Move subdirectory of a git repository and keep commit message

How to extract a subdirectory of a git repository and keep its commit message? If we directly move everything and add them again, we will lose all the history we had.

• Introduction
• Generate the history as a patch and apply the patch
  • Handling merge commit
  • Change module name

Introduction

Recently in my project, I have to (or plan to) move a subdirectory out of a large git repository. But I want to keep the history. Also I will change the module name. By the way, it is a python module and I am refactoring work.

Generate the history as a patch and apply the patch

Reference

cd path/to/repository
git log --pretty=email --patch-with-stat --reverse --full-index --binary -- path/to/file_or_folder > /path/to/patch

cd path/to/another_repository
git am --committer-date-is-author-date < /path/to/patch

Handling merge commit

Add -m --first-parent when generating the history.

Change module name

Actually it is simple. Just find the pattern and replace it.

sed -i "s/src/replace/g" `grep "src" -rl /path/to/dir`

Have fun!