Git Line Endings & Normalization FAQs

Question 1

Why do I see ^M characters in my shell scripts?

Accepted Answer

This occurs when a script has CRLF (Windows) line endings instead of LF (Unix). This skill provides commands like dos2unix or sed patterns to convert and normalize them for execution.

Question 2

Should I use core.autocrlf true or a .gitattributes file?

Accepted Answer

While global configs work for individual setups, a .gitattributes file is the modern best practice for teams because it is committed to the repository and ensures everyone uses the same rules regardless of their local Git config.

Question 3

How do I fix a repository where every line shows as changed?

Accepted Answer

This is typically caused by a line ending mismatch between your workspace and the index. The skill guides you through using 'git add --renormalize .' to correct the repository state without losing actual code changes.

Question 4

Does this skill handle binary files?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it includes specific .gitattributes patterns to ensure binary files like images, PDFs, and archives are marked correctly so Git doesn't attempt to 'fix' their line endings and corrupt them.

Git Line Endings & Normalization

About

Key Features

Use Cases

Git Line Endings & Normalization

About

Key Features

Use Cases