magit-rebase-mode

magit-rebase-mode: the interactive rebase todo — an editable pick list built from real history, C-c C-c to run it, C-c C-k to abort (asks first).

On this page

The interactive-rebase todo list, as an editable buffer. :magit-rebase uses your branch's configured upstream; :magit-rebase <ref> rebases onto a specific ref.

The todo is built from your real history — git log --reverse --format="pick %h %s" <upstream>..HEAD — one line per commit, oldest first. The headerline names the upstream and the commit count, and adds REBASE IN PROGRESS when one is already running, which is exactly when you need to know before pressing anything.

If no upstream can be resolved (none configured, no ref given), the buffer explains why instead of showing a list, and C-c C-c refuses to run.

Amending the commit that wrote a line

C-c f e from a file buffer builds the same todo, aimed: it blames the line at the cursor, rebases onto that commit's parent, and marks that commit edit so the rebase stops there for you to amend it. See the file dispatch for the full walkthrough.

The marked row is found by commit, not by position — --reverse orders by date, so a merge in range can float a side branch's older commits above the one you asked about.

If the commit is the repository's first, the rebase runs with --root rather than failing on a parent that does not exist.

Leaving a rebase that stopped

edit (and a conflict) stops the rebase mid-flight, and by then the todo buffer is gone — so C-c C-k is not reachable. Three commands work from anywhere:

Command	What it does
`:magit-rebase-continue`	Resume, after amending or resolving
`:magit-rebase-skip`	Drop the commit it stopped on and carry on
`:magit-rebase-abort`	Abandon it, restoring the branch to where it started

Chords

Chord	Action
`C-c C-c`	Start and run the rebase
`C-c C-k`	Abort the rebase — asks first, when one is in progress
`<CR>`	Show the commit for the todo line at cursor

q and navigation come from magit-core-mode.

Editing the todo

It's a real buffer, so edit it with ordinary vim commands:

Edit	Effect
Change `pick` → `reword`	Keep the commit, change its message
Change `pick` → `squash`	Fold into the previous commit, keeping both messages
Change `pick` → `fixup`	Fold into the previous commit, discarding this message
Change `pick` → `edit`	Stop at this commit so you can amend it
Change `pick` → `drop`	Discard the commit
Reorder lines	Reorder the commits
Delete a line	Same as `drop`

Verbs are coloured, so a todo you've edited reads at a glance.

Behaviour worth knowing

reword does not prompt for a message. The commit keeps its original one. There's no message-editing UI wired up for this yet — a real limitation, not a silent failure.
C-c C-c closes the buffer as soon as the rebase is kicked off, not when it finishes. A failure is logged rather than reported back into a buffer that's already gone.
C-c C-k is safe to press early. It only runs git rebase --abort when a rebase is genuinely in progress (checked via .git/rebase-merge / .git/rebase-apply), so it can't fail against one that never started — and when there is one, it asks first, because aborting discards everything replayed so far.