Add Check What Branches Contain A Specific Commit as a Git TIL

2026-08-31 16:51:46 +00:00 · 2026-07-19 10:51:03 -05:00
parent aca5953a2e
commit 1a83ccb852
2 changed files with 29 additions and 1 deletions
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+# Check What Branches Contain A Specific Commit
+
+The `git branch` command comes with a `--contains` flag that can tell me what
+local branches contain a specific commit based on the SHA of that commit.
+
+```bash
+❯ git branch --contains a73d9173c2399069fa202fe65da0a8927814fd84
+* main
+  jb/migrate-to-basedpyright
+  jb/migrate-date-files-to-repository-pattern
+```
+
+I am currently on the `main` branch which is why it shows the `*` next to that
+one. This SHA also appears on those other two branches.
+
+This command could be useful in a variety of situations.
+
+1. If I'm looking at a commit on a branch and I cannot remember if it has been
+   integrated upstream yet. This check could tell me (unless commit squashing
+   happens).
+2. If I'm on `main`, as I was above, and I am trying to remember what branch
+   introduced a commit, this can help with that sleuthing. This assumes I don't
+   delete branches.
+3. Maybe I've just run a `git bisect` to track down a bad commit and I want to
+   see what are all the local branches that are impacted.
+
+See `man git-branch` for more details.