Reflog
You can use the Reflog activity to view HEAD or branch history, showing every operation that moved a ref. The Reflog records resets, rebases, force-pushes, and branch deletions, so you can recover a commit even after the branch that pointed to it is gone.
Navigate the Reflog activity
To show the Reflog activity, click its activity-bar icon or click Git > Reflog.
Reflog entries are listed newest first. Each entry starts with an operation badge, such as commit or checkout. All the badges have the same width, so the commit hashes line up. In standard mode, each entry shows:
- The operation badge. A qualifier, such as amend or merge, shows under the operation.
- The commit hash and the time since the operation occurred. Click the hash to open the commit.
- The message summary, when available.
In the activity panel, open More actions and select Compact Mode under View to show each entry on one line. A check mark shows when it is on. In a separate tab, use the Toggle compact mode icon.
When the panel is narrow, each badge shows a two-letter code instead of the operation. Hold the pointer over a badge to see the full operation.
| Code | Operation |
|---|---|
| Cm | commit |
| Co | checkout |
| CP | cherry-pick |
| Cl | clone |
| Mg | merge |
| Rb | rebase |
| Rs | reset |
| Pl | pull |
| Br | branch |
| Rv | revert |
Other operations use their first two letters. In a very narrow panel, the time is hidden so that the hash and the message keep their space.
To open a reflog in a separate tab, right-click the reflog and click Open in New Tab.
Filter reflogs
Click the Show filters icon to open the filter panel. Enter a message, operation, or short commit hash in Search reflog. Use Ref to choose HEAD or a local branch. Use Operation to choose a Git operation. Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on macOS) to open the panel and focus the search field.
When filters are applied, the line above the list shows the number of matching entries, for example Showing 12 of 80 entries. Each filter that is set shows as a chip above the count, for example Ref: main and Operation: checkout. Click a chip to open the panel at that filter: Ref and Operation open their list, and the search field gets the cursor. Click its x to remove that filter. To remove all of them and show HEAD again, click Clear filters at the end of the count line. In a narrow panel the button says Clear. The line is hidden when you browse HEAD without filters.
Reflog Entry view
Click a reflog entry to open the reflog in the Reflog Entry view. The Reflog Entry view displays the following information.
- Reflog ID: The most recent reflog entry is assigned the
HEAD@{0}ID. - Git operation badge: The type of operation the reflog recorded.
- Timestamp: The amount of time since the operation occurred.
- Operation message: The message of the operation.
- Commits: The commits made before and after the reflog entry.
- Changed Files: The files in the reflog entry.
The Changed Files section works as in the Commit view: click View Diffs to open the entry in the Diffs view, or click a file to open the Diffs view at that file. Right-click a file for more commands. See Changed files.
Reflog actions
In the Reflog Entry view, select More actions for these commands.
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Show in Commits | Shows the matching commit in the Commits activity. |
| Create branch from here… | Creates a branch at the reflog entry, with an option to switch to it. See Create a branch from a commit, tag, or reflog entry. |
| Cherry-pick this commit | Cherry-picks the reflog onto the current branch. |
| Copy hash | Copies the commit hash of the reflog. |
| Reset —soft (moves HEAD only) | Moves HEAD to the entry’s commit without changing staged content or working files. |
| Reset —mixed (moves HEAD + unstages) | Moves HEAD to the entry’s commit and clears staging without changing working files. |
| Reset —hard (discards changes) | Moves HEAD to the entry’s commit and discards uncommitted changes to tracked files. |
You can also right-click an entry in the Reflog activity. The menu has Show in Commits, Create branch from here…, Cherry-pick this commit, Checkout (detached HEAD), and a Reset here action for each reset mode.
Each reset asks you to confirm. If the repository changes before the reset starts, Zide does not reset. See The repository changed before an action could start.
If a cherry-pick cannot start, Zide lists the reasons. It offers Open Staging or Stash Changes and Review when those actions can help. See A merge, revert, or cherry-pick did not start.
Assist with This
Right-click a reflog entry and point to Assist with This. In the Reflog Entry view, you can also right-click the content header or an ordinary background area, or click More actions.
Under Zide Assist, click Add to Conversation to attach the entry to a Zide Assist tab. You can also drag the entry into a Zide Assist tab. For more information, see Attach items to a message.
Under Ask Zide, click Open Ask Zide. Zide opens the entry in the Reflog Entry view with an Ask Zide panel beside it. In the panel, click Explain Reflog Entry. See Ask Zide beside a tab.