After a while, you'll have several annexes, with different file contents. You don't have to try to keep all that straight; git-annex does [[location_tracking]] for you. If you ask it to get a file and the drive or file server is not accessible, it will let you know what it needs to get it: # git annex get video/hackity_hack_and_kaxxt.mov get video/_why_hackity_hack_and_kaxxt.mov (not available) Unable to access these remotes: usbdrive, server Try making some of these repositories available: 5863d8c0-d9a9-11df-adb2-af51e6559a49 -- my home file server 58d84e8a-d9ae-11df-a1aa-ab9aa8c00826 -- portable USB drive ca20064c-dbb5-11df-b2fe-002170d25c55 -- backup SATA drive failed # sudo mount /media/usb # git annex get video/hackity_hack_and_kaxxt.mov get video/hackity_hack_and_kaxxt.mov (copying from usbdrive...) ok # git commit -a -m "got a video I want to rewatch on the plane"