How can I pull down a commit from Github (Enterprise) that I don't have locally?

Question

I accidentally did a push --force on the wrong repo (too many termminals open), effectively resetting the master branch back to an earlier commit.

Looking a

Answer 1

You can create a branch from an orphaned commit in the Github GUI by doing the following:

1. Browse to https://github.com/yourOrg/yourRepo/tree/commitHash
2. Click on the branch dropdown
3. Type in the new branch name and hit Enter

Now that you have a branch, you can use your Git client to check it out as normal.

Notes

This post was helpful as I researched this. It basically states that you are stuck unless you have a local repository containing the orphaned commits. My approach allows you to add a branch so the commit is no longer orphaned.

Answer 2

I understand currently you don't have the commit locally; nevertheless you can get it, without modifying your workspace, simply like this:

git fetch

After that, if ever you have current modification, or something like that, you can stash them temporary:

git stash save "My work to be completed later"

Then you can move back to your master branch:

git checkout -f master

Then, force to move the HEAD to the orphan commit you want:

git reset --hard XYZ

As alternative, in case, you prefer destroying and recreating your master branch, you can "move" to another branch, destroy the master branch and recreate it:

git checkout -b anyOtherBranch
git branch -D master
git checkout -b master XYZ

And eventually, push force your new master branch;

git push --force origin master

Answer 3

Is XYZ is reachable by some branch you can simply fetch. If not, please follow @weste's instructions to get it pointed to by a branch and then fetch:

git fetch
git checkout master
git reset --hard XYZ
git push -f origin master