🛡️ git-safe-init

A safety wrapper for git init that prevents common mistakes.

What Problem Does This Solve?

If you've ever accidentally initialized a git repository in the wrong directory (like your parent "repos" folder), you know the headache that follows. This script adds a confirmation layer to prevent those mistakes.

Features

• Detects if you're already inside an existing git repo
• Shows your current working directory for verification
• Requires explicit confirmation before proceeding
• Works as a proper git subcommand (git safe-init)
• Includes visual formatting to highlight important information

Installation

Option 1: Direct Download

1. Create a personal bin directory (if you don't already have one):

   mkdir -p ~/bin

   The -p flag creates parent directories as needed and doesn't error if the directory already exists - helpful for idempotent scripts.

2. Download the script:

   curl -o ~/bin/git-safe-init https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chanware/git-safe-init/main/git-safe-init.sh

3. Make it executable:

   chmod +x ~/bin/git-safe-init

4. Ensure ~/bin is in your PATH:

   # Check if it's already there
   echo $PATH | grep -q "$HOME/bin" && echo "Already in PATH" || echo "Not in PATH"
   
   # Add to PATH if needed (for zsh)
   echo 'export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
   source ~/.zshrc

Option 2: Clone the Repo

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/chanware/git-safe-init.git

2. Create a symlink to your bin directory:

   mkdir -p ~/bin
   ln -s "$(pwd)/git-safe-init/git-safe-init.sh" ~/bin/git-safe-init

3. Ensure ~/bin is in your PATH (see Option 1, step 4)

Usage

Simply run:

git safe-init

Command	Safety	Status
git safe-init	With confirmation	✅ Safe
git init	No safety checks	⚠️ Use with caution

Example Output

When run in a new directory:

You are in: /Users/you/projects/new-project
Are you SURE you want to 'git init' here? (y/n): y
Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/you/projects/new-project/.git/

When already inside a git repository:

Error: This folder is already part of a git repository.
Use git status to check.

How It Works

This uses Git's subcommand mechanism, where executables named git-* in your PATH become available as git * commands. The script performs safety checks before delegating to the actual git init command.

Why Not Just an Alias?

While you could create a shell alias, this approach:

• Works consistently across different shell environments
• Follows Git's established extension pattern
• Is easier to share with others
• Doesn't require modifying shell configs on each machine

Technical Notes

The script uses zsh by default. If you prefer bash, change the shebang line from #!/bin/zsh to #!/bin/bash and modify the color formatting.