KITFORMA · EDITORIAL ANSWER
How do I unstage a file while keeping my edits?
KitForma editorial guide. Staging selects content for the next commit; it is separate from the working copy. Removing a staged change need not discard the edited file.
Step-by-step answer
Staging selects content for the next commit; it is separate from the working copy. Removing a staged change need not discard the edited file.
Use
git restore --staged -- path/to/file, then inspect both git diff and git diff --cached. Test this in a small repository with one staged and one unstaged edit. Do not add --worktree when the goal is to preserve the working copy. For a newly initialized repository without a commit, use a command appropriate to that unborn-branch state. Always inspect status before applying a command copied from a different recovery scenario.Sources and verification
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