GoKawiilGit 2.56 adds experimental commit-drop tool and low-level ref commands
Git 2.56 ships with over 700 non-merge commits, introducing an experimental 'git history drop' subcommand that removes a specific commit and replays subsequent history, though it fails on repositories containing merge commits. The release also expands 'git refs' with create, delete, update, and rename subcommands, and adds several smaller usability improvements like pull suggestions in 'git status' and a '--delete-merged' flag for 'git branch'.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
These incremental changes show Git's maintainers continuing to smooth rough edges in everyday workflows—like accidental commits and branch cleanup—without overhauling the tool's core model. The limitation on merge commits in the new drop feature highlights how much of Git's complexity still stems from its handling of branching history, a problem the project has yet to fully solve.
- Git 2.56 adds an experimental 'git history drop' command to remove commits, but it doesn't work with merge commits.
- New 'git refs' subcommands (create, delete, update, rename) offer more direct low-level reference management.
- Smaller quality-of-life fixes include pull suggestions in git status and a '--delete-merged' option for cleaning up branches.
Source: lwn.net, 2026-09-21
Published there as: “Looking forward to Git 2.56 – and 3.0”
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