Create an orphan branch in a repo.

git_create_orphan.sh

cd repository
git checkout --orphan orphan_name
git rm -rf .
rm '.gitignore'
echo "#Title of Readme" > README.md
git add README.md
git commit -a -m "Initial Commit"
git push origin orphan_name

@SeanHorner see gist:7df6c8a5…

(I note that checkout is a git verb, so in this context it's not so unreasonable to conjugate it as checkouts and checkouted - just as long as nobody says those out loud.)

@SeanHorner see gist:7df6c8a5…

(I note that checkout is a git verb, so in this context it's not so unreasonable to conjugate it as checkouts and checkouted - just as long as nobody says those out loud.)

Ah, didn't think about it in that context, was using my linguist brain, not coding brain xD. Very interesting (and thorough) discussion in the linked gist 👍

Note that using git switch --orphan <branch name> automatically removes ALL files from the working tree.

Note that whatever is ignored by .gitignore won't be removed.

Note that using git switch --orphan <branch name> automatically removes ALL files from the working tree.

Note that whatever is ignored by .gitignore won't be removed.

Note that git switch --orphan <branch name> automatically removes ALL tracked files from the working tree (as it should, since we don't want files from other branches — it's an orphan branch). It will not remove

• untracked files
• modified (not yet committed) tracked files (because it refuses to proceed in this scenario)

This is independent of .gitignore. However, there are many other ways to exclude files (e.g. .git/info/exclude, git update-index --skip-worktree etc). If you use any of those, possibly together and along .gitignore, you probably have bigger things to worry about.