Syncing Repositories

Overview

Check whether local branches are ahead of, behind, or in sync with their remote tracking branches across multiple repositories.

When to Use

Use when you need to verify if:

• Any repository needs to be pushed (git push)
• Any repository needs to be pulled (git pull)
• All repositories are up-to-date with remote

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
ls -d */	Discover all repositories
git rev-list	Get ahead/behind counts
Format: ahead behind	First = local commits not pushed, Second = remote commits not pulled

Implementation

Step 1: Discover Repositories

ls -d */

Step 2: Fetch Remote Updates (Parallel)

For each repository, fetch latest remote references first:

cd repo-name && git fetch origin

This ensures accurate sync status by updating remote branch references.

Step 3: Check Sync Status (Parallel)

For each repository, check ahead/behind counts:

cd repo-name && git rev-list --left-right --count main...origin/main

Output format: ahead behind (e.g., 3 0 = 3 ahead, 0 behind)

Step 4: Present Results

Use a markdown table for clear presentation:

仓库	状态	领先	落后
repo1	✅ 已同步	0	0
repo2	⚠️ 需推送	2	0
repo3	⚠️ 需拉取	0	1

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Why It's Wrong	Fix
Not fetching before checking	Uses stale remote references, misses remote changes	Always run git fetch first
Using git status -sb only	Doesn't show ahead/behind counts clearly	Use git rev-list --left-right --count
Checking repos sequentially	Slow with many repos	Run commands in parallel
Not handling missing remotes	Command fails or gives unclear output	Add 2>/dev/null || echo "No remote"
Outputting raw numbers	Hard to parse mentally	Format as readable table
Forgetting to cd into repo	Command runs in wrong directory	Each check needs cd repo &&

Real-World Impact

Before: 7 repos, manual git status in each, hard to compare

After: Single scan, clear table, immediate action items