git edit – Easily edit commits via interactive rebase

This Git subcommand script makes it easy to edit, modify, drop, or merge previous commits. It's essentially a more convenient wrapper around git rebase --interactive, with automatic stashing/unstashing and integrated merge conflict handling.

Usage

git edit [ -m | --message | -d | --drop | -s | --squash ] <commit> [<target>]

MODES:
-e, --edit                      Edit <commit> (default mode)
-d, --drop                      Delete (drop) <commit>
-s, --squash                    Merge (fixup/squash) <commit> into the previous one
-s <target>, --squash <target>  Merge (fixup/squash) <commit> into <target>
                                – also assumed when two commits (<commit> <target>) are supplied
FLAGS:
-m, --message                   Alter <commit> message after applying changes

Tip: Mode and flags can be given in any order.

Usage Examples

Editing

Open the given commit for manual editing, keeping its commit message (or add -m to also edit the message):

git edit 0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01234567

This will:

1. Stash any current local changes
2. Reset to the chosen commit
3. Pause so you can make changes
4. Amend the commit and continue the rebase (pausing if merge conflicts occur so you can resolve them)
5. Restore your stashed changes

Merging

Merge two commits, keeping only the target commit's message (or add -m to also edit the message):

git edit 0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01234567 abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01

This will:

1. Stash any current local changes
2. Determine the older of the two commits, making it the target
3. Merge the newer commit into it
4. Continue the rebase (pausing if merge conflicts occur so you can resolve them)
5. Restore your stashed changes

Screenshot

Installation

Make the script available as a Git command by adding its folder to your PATH, e.g. by adding this line to ~/.zshrc:

export PATH="$PATH:/your/path/to/git-edit"

⚠ Warning: History Rewriting

This script rewrites Git history from the chosen commit onward — changing the SHA-1 of that commit and all later commits.

• Safe if: Commits haven’t been pushed yet, or you’re the only developer
• Risky if: Others have based work on these commits (branches, forks, etc.) If rewriting history, you’ll need to force-push (git push --force), which can disrupt collaborators.