSUSE-style packaging gives maintainers a packaged alternative for teams that reject Git submodules but still need upstream push and pull operations.

How it is used

Practitioners clone an external repository into a subdirectory, initialize an existing subdirectory as a subrepo, pull upstream updates, push local subdirectory changes back, inspect status, clean metadata refs, and rely on .gitrepo to mark and configure each embedded repository.

Why package nerds care

git-subrepo is important in package-maintenance culture because it addresses the recurring vendor-versus-submodule choice. It favors normal clone behavior for downstream users while preserving enough metadata for maintainers to synchronize embedded code with upstream projects.

Timeline

  • 2013: First public commit appeared in the GitHub repository.
  • 2015: 0.2.x and 0.3.0 tags marked early public releases.
  • 2018: 0.4.0 release documented a redesign around merge and rebase methods.
  • 2024: 0.4.7 through 0.4.9 releases included compatibility and packaging fixes.

Related projects

  • The project's own documentation compares it directly with git-submodule and git-subtree, and also discusses subtree merge strategies as related Git practice.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
  • Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
  • Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
git-subrepocliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.4.9
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detected0.4.9

https://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo

  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:git-subrepo
Version0.4.9
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/git-subrepo
Homepagehttps://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo
Repositoryhttps://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo
Upstream docshttps://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo#readme
LicenseMIT
Source archivehttps://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo/archive/refs/tags/0.4.9.tar.gz
Last updated2026-06-22T14:03:31-07:00
Pulseupdated
Dependenciesbash
Build dependenciesgnu-sed
Bottleavailable (on all)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namegit-subrepo
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

git-subrepo 0.4.9-2

Alternative to git-submodule(1) and git-subtree(1)

https://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo

sudo apt install git-subrepo
  • Section: vcs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Git Subrepo
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: git-subrepo from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

git-subrepo

nix profile install nixpkgs#git-subrepo
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Git Subrepo
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/gi/git-subrepo/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
zypper95%

git-subrepo 0.4.6-2.4

Git Submodule Alternative

https://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo

sudo zypper install git-subrepo
  • License: MIT
  • Category: Development/Tools/Version Control
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: git-subrepo
  • 3 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Git Subrepo
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: git-subrepo from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

git-subrepo-bash-completion 0.4.6-2.4

Bash completion for git-subrepo

https://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo

sudo zypper install git-subrepo-bash-completion
  • License: MIT
  • Category: Productivity/File utilities
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: git-subrepo
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Git Subrepo
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: git-subrepo-bash-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

git-subrepo-zsh-completion 0.4.6-2.4

ZSH completion for git-subrepo

https://github.com/ingydotnet/git-subrepo

sudo zypper install git-subrepo-zsh-completion
  • License: MIT
  • Category: Productivity/File utilities
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: git-subrepo
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Git Subrepo
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: git-subrepo-zsh-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • bashRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • gnu-sedBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • braidShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, git, version-control.
  • codeberg-cliShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, git, version-control.
  • duraShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, git, version-control.
  • gcliShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, git, version-control.
  • git-archive-allShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, git, submodules, version-control.
  • git-branchlessShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, git, version-control.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment