Git Interactive Rebase: Rewrite Commit History

What Is Interactive Rebase?

git rebase -i (interactive) opens an editor showing recent commits and lets you rewrite history by reordering, editing, squashing, dropping, or rewording commits. It is the most flexible tool for cleaning up a branch before merging.

Starting an Interactive Rebase

# Rebase the last 5 commits
git rebase -i HEAD~5

# Rebase from a specific commit
git rebase -i abc1234

The Instruction Sheet

Your editor opens with:

pick a1b2c3d Add user model
pick f4e5d6a Add user controller
pick 7g8h9i0 Fix typo
pick j1k2l3m Add user tests
pick n4o5p6q Update README

Available Commands

Command	Short	Effect
pick	p	Keep the commit as-is
reword	r	Keep commit, edit message
edit	e	Pause to amend the commit
squash	s	Merge into previous commit, combine messages
fixup	f	Merge into previous commit, discard message
drop	d	Remove the commit entirely

Example: Clean Up Before PR

pick a1b2c3d Add user model
squash f4e5d6a Add user controller
fixup 7g8h9i0 Fix typo
pick j1k2l3m Add user tests
drop n4o5p6q Update README

This combines the first three commits, keeps the test commit separate, and removes the README update.

Reordering Commits

Simply rearrange the lines in the editor. Git will replay the commits in the new order.

Handling Conflicts

If reordering or squashing causes conflicts, Git will pause and let you resolve them, then continue with git rebase --continue.

Safety

Interactive rebase rewrites commit hashes. Only use it on unpushed commits or feature branches where you are the sole contributor. If you need to update a pushed branch, use git push --force-with-lease afterward.