1. Using git add . Without Reviewing

What goes wrong:
The command stages everything in your working directory—often including unwanted items like .env files, build artifacts, or temporary logs.

Why it hurts:
You risk committing secrets, oversized binaries, or debug files unintentionally, leading to repository bloat or security exposure. As one medium article highlights, misuse of git add . frequently results in broken builds or leaked credentials Medium.

Fix:

• Always inspect changes with git status or git diff --staged.

• Stage files explicitly: git add path/to/changedFile.js.

2. Forgetting to Pull Before Pushing

What goes wrong:
You push changes without first pulling updates from the remote. This often causes conflicts or overwritten work if others have pushed in the meantime.

Why it hurts:
Force-pushes or merge conflicts become common, and your changes might inadvertently override teammates’ work. This is cited routinely in Git usage guidelines as a key mistake LinkedIn.

Fix:

• Always run git pull --rebase before pushing.

• Use --force-with-lease when rewriting history to prevent overwriting others unexpectedly.

3. Committing Large Files or Sensitive Data

What goes wrong:
Developers sometimes commit binaries, logs, or private configuration accidentally. Git tracks everything, so once included, files may persist in history—even after deletion.

Why it hurts:
Huge files slow cloning/pushing, increase repo size indefinitely, and secrets (like API keys) risk public exposure. According to GeeksforGeeks, this mistake is a top cause of inefficient and risky repositories.

Fix:

• Use a proper .gitignore (e.g. *.log, node_modules/, .env).

• Leverage Git LFS for binary tracking when needed.

• Regularly audit your history for accidental commits (git log, git fsck, or tools like GitGuardian).

4. Bundling Unrelated Changes into a Single Commit

What goes wrong:
You group refactors, formatting changes, and feature updates into one commit.

Why it hurts:
This makes code review difficult, reduces clarity on “why” changes occurred, and makes reversion or blame analysis painful. Researchers report that 75% of teams struggle with tangled commits that mix unrelated changes Medium.

Fix:

• Aim for atomic commits: each commit addresses a single concern or task.

• Use git add -p to selectively stage only relevant hunks.

• Rebase early in your feature branch to keep history clean before merging.

5. Using git commit --amend or git rebase on Shared Branches

What goes wrong:
Amending or rebasing rewrites commit history. If others rely on those commits, merging or pushing can break others' local branches.

Why it hurts:
Changes require force pushes and desynchronize teammates' history—often causing confusion, lost work, or long rebase chains. This is frequently cautioned in Git best-practice literature.

Fix:

• Only amend or rebase locally before pushing to avoid history changes visible to others.

• For shared branches, prefer git revert to undo changes safely without rewriting history.

Additional Tips from the Dev Community

From Reddit's r/git discussions:

“Git runs on simple assumptions, but those assumptions are poorly taught… many users stick to add, commit & merge and never learn deeper features.” LinkedIn

This rings true: most developers learn only the basics and perpetuate common workflow issues.

Summary Table of Git Mistakes & Fixes

Final Takeaway

Git is powerful—and forgives few mistakes. But adopting disciplined workflows—staging thoughtfully, pulling & rebasing often, keeping commits clean, and avoiding history rewrites on shared branches—transforms Git from a hazard into a powerful collaboration tool.