Clone and Rewrite Commit History with Your Name - A Step-by-Step Guide

The step-by-step procedure to clone a GitHub repository and push all the commits with your name and email:

1. Clone the Forked Repository:

   • Copy the URL of your forked repository (HTTPS or SSH).
   • Open your terminal or command prompt.
   • Navigate to the directory where you want to clone the repository.
   • Run the following command, replacing <forked-repository-url> with the copied URL:

     git clone <forked-repository-url>
     

2. Change into the Cloned Repository's Directory:

   • Run the following command, replacing <forked-repository-name> with the name of the cloned repository's directory:

     cd <forked-repository-name>
     

3. Configure Git User Information:

   • Set your name and email for the commits. Replace <Your Name> and <your-email@example.com> with your desired name and email address, respectively:

     git config user.name "<Your Name>"
     git config user.email "<your-email@example.com>"
     

4. Replace Commits with Updated Name and Email:

   • Run the following command to rewrite all the commits in the repository with your name and email:

     git filter-branch -f --env-filter '
       export GIT_AUTHOR_NAME="<Your Name>"
       export GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL="<your-email@example.com>"
       export GIT_COMMITTER_NAME="<Your Name>"
       export GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL="<your-email@example.com>"
     ' --tag-name-filter cat -- --branches --tags
     

5. Create a New Repository on GitHub:

   • Go to GitHub and create a new repository where you want to push the updated commits.

6. Change the Remote URL:

   • Add the New Remote URL:
     • Open your terminal or command prompt.
     • Navigate to the directory of your cloned repository.
     • Run the following command, replacing <new-repository-url> with the copied URL:

       git remote add new-origin <new-repository-url>
       

7. Force-Push the Changes:

   • Before force-pushing, ensure you have a backup or are certain that you want to replace the entire commit history.
   • Run the following command to force-push the rewritten commits to the new repository:

     git push --force new-origin --all
     

By following these steps, you will successfully clone the repository, rewrite the commits with your name and email, and push them to a new repository with the updated author information.

Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

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