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tag

Create, list, or delete tags.

Synopsis​

rit tag                    # List all tags
rit tag name               # Create a lightweight tag
rit tag -a name -m "msg"   # Create an annotated tag
rit tag -d name            # Delete a tag

Description​

Tags are references to specific commits, useful for marking releases or important milestones. Rit supports two types of tags:

  1. Lightweight tags - Simple refs pointing to a commit
  2. Annotated tags - Tag objects with metadata (message, tagger, etc.)

Lightweight tags are just files in the refs/tags directory containing a commit hash. They are quick to create and do not store extra metadata.

Annotated tags are full Git objects stored in the object database.

Annotated tags are full Git objects stored in the object database. They include:

  • The commit they point to
  • A tagger (author)
  • A message
  • A timestamp

Note: Currently, Rit creates lightweight tags even with -a flag. Full annotated tag support is planned for a future version.

Options​

  • -a, --annotated - Create an annotated tag (currently creates lightweight tag)
  • -m, --message - Tag message (for annotated tags)
  • -d - Delete the tag

Examples​

List all tags​

$ rit tag
v1.0.0
v1.1.0
v2.0.0

Create a lightweight tag​

$ rit tag v1.0.0
Created tag 'v1.0.0'

This creates a tag pointing to the current HEAD commit.

Create an annotated tag​

$ rit tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Release version 1.0.0"
Created tag 'v1.0.0'

Note: Currently creates a lightweight tag. Full annotated tag support coming soon.

Delete a tag​

$ rit tag -d v1.0.0
Deleted tag 'v1.0.0' (was abc1234)

How It Works​

Tags are stored as files in .rit/refs/tags/:

.rit/
└── refs/
    └── tags/
        ├── v1.0.0    # Contains: abc123...
        └── v2.0.0    # Contains: def456...

When you create a tag:

  1. Rit reads the current HEAD commit hash
  2. Creates a file in refs/tags with the tag name
  3. Writes the commit hash to that file

Tag Naming Conventions​

Tag names should:

  • Not contain spaces
  • Not contain forward slashes
  • Not contain backslashes
  • Be descriptive (e.g., v1.0.0, release-2024-01-01)

See Also​