---
title: Git Bash undocumented command line
---

git-bash is a `mintty.exe` wrapper and bash wrapper – it winds up invoking
other processes that do the actual work.  While git-bash.exe is undocumented, `mintty.exe` and [`bash.exe`](https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bash.html) [are documented](http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/).

`git-bash.exe` sets up the environment in windows for `bash.exe`, then launches the bash shell

Example Windows shortcut to bash script: `/x/src/wallet/docs/mkdocs.sh`

	"C:\Program Files\Git\git-bash.exe" --cd=X:\src\wallet --needs-console --no-hide --command=usr\bin\bash.exe --login -i docs/mkdocs.sh

Notice that the paths to the left of the invocation of `bash` are in Windows
format, and the paths to the right of the invocation of bash are in gnu
format.

Albeit this way of executing a bash script in windows is too clever by half,
since you should be able to execute it just by clicking on it.

`--cd=D:\src`
Sets the initial working directory to `/d/src`  (windows path, launches bash
with the corresponding gnu path)

`--no-cd`
does not set working directory.

`--cd-to-home`
Sets the working directory to home.

`--command=`command-line
Executes `<command-line>` instead of the embedded string resource.

`--minimal-search-path`
Ensures that only `/cmd/` is added to the `PATH` instead of	`/mingw??/bin` and `/usr/bin/`

`--no-minimal-search-path`
Normal search path

`--needs-console`
Ensures that there is a Win32 console associated with the spawned process

`--no-needs-console`
Fails to ensure that there is a Win32 console

`--hide`
Hides the console window.  This makes sense if you are launching a script and
not expecting any feedback.  But it means that the script has no means to
give you an error message.

`--no-hide`
Does not hide the console window.