git sparse-checkout Command in CI

git sparse-checkout populates the working tree with only the directories you list.

In a large monorepo, a CI job often needs just one package. Combined with a partial clone, sparse-checkout keeps the working tree (and disk and time) small.

Common flags

init --cone - enable sparse checkout in cone mode (directory-based, fast)
set <dir>... - restrict the working tree to the given directories
add <dir> - add more directories to the sparse set
list - show the current sparse patterns
disable - turn sparse checkout off and restore the full tree
reapply - re-evaluate patterns against the index

Example

shell

# Check out only one service from a monorepo
git clone --no-checkout --filter=blob:none \
  https://github.com/owner/monorepo.git repo
cd repo
git sparse-checkout init --cone
git sparse-checkout set services/billing
git checkout main

In CI

Pair --filter=blob:none with sparse-checkout in cone mode to clone a monorepo quickly and materialize only the package a job builds. Cone mode is much faster than the pattern-matching default and is the recommended choice for CI.

Key takeaways

sparse-checkout in cone mode materializes only the directories a CI job needs.
Combine it with --filter=blob:none for a fast, small monorepo checkout.
Cone mode outperforms the legacy pattern mode and is preferred in CI.

Related guides

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