How do I remove a submodule with Git?

To remove a Git submodule, follow these steps:

1. Deinitialize the submodule:
   This removes the submodule’s configuration from .git/config and cleans up its working directory.

   git submodule deinit -f -- path/to/submodule

2. Remove the submodule from the index and working tree:
   This deletes the gitlink (reference) and the submodule’s directory.

   git rm -f -- path/to/submodule

3. Remove the submodule entry from .gitmodules:
   Edit the .gitmodules file to delete the section for the submodule, then stage the change:

   git add .gitmodules

4. Remove the submodule’s repository from .git/modules:
   Delete the internal storage for the submodule (optional but recommended):

   rm -rf .git/modules/path/to/submodule

5. Commit the changes:

   git commit -m "Remove submodule path/to/submodule"

6. Manually delete any remaining submodule files (if needed):

   rm -rf path/to/submodule

Notes:

• Replace path/to/submodule with the actual path to your submodule.
• Use -- to avoid ambiguity in paths (e.g., if the path starts with a hyphen).
• The -f flag forces removal even if the submodule has local modifications.