Review new files in diffs with git add -N

When you create a new file, it can be awkward to review it in a diff-first workflow:

• git status clearly shows the untracked file.
• git diff often shows nothing, because Git can only diff between two known states.

git add -N <path> fixes that by creating an empty index entry for the new file ("intent to add"). From then on, git diff can show the file as a normal patch without actually staging the contents.

Step by step

1. Confirm the file is untracked:

1. Mark the file as intent-to-add:

1. Review it as an unstaged diff:

1. If you want to undo the intent-to-add entry:

Variations

• If you actually want to stage the full content of the new file, use git add <path>.

• If you want to review what you already staged, use git diff --staged.

Note: for intent-to-add paths, git diff --staged output can look surprising. That’s normal: the index entry is intentionally empty.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up git diff (working tree vs index) with git diff --staged (index vs HEAD).
• Assuming git add -N stages file contents. It doesn’t.

See also

• git status for spotting untracked files.