How do I remove a submodule?

 

To remove a submodule from a Git repository, you can use the git submodule deinit, git rm, and git commit commands. Here's a step-by-step example of how to remove a submodule:

1. Navigate to the root of your Git repository:

   Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the root directory of your Git repository, where the submodule is located.

2. Deinitialize the submodule:

   Use the git submodule deinit command to deinitialize the submodule. Replace path_to_submodule with the actual path to your submodule within the repository:

   bash

git submodule deinit -f path_to_submodule

The -f flag is used to force removal. This step prepares the submodule for removal.

Remove the submodule from the index:

Use the git rm command to remove the submodule from the Git index:

bash

git rm --cached path_to_submodule

This command unstages the submodule but keeps the submodule files in your working directory.

Commit the changes:

Commit the changes to finalize the removal of the submodule:

bash

git commit -m "Remove submodule path_to_submodule"

Replace "Remove submodule path_to_submodule" with an appropriate commit message.

Remove the submodule directory:

Finally, you can remove the actual submodule directory from your file system using standard file removal commands. For example, on Unix-like systems:

bash

rm -rf path_to_submodule

On Windows, you can use the rmdir command:

bash

5. rmdir /s /q path_to_submodule
   

After following these steps, the submodule will be removed from your Git repository, and the changes will be committed. Ensure you commit any other changes you want before performing these removal steps, as they will result in a commit that removes the submodule.