Git Notes: Git's coolest, most unloved feature (2022)

10 months ago

Git notes are a powerful but underutilized feature for appending metadata to git objects like commits, blobs, and trees without altering the objects themselves.
They are commonly used for adding information such as acknowledgments, mailing list discussions, and review/test results to commits.
Git notes can be used for distributed code review systems, enabling offline access to review metadata and facilitating forge-independent workflows.
Despite their potential, git notes suffer from poor usability and limited adoption, with platforms like GitHub no longer displaying them by default.
Examples of git notes usage include tracking time per commit, adding review/testing info to git log, and implementing distributed code review systems like git-appraise.
Git notes offer a path toward forge independence by distributing project history and metadata alongside the code itself.

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