Git Status: How To Track Changes in Your Project with Confidence

How to Use Git Status

Here’s a step‑by‑step approach to leveraging git status effectively in your workflow.

If you haven’t configured Git yet, this setup guide walks you through installation and initial configuration across systems.

Basic usage of git status

• Open your terminal:

Use your preferred terminal or command-line interface. This gives you direct access to run Git commands and view your repository’s state in real time.

• Navigate to your project directory:

Use the cd command to change into the folder where your Git project is located.

cd /path/to/your/project

• Run git status:

Once inside your project directory, run the following command.

git status

As we saw before, Git will return an output that typically includes:

• The current branch name.
• A list of staged changes ready to be committed.
• A list of modified but unstaged files.
• Any untracked files—new files that haven’t yet been added to Git.

Using the short format

If you need a quick snapshot without the extra detail, the short format is your friend:

git status --short

This concise view lists each file on one line with status symbols, which is especially useful when scanning for a particular change or integrating this command into a script.

Example output:

 M index.html
A  new-script.js
?? temp.txt

Interpreting the output:

• The first character indicates the staging area status.
• The second character indicates the working directory status.

Understanding the -u option in git status

The -u option (short for --untracked-files) allows you to control how untracked files are displayed in your output, which can be relevant in projects with many generated files. Here’s what each mode means:

• normal (the default)

 Shows untracked files in a standard, space‑efficient format.  

Example: 

git status -u normal

This is the standard behavior most developers see when running git status.

• all

Lists every untracked file—even those ignored by default.  

Example: 

git status -u all

This mode gives you complete visibility, which can be helpful when debugging file generation issues or reviewing what’s being excluded via .gitignore.

•  no

Hides untracked files to let you focus solely on changes to files already tracked by Git. 

Example:

git status -u no

In one of my larger projects—a Node.js application with a complex build process—the output of git status was cluttered with temporary files, caches, and build artifacts. Adding the -u no option allowed me to focus exclusively on tracked file changes without distractions from temporary or auto-generated files.

Customizing the output with --porcelain

For scripting or automation tasks, predictable output is essential. The --porcelain option provides a clean, stable, machine-readable format of git status that is ideal for use in custom tools or CI/CD workflows:

git status --porcelain

This mode mimics the short format (--short) but guarantees consistent output across Git versions and configurations. Unlike the default git status, which may include extra line breaks, hints, or color depending on user settings, --porcelain strips away all such formatting—ensuring scripts can reliably parse the output.

Next Steps After Running Git Status

After you’ve run git status and analyzed the output, it’s time to decide your next move—whether that's staging files, committing updates, or cleaning up your working directory. Here’s how to proceed.

Staging files for commit

Staging prepares your changes for inclusion in the next commit. You can choose to stage individual files or everything at once.

• Stage a specific file:

Use this when you want precise control over what gets committed.

git add <file-name>

• Stage all changes:

This includes modified and newly added files in the current directory.

git add .

• Stage all tracked file changes only (excluding new untracked files):

git add -u

I recommend reviewing the changes using git status or git diff carefully before staging to avoid accidentally including unwanted files. Pairing git status with the git diff command gives even deeper insights into what’s changed in your files.

Committing changes

After staging your changes, the next step is to create a commit. A clear and descriptive commit message not only records what changed but also why the change was made—making it easier to understand the project's history over time.

git commit -m "Describe your changes here"

Best practices for commit messages:

• Use the imperative mood (e.g., “Fix login bug”, not “Fixed login bug”).
• Keep the summary line under 50 characters when possible.
• If needed, use a multi-line message (git commit without -m) to separate the summary and detailed explanation.

I have learned that taking an extra minute to write a meaningful commit message can save countless hours during later reviews or debugging sessions. Once your changes are reviewed, consider squashing your commits to clean up your Git history.

Handling untracked files

Untracked files can clutter your git status output, especially in projects with build artifacts, logs, or dependency directories. If there are files or directories you never intend to track, you can exclude them by adding entries to a .gitignore file in the root of your repository.

# Ignore dependency folders and log files
node_modules/
*.log

# Ignore system files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

This ensures that only the relevant files are in your repository, keeping the output of git status clean and focused. When you need to remove lingering untracked files from your working directory, git clean is also an interesting tool.

Reviewing status regularly

Running git status frequently is a simple yet powerful habit that helps maintain a clean and controlled development workflow. You can avoid common mistakes like committing incomplete changes or overlooking untracked files by checking the status of your working directory and staging area at regular intervals—especially before commits, branch switches, or merges.

I now incorporate this step into my daily routine, dramatically reducing errors in my commit history.

Troubleshooting Common Git Status Issues

Even with its simplicity, sometimes git status can output overwhelming or confusing information. Here are a few common issues and how to handle them.

Unwanted untracked files

In large projects, especially those using various build tools, you might see many files you never meant to track. If these appear, verify your .gitignore settings, and if necessary, remove them from tracking using:

git rm --cached <file-name>

After updating your .gitignore and using git rm --cached, run git status again to verify that the file is no longer tracked or showing up unnecessarily.

Overwhelming output

In projects with many files—especially those generating logs, caches, or temporary assets—the output from git status can become noisy and hard to scan. This makes it difficult to focus on the meaningful changes that need attention.

In this case, you can display a concise, one-line-per-file summary:

git status --short

Or hide untracked files completely from the output:

git status -u no

Together, these options make git status more focused and digestible—especially in larger codebases or automated workflows.

Conclusion

In summary, git status is an indispensable tool that offers you a real‑time window into your repository’s health. By mastering its default view, the short format, and advanced options like the -u flag, you can streamline your Git workflow and avoid common pitfalls. Experiment with these modes on your projects and notice how the clarity in managing changes accelerates your development process.

If you’re new to Git, understanding git status becomes even more powerful when paired with git init, the command that initializes repositories. If you haven't already, check out my Git Init Tutorial to learn how to set up a repository from scratch.

And if you're eager to deepen your Git skills even further, explore these DataCamp courses:

• Intermediate Git – Enhance your skills with branching, merging, and conflict resolution techniques.
• GitHub Foundations – Learn how to integrate Git with GitHub for collaborative projects.

Happy coding—and here’s to staying in perfect sync with your repository!