Git notes
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 6 of 9 version control features by recommenders
People recommend git notes for attaching metadata to commits without changing commit hashes or cluttering history, though notes do not sync by default.
People recommend git notes for attaching metadata to commits without changing commit hashes or cluttering history, though notes do not sync by default.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 85%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Keeps commit hashes and history unchanged
“git notes is better for signature metadata because it doesn't change the commit hash to add signatures for the commit”
Comment from 10 Feb 2026 in “Entire: Open-source tool that pairs agent context to Git commits” “So it doesn't seem that normal commit history is affected - git stores notes specially, outside of the commit”
Comment from 2 Mar 2026 in “If AI writes code, should the session be part of the commit?” “adjacent to commits, follows branch structure, easy to instrument, doesn't muddy the commit history”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Commit description as a thinking tool” - Comment from 17 Jan 2026 in “We Put Claude Code in Rollercoaster Tycoon”
- Comment from 2 Mar 2026 in “If AI writes code, should the session be part of the commit?”
Lives alongside commits in the repo
“It's all in the same place, you can push them, and Claude Code just needs to be told that they exist.”
Comment from 6 Jan 2026 in “Show HN: I replaced beads with a faster, simpler Markdown-based task tracker” “adjacent to commits, follows branch structure, easy to instrument, doesn't muddy the commit history”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Commit description as a thinking tool” “you could use `git notes` to attach agent state as checkpoints to Trees, Commits, Tags etc.”
Comment from 10 Feb 2026 in “Ex-GitHub CEO Launches a New Developer Platform for AI Agents” - Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “Jack Dorsey launches Buzz to combine team chat, AI agents and Git hosting”
Good fit for AI agent context
“you could use `git notes` to attach agent state as checkpoints to Trees, Commits, Tags etc.”
Comment from 10 Feb 2026 in “Ex-GitHub CEO Launches a New Developer Platform for AI Agents” “git notes is a good side channel that allows bots to keep context clues with commits”
Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “Jack Dorsey launches Buzz to combine team chat, AI agents and Git hosting” “I think it's a perfect match for this case.”
Comment from 2 Mar 2026 in “If AI writes code, should the session be part of the commit?” - Comment from 20 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Huzzah – a novel approach to coding with AI”
Easy for bots and agents to use
“It's all in the same place, you can push them, and Claude Code just needs to be told that they exist.”
Comment from 6 Jan 2026 in “Show HN: I replaced beads with a faster, simpler Markdown-based task tracker” “adjacent to commits, follows branch structure, easy to instrument, doesn't muddy the commit history”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Commit description as a thinking tool” “git notes is a good side channel that allows bots to keep context clues with commits”
Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “Jack Dorsey launches Buzz to combine team chat, AI agents and Git hosting”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Notes do not sync by default
“that's why I chose git notes. If you do not sync them you have no knowledge of their existence.”
Comment from 2 Mar 2026 in “If AI writes code, should the session be part of the commit?” “those don't sync by default which causes its own kind of friction”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “An Accidental Blackboard”
Other version control features people recommend
The four most recommended other version control features, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Git worktree | 58 | 21 | 73% | 11 | — | Approved |
| git rebase | 24 | 13 | 65% | 9 | — | — |
| git rerere | 19 | 4 | 83% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Git submodules | 14 | 13 | 52% | 7 | — | — |
| Git notesThis page | 11 | 2 | 85% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
All 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It does what it sounds like you are missing.”
“adjacent to commits, follows branch structure, easy to instrument, doesn't muddy the commit history”
“those don't sync by default which causes its own kind of friction”
“I don't think git-notes has the same history / change tracking.”
“use `git notes` (as I do)”
“git notes is a good side channel that allows bots to keep context clues with commits”
“I think it's a perfect match for this case.”
“that's why I chose git notes. If you do not sync them you have no knowledge of their existence.”
“So it doesn't seem that normal commit history is affected - git stores notes specially, outside of the commit”
“You can avoid the noise with git notes. Add the session as a note on the commit.”
“you could use `git notes` to attach agent state as checkpoints to Trees, Commits, Tags etc.”
“git notes is better for signature metadata because it doesn't change the commit hash to add signatures for the commit”
“git notes is better for signature metadata because it doesn't change the commit hash”
“It's all in the same place, you can push them, and Claude Code just needs to be told that they exist.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.