Main new features
- Safer conflict resolution: a new option, git add resolved, stages only files that were in conflict. It checks for leftover conflict markers first, and stages nothing if any remain. This stops unrelated local changes or unfinished conflicts from being staged by accident.
- Bulk branch cleanup: git branch delete merged deletes local branches that have already landed upstream. Use dry run first to preview. Git skips checked-out branches and branches with missing upstreams, and you can protect a branch with a config setting.
Other cleanup and workflow improvements
- git bisect run can now reset itself when it finishes.
- git history drop (experimental) removes a commit and replays the later ones.
- Git suggests the right command for common typing slips.
Other notable changes
- Much faster merge-base calculation in large repositories
- Experimental git replay linearize for flattening merge history
- New git refs subcommands for low-level reference management
- More reliable git log follow through renames
- An option to drop large, re-fetchable blobs in partial clones
- A Windows build runtime switch
How to upgrade: check your version with the git version, then use Homebrew on macOS, Git for Windows on Windows, or your package manager on Linux. Linux packages often lag behind, so confirm 2.56 is available first.
Bottom line: a practical release that removes everyday friction. The experimental commands are worth trying, but not yet on critical branches
