Git Blame Lineage Explainer
Free git blame porcelain parser. No repository access needed.
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What is Git Blame Lineage Explainer?
The Git Blame Lineage Explainer reads git blame --line-porcelain output and turns the raw stream into a readable story: consecutive lines from the same commit group into segments with hash, author, date and line range, author statistics count every line per person, and the oldest and newest touches bracket the file history. Parsing is pure text processing — no repository access, no network — so internal code can be analyzed anywhere without granting repository access.
Key Benefits
- Raw porcelain becomes a readable lineage in one paste
- Segments show exactly which commit owns which stretch of lines
- Author statistics expose knowledge concentration
- Oldest and newest commits flag legacy code at a glance
- No repository access, no network, nothing stored
Common Use Cases
- •Reviewing who owns which section before a refactor
- •Finding when a suspicious line was introduced and by whom
- •Mapping knowledge concentration across a legacy file
- •Preparing archaeology notes for onboarding documents
- •Analyzing blame dumps on machines without repository access
How to Read a Git Blame Dump
- Run git blame: In your repository run git blame --line-porcelain on the file you care about and copy the entire output.
- Paste it here: Paste the porcelain stream into the box. Headers, author lines and tab-indented content lines are all understood.
- Read the lineage: Consecutive lines from the same commit group into segments with hash, author, date and line range, so rewrites and quick fixes stand out visually.
- Use the statistics: Author counts reveal knowledge concentration; the oldest commit dates flag code that predates the current team. Copy the summary into your ticket or review.
Key Features
- Full --line-porcelain parsing including author and time headers
- Consecutive same-commit lines grouped into segments
- Per-author line statistics sorted by contribution
- Oldest and newest commit dates surfaced at a glance
- Copyable summary for tickets, reviews and docs
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I produce the input this tool expects?
Run git blame --line-porcelain path/to/file in your repository and copy the entire output. The tool reads the header lines (author, author-time, summary) and the tab-indented content lines; no flags or extra arguments are needed.
Is my source code uploaded anywhere?
No. Parsing happens entirely in your browser with plain text processing — the pasted blame output never leaves the page, so proprietary or internal code can be analyzed on any machine, even fully offline.
What is a segment in the lineage view?
A segment is a run of consecutive lines last touched by the same commit. When a file was rewritten wholesale you get one big segment; when many authors patched different parts you get many small ones — the pattern itself tells you how the file evolved.
Why do moved or copied lines show surprising dates?
git blame follows the content, and with the default settings a line moved between files keeps its original commit. Use the generated hash to find the commit and check whether a move, not an edit, is what you are seeing.