A note is an annotation attached to a commit without modifying the commit itself. The commit hash does not change. It is useful for adding context after the fact: review results, deployment info, etc.

Are notes shared with push?

By default, no. Notes live in refs/notes/commits which is not pushed automatically. Use git push origin refs/notes/commits to share them, and git fetch origin refs/notes/*:refs/notes/* to retrieve them.

Why use notes instead of modifying the commit message?

Modifying a commit message changes its hash, which rewrites history. Notes are added without modifying the commit. This is important on shared branches or signed commits.

Can I have multiple notes per commit?

By default, a commit has a single note. But you can create namespaces with --ref: git notes --ref=review add -m "Approved". Each ref can have its own note per commit.

Do notes appear in git log?

Yes, git log automatically displays notes below the commit message. You can also use --show-notes to display notes from a specific namespace.

Git notes: annotate your commits

git notes adds annotations to your commits without modifying them. Ideal for code review tracking, deployment info, or any additional context.

Practice git notes Git Glossary

gitquest — enquête

Annotation

What is git notes?

git notes lets you add annotations to commits without changing their hash. Notes are stored separately from the history.

It is like sticking a post-it on a commit: you add extra context (review, deployment, related bug) without touching the original commit.

Git notes syntax

git notes add -m "text"

Add a note to the latest commit

git notes show <hash>

Display a commit's note

git notes remove <hash>

Remove a note

Git notes in practice

Adding and managing annotations.

Adding a note

gitquest — notes add

# Add a note to the latest commit

$git notes add -m "Approved by Marie in code review"

Note added to commit e4f5g6h

# View a commit's notes

$git log -1

commit e4f5g6h (HEAD -> main)

feat: add the form

Notes:

Approved by Marie in code review

Managing notes

gitquest — notes manage

# Add a note to a specific commit

$git notes add -m "Deployed to prod on 02/10" a1b2c3d

Note added

# Edit an existing note

$git notes edit a1b2c3d

Note updated

# List all commits with notes

$git notes list

abc1234 e4f5g6h

def5678 a1b2c3d

# Remove a note

$git notes remove e4f5g6h

Note removed

When to use git notes?

Code review

Annotate commits with review status (approved, changes requested) without modifying the history.

Deployment

Mark commits with deployment info (date, environment, version) for traceability.

Documentation

Add extra context to old commits: links to tickets, technical explanations, etc.

Common mistakes with git notes

Forgetting to push notes

Notes are not pushed by default. Use git push origin refs/notes/commits to share them with your team.

Losing notes during a rebase

A rebase changes commit hashes. Notes are linked to the old hashes and do not follow automatically. Use git notes copy to reassign them.

Overwriting an existing note

By default, git notes add refuses to overwrite an existing note. Use -f to force, or git notes append to add to the existing note.

Part of the Git Advanced guide

Related commands

git log

View notes in the history

git tag

Mark important versions

git blame

See the author of each line

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