--- title: Git: list files at a given commit with ls-tree | daily.dev description: A concise guide to using `git ls-tree` with the `-r` and `--name-only` flags to list all files in a repository as they existed at any given commit. Covers the... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/git-list-files-at-a-given-commit-with-ls-tree-xjmnkx5hs twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Git: list files at a given commit with ls-tree | daily.dev og:description: A concise guide to using `git ls-tree` with the `-r` and `--name-only` flags to list all files in a repository as they existed at any given commit. Covers the... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/git-list-files-at-a-given-commit-with-ls-tree-xjmnkx5hs og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/xjMNKX5HS.png og:image:alt: Git: list files at a given commit with ls-tree og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Git: list files at a given commit with ls-tree **[Adam Johnson](https://daily.dev/sources/adamj)** · 2 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A concise guide to using `git ls-tree` with the `-r` and `--name-only` flags to list all files in a repository as they existed at any given commit. Covers the difference between `git ls-tree` (reads from Git's object database, works on any commit) and `git ls-files` (reads from the index, limited to current checkout). Also explains how to restrict output to a specific directory using path arguments, and how to handle file names containing newlines when scripting by using the `-z` flag for null-delimited output. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I list all the files in a git repository as they existed at a specific commit? Run git ls-tree --name-only -r , replacing with a SHA, branch name, tag, or relative reference like @~. This reads directly from git's object database, so it can list files at any commit without checking it out, unlike git ls-files which only reflects the current index. _daily.dev surfaces practical git tips like this for developers scripting repository inspections._ ### What is the difference between git ls-tree and git ls-files? Git ls-files reads from the index (staging area) and only reports the currently checked-out state, while git ls-tree reads directly from the object database and can list files at any commit without checking it out. Passing @ (HEAD) to ls-tree makes the two roughly equivalent, except for staged changes. _Understanding subtle git command differences like this helps developers avoid scripting mistakes, a focus daily.dev supports._ ### How do I safely handle file names containing newline characters when scripting with git ls-tree? Use the -z option with git ls-tree to separate entries with null characters instead of newlines, avoiding quoting issues. For example: git ls-tree --name-only -z -r HEAD | xargs -0 -n1 echo. Without -z, file names containing newlines get quoted, which can break naive line-based parsing. _daily.dev helps developers building reliable git scripts catch edge cases like newline-containing file names._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [gitdatamodel Documentation](https://daily.dev/posts/gitdatamodel-documentation-yvvl6xej7) · Lobsters · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [I Built Git from Scratch to Finally Understand What I've Been Using for Years](https://daily.dev/posts/i-built-git-from-scratch-to-finally-understand-what-i-ve-been-using-for-years-3wx3ymzn1) · DEV · 23 upvotes · 0 comments - [I made my own git](https://daily.dev/posts/i-made-my-own-git-fwqs5dx1b) · Hacker News · 77 upvotes · 4 comments --- Tags: [#git](https://daily.dev/tags/git), [#cli](https://daily.dev/tags/cli), [#version-control](https://daily.dev/tags/version-control) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/git-list-files-at-a-given-commit-with-ls-tree-xjmnkx5hs) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Git: list files at a given commit with ls-tree","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/git-list-files-at-a-given-commit-with-ls-tree-xjmnkx5hs","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/git-list-files-at-a-given-commit-with-ls-tree-xjmnkx5hs"},"datePublished":"2026-08-06T23:24:26.273Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T18:30:31.999Z","description":"A concise guide to using `git ls-tree` with the `-r` and `--name-only` flags to list all files in a repository as they existed at any given commit. 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