Changing editor for Git on the command line

Something that has been bugging me since moving from a GUI to command line git has been the default editor for writing commit messages.

Most of the time I use a -m flag and type the message in the command, between "s, e.g. git commit -m "This is the commit message". But when I amend a commit or just run git commit on its own (I can sometimes be a bit trigger-happy with that ⏎ key!) I’m in VIM…

From there I have to remember to hit i to insert text, then when I’m ready, hit esc, then :, then wq to write and quit. I’m not opposed to Vim; I’ve even got it on my ‘Things to learn’ list, but now’s not the time to learn it – learning Git on the command line is quite enough right now!

Enter Nano

I’m much more comfortable with Nano. Its commands are familiar for a Mac user like me, and I’ve been using it for years to edit config files on servers. So until the time comes to learn Vim, Nano’s the most sensible editor to use for my commit messages.

How prescriptive?

You can change your git editor at one of three levels:

1. Per computer
2. Per user
3. Per repo

I’m the only person who uses my Mac, so option 1 would work, but it feels like the wrong approach. I don’t want to dictate that kind of thing to any other potential users of my machine.

I’m a big fan of .editorconfig files but being too prescriptive about how another developer edits a project isn’t right. Option 3 is out.

So option 2 strikes the right balance – it’s about me, not about my Mac or the project.

Making the switch

Changing the editor from Vim to Nano is pretty straightforward. It can be done in a couple of ways:

• Running a command
• Editing the your user’s git config file

In truth, running the command just updates the config file anyway, so it’s kind of six-and-two-threes. I could just tell you the command, but I found it quite interesting to see the config file.

Via the command line

Just run git config --global core.editor "nano" and that’s it! From now on you’ll edit your git commit messages using Nano rather than Vim!

Via your .gitconfig file

If you’re in your terminal, head to your .gitconfig file with nano ~/.gitconfig and make your changes.

If you prefer to use Finder, head to your user’s home directory and hit ⌘ + ⇧ + . to show your hidden files, if you haven’t got this set already (Hide them again with another ⌘ + ⇧ + .). You’ll see the .gitconfig file, which you can right-click and ‘Open with’ your favourite text editor. Add editor = nano to [core] like this:

[core]
  editor = nano

Oh, and don’t forget to save the file!

If you’re just having a look at your .gitconfig file having already run the command, that line will already be there.