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Normally, git-annex repositories consist of symlinks that are checked into
git, and in turn point at the content of large files that is stored in
`.git/annex/objects/`. Direct mode is an experimental mode that gets rid of
the symlinks.
The advantage of direct mode is that you can access files directly,
including modifying them. The disadvantage is that most regular git
commands cannot safely be used, and only a subset of git-annex commands
can be used.
## enabling (and disabling) direct mode
Any repository can be converted to use direct mode at any time, and if you
decide not to use it, you can convert back to indirect mode just as easily.
Also, you can have one clone of a repository using direct mode, and another
using indirect mode; direct mode interoperates.
To start using direct mode:
git annex direct
To stop using direct mode:
git annex indirect
With direct mode, you're operating without large swathes of git-annex's
carefully constructed safety net. So you're strongly encouraged to tell
git-annex that your direct mode repository cannot be trusted to retain
the content of a file (because any file can be deleted or modified at
any time). To do so:
git annex untrust .
## use a direct mode repository
The main command that's used in direct mode repositories is
`git annex sync`. This automatically adds new files, commits all
changed files to git, pushes them out, pulls down any changes, etc.
You can also run `git annex get` to transfer the content of files into your
direct mode repository. Or if the direct mode repository is a remote of
some other, regular git-annex repository, you can use commands like `git
annex copy` and `git annex move` to transfer the contents of files to the
direct mode repository.
You can use `git commit --staged`. (But not `git commit -a` .. It'll commit
whole large files into git!)
You can use `git log` and other git query commands.
## what doesn't work in direct mode
Don't use `git annex add` -- it thinks all direct mode files are unlocked,
and locks them.
In general git-annex commands will only work in direct mode repositories on
files whose content is not present. That's because such files are still
represented as symlinks, which git-annex commands know how to operate on.
So, `git annex get` works, but `git annex drop` and `git annex move` don't,
and things like `git annex fsck` and `git annex status` show incomplete
information.
It's technically possible to make all git-annex commands work in direct
mode repositories, so this might change. Check back to this page to see
current status about what works and what doesn't.
As for git commands, you can probably use some git working tree
manipulation commands, like `git checkout` and `git revert` in useful
ways... But beware, these commands can replace files that are present in
your repository with broken symlinks. If that file was the only copy you
had of something, it'll be lost.
This is one reason it's wise to make git-annex untrust your direct mode
repositories. Still, you can lose data using these sort of git commands, so
use extreme caution.
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