#+title: Changing Git Authors #+date: 2021-05-30 ** Changing Git Author/Email Based on Previously Committed Email :PROPERTIES: :CUSTOM_ID: changing-git-authoremail-based-on-previously-committed-email :END: Here's the dilemma: You've been committing changes to your git repository with an incorrect name or email (or multiple repositories), and now you want to fix it. Luckily, there's a semi-reliable way to fix that. While I have never experienced issues with this method, some people have warned that it can mess with historical hashes and integrity of commits, so use this method only if you're okay accepting that risk. Okay, let's create the bash script: #+begin_src sh nano change_git_authors.sh #+end_src The following information can be pasted directly into your bash script. The only changes you need to make are to the following variables: - =OLD_EMAIL= - =CORRECT_NAME= - =CORRECT_EMAIL= #+begin_src sh #!/bin/sh # List all sub-directories in the current directory for dir in */ do # Remove the trailing "/" dir=${dir%*/} # Enter sub-directory cd $dir git filter-branch --env-filter ' OLD_EMAIL="old@example.com" CORRECT_NAME="your-new-name" CORRECT_EMAIL="new@example.com" if [ "$GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL" = "$OLD_EMAIL" ] then export GIT_COMMITTER_NAME="$CORRECT_NAME" export GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL="$CORRECT_EMAIL" fi if [ "$GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL" = "$OLD_EMAIL" ] then export GIT_AUTHOR_NAME="$CORRECT_NAME" export GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL="$CORRECT_EMAIL" fi ' --tag-name-filter cat -- --branches --tags git push --force --tags origin 'refs/heads/*' cd .. done #+end_src Finally, save the bash script and make it executable. #+begin_src sh chmod a+x change_git_authors.sh #+end_src Now you can run the script and should see the process begin. #+begin_src sh ./change_git_authors.sh #+end_src