git (END) pager

The behavior you are experiencing occurs because Git uses a pager to display the output of commands like git branch and git log. The default pager is typically less, which is why it appears as if the output is being shown in an editor like nano.

Here’s how you can manage this behavior:

Understanding less

less is a pager program that allows you to scroll through large amounts of text one screen at a time. When Git’s output is piped to less, you’ll see (END) at the bottom of the screen when the output is finished.

Exiting the Pager

• Press q to quit the pager and return to the regular command prompt.

Configuring Git to Use a Different Pager or Disable It

1. Disable the Pager for Specific Commands: You can disable the pager for specific Git commands by using the --no-pager option. For example:

   git --no-pager branch
   git --no-pager log

2. Configure Git to Not Use a Pager for Specific Commands: You can set configuration options to disable the pager for specific commands. For example, to disable the pager for git branch and git log, you can add the following to your Git configuration:

   git config --global pager.branch false
   git config --global pager.log false

3. Configure Git to Not Use a Pager for All Commands: If you prefer not to use a pager for any Git command, you can set the core.pager option to cat, which will output everything directly to the terminal:

   git config --global core.pager cat