Amend last git commit

If we forget to include some file(s) with a git commit, or want to change the commit message, the git commit --amend is a convenient method.

[!warning] It should be noted that using amend will replace the last commit with the new commit, and the previous commit will no longer be on the current branch.

Changing the commit message

When nothing else has been staged after the last commit,

git commit --amend -m 'updated commit message'

will simply let you change the last commit message.

Changing commited files

If we forget to commit a file, we can do the following:

# add files
git add file1.py file2.py
git commit -m 'fixed an error...'

# when you realise you didn't include another file
git add file3.py
git commit --amend --no-edit

The --no-edit option lets you skip specifying a new commit message.