git pull --verbose with submodules ends in error message

From: "Fink, Mike" <Mike.Fink@samsongroup.com>
To: "git@vger.kernel.org" <git@vger.kernel.org>
Cc: "Stein, Christoph" <Christoph.Stein@samsongroup.com>,
	"Scholz, Marco" <Marco.Scholz@samsongroup.com>,
	"Walch, Emmanuel" <Emmanuel.Walch@samsongroup.com>
Subject: git pull --verbose with submodules ends in error message
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2022 12:47:11 +0000	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <FR3P281MB21416B718C4C052A28C319B1E90F9@FR3P281MB2141.DEUP281.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM> (raw)

Dear Sir or Madam, 

Bug Description
===============

when doing a git pull on a repository with submodules, the --verbose option causes an error message like: 
usage: git submodule [--quiet] [--cached]
   or: git submodule [--quiet] add [-b <branch>] [-f|--force] [--name <name>] [--reference <repository>] [--] <repository> [<path>]
... and so on.
Exit code is 1

This happens, when recursing the submodules. Either add to .gitconfig:
[submodule]
	recurse = true
or use --recurse-submodules for the git pull command.

Version 2.37.3-64-bit is OK.
Version 2.38.1-64-bit is shows the error.
Reproducible on Windows and Linux

How to Reproduce
================
# steps to reproduce: 
# run the following commands in a debian:sid container, 
# e.g. "docker container run -it debian:sid".

# Any other environment with git 2.38.1 should be fine, too. 
# Git for windows 2.38.1 also shows the same behaviour.

# install git 2.38.1 (at the time of writing) and clone a public repo with submodules
$ apt update && apt install git
$ git clone --recurse-submodules https://gitlab.com/tortoisegit/tortoisegit.git
$ cd tortoisegit

# this one succeeds
$ git pull --recurse-submodules

# this one fails after fetching the submodules, showing 
# the "git submodule" help text as if we had made a "git submodule" 
# call with insufficient/wrong arguments.
$ git pull --recurse-submodules --verbose

Workaround
==========
1) Do not use --verbose when pulling a repository with submodules.
   Unfortunately this workaround does not apply to our workflow, 
   since we happily use TortoiseGit as our graphical Git client on windows. 
   TortoiseGit automatically uses the option -v (--verbose).
   $ git.exe pull --progress -v --no-rebase "origin"
2) Use Version 2.37.3-64-bit. 

Questions
=========
Any questions regarding this bug description? Happy to help.

Kind regards, Mike.

--

Mike Fink
Softwareentwickler
E44

SAMSON AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Weismüllerstraße 3 · 60314 Frankfurt am Main

Telefon: +49 69 4009-1682
E-Mail: Mike.Fink@samsongroup.com · Internet: www.samsongroup.com