Git Extended

Run Git commands

Actions26

Overview

The node "Git Extended" enables running various Git commands directly within an n8n workflow. It supports a wide range of Git operations such as cloning repositories, pulling and pushing changes, managing branches, commits, tags, and more. This node is beneficial for automating version control tasks in CI/CD pipelines, synchronizing code repositories, or integrating Git workflows with other automation processes.

For the Pull operation specifically, the node pulls changes from a remote Git repository into a local repository path. It supports authentication methods (including custom username/password), specifying the remote and branch to pull from, and options to skip downloading Git LFS objects to optimize performance.

Practical example:

Automatically update a local repository clone with the latest changes from a remote branch before triggering a build or deployment step.
Periodically synchronize content from a remote Git repository to keep data up-to-date in an automated workflow.

Properties

Name	Meaning
Authentication	Method to authenticate with the Git remote: - Authenticate (using an API key credential) - Custom (username and password) - None (no authentication)
Username	Username for custom authentication (shown if Authentication is "Custom")
Password	Password for custom authentication (shown if Authentication is "Custom")
Repository Path	Filesystem path where the Git command will be executed. For pull, this is the local repository directory
Remote	Name of the remote repository to pull from (default: "origin")
Branch	Branch name to pull from (optional; if empty, defaults to the currently checked-out branch)
Skip LFS Smudge	Whether to set environment variable `GIT_LFS_SKIP_SMUDGE=1` to skip downloading Git Large File Storage (LFS) objects during pull (default: false)
Skip Stdout	Whether to ignore the command output to avoid maxBuffer errors (default: false)

Output

The node outputs JSON data containing the results of the executed Git pull command:

stdout: The standard output text from the Git pull command, trimmed of whitespace.
stderr: The standard error text from the Git pull command, trimmed of whitespace.

If the Skip Stdout option is enabled, the output JSON will be empty ({}) to prevent buffer overflow issues when large outputs are expected.

No binary data output is produced by this operation.

Dependencies

Requires Git to be installed and accessible on the system where n8n runs.
Supports authentication via:
- An API key credential configured in n8n (generic reference).
- Custom username and password provided as input parameters.
No additional external services are required beyond access to the target Git repository.

Troubleshooting

Common issues:
- Incorrect repository path: Ensure the Repository Path points to a valid local Git repository.
- Authentication failures: Verify credentials are correct and have sufficient permissions.
- Network connectivity problems: Confirm network access to the remote Git server.
- Large output causing maxBuffer errors: Enable Skip Stdout to avoid these errors.
Error messages:
- Unsupported operation Pull: Indicates the operation parameter was not recognized; ensure "Pull" is selected.
- Failed to parse the repository URL: Occurs if the remote URL is malformed or credentials cannot be embedded properly.
- Command failed with exit code X: Generic Git error; check the stderr output for details.

To resolve errors, verify all input parameters, especially authentication and repository paths, and consult the Git command line manually if needed.