git clone --shallow-since: Time-Bounded History
git clone --shallow-since=<date> fetches only commits newer than that date, useful when you need recent history of unknown depth rather than a fixed --depth count.
A fixed --depth is a guess; --shallow-since bounds history by time instead, so you get every commit in the last week or since a release tag without overshooting. It pairs with --shallow-exclude to stop at a ref.
What it does
git clone --shallow-since=<date> creates a shallow clone containing commits committed after <date>. --shallow-exclude=<ref> instead truncates history at a given tag or ref. Both are alternatives to --depth that express "how much history" in terms the build actually cares about.
Common usage
git clone --shallow-since="2 weeks ago" https://github.com/org/repo
git clone --shallow-since="2026-06-01" https://github.com/org/repo
# stop history at the previous release tag
git clone --shallow-exclude=v1.4.0 https://github.com/org/repo
# deepen an existing shallow clone by date
git fetch --shallow-since="1 month ago"Options
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
| --shallow-since=<date> | Include only commits after this date |
| --shallow-exclude=<ref> | Truncate history at this ref/tag |
| --depth <n> | Alternative: fixed number of commits |
| --unshallow | Convert a shallow clone to a full one |
| --no-single-branch | Fetch all branches within the shallow window |
In CI
Use --shallow-since when a step (changelog, diff against last release) needs "since X" history but not the whole repo. The server must support the protocol; older or proxied Git servers may refuse and you fall back to --depth. A clone too shallow for git describe or git merge-base will error later; deepen or --unshallow if so.
Common errors in CI
"fatal: the remote end hung up unexpectedly" or "Server does not support --shallow-since" means the host or protocol version cannot honor it; use --depth. "fatal: no commits selected for shallow requests" means the date excluded the branch tip entirely (date in the future or wrong format).