git-annex/doc/git-annex-init.mdwn

# NAME

git-annex init - initialize git-annex

# SYNOPSIS

git annex init `[description]`

# DESCRIPTION

Until a repository (or one of its remotes) has been initialized,
git-annex will refuse to operate on it, to avoid accidentally
using it in a repository that was not intended to have an annex.

It's useful, but not mandatory, to initialize each new clone
of a repository with its own description. If you don't provide one,
one will be generated using the username, hostname and the path.

If any special remotes were configured with autoenable=true,
this will also attempt to enable them. See [[git-annex-initremote]](1).
To prevent that, re-enable a remote with "autoenable=false", or
mark it as dead (see [[git-annex-dead]](1)).

This command is entirely safe, although usually pointless, to run inside an
already initialized git-annex repository.
  
A top-level `.noannex` file will prevent git-annex init from being used
in a repository. This is useful for repositories that have a policy
reason not to use git-annex. The content of the file will be displayed
to the user who tries to run git-annex init.

# EXAMPLES

	# git annex add foo
	git-annex: First run: git-annex init
	# git annex init
	init ok
	# git annex add foo
	add foo ok

# OPTIONS

* `--version=N`

  Force the repository to be initialized using a different annex.version
  than the current default.

  When the version given is not supported, but can be automatically
  upgraded to a newer version, it will use the newer version instead.

* `--autoenable`

  Only enable any special remotes that were configured with
  autoenable=true, do not otherwise initialize anything.

* `--no-autoenable`

  Do not enable special remotes that were configured with autoenable=true.

* `--json`

  Enable JSON output. This is intended to be parsed by programs that use
  git-annex.

* `--json-error-messages`

  Messages that would normally be output to standard error are included in
  the JSON instead.

* Also the [[git-annex-common-options]](1) can be used.

# SEE ALSO

[[git-annex]](1)

[[git-annex-describe]](1)

[[git-annex-reinit]](1)

git-init(1)

# AUTHOR

Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>

Warning: Automatically converted into a man page by mdwn2man. Edit with care.