Git Index File Inspector

How to use Git Index File Inspector

Inspect a copied Git index file’s paths, merge stages, object IDs and checksum without opening or changing its repository. Choose the repository object-hash format explicitly, then read version 2–4 entry metadata. Prefix-compressed paths are expanded locally while optional extension contents remain opaque.

1. Provide copied git index file.
2. Choose the supported mode and run the tool. Review its assumptions and any reported errors.
3. Copy the result or download a separate output; reset to clear the current form.

Good to know

• 8 MiB file, 1,000 entries, 4,096 bytes per expanded UTF-8 path and 100,000 displayed path characters. Versions 2/3 zero padding and version 4 byte-prefix compression are supported. Non-UTF-8 paths are outside this strict display profile.
• Select SHA-1 or SHA-256 to match the source repository. The format is not automatically guessed. A checksum mismatch is reported; a stored all-zero checksum is shown as omitted rather than authenticated.
• Only regular 100644/100755, symbolic-link 120000 and gitlink 160000 entry modes are read. Sparse directory, split index and other mandatory/lowercase extensions are refused. Up to 100 optional uppercase extensions are listed by byte range without interpreting bodies.
• Checks exact name-length hints, bounds, selected reserved bits and unsigned-byte path/stage ordering. Stat fields and flags remain untrusted metadata; no object file, symlink target, submodule or worktree is opened.
• A report has a separate 500,000-character cap. This cannot tell you whether object IDs exist, whether cached stats are current or whether an index is safe to use. It never edits .git/index, restores files or resolves conflicts.
• Inputs are processed on this device and are not automatically saved or uploaded.