fetch-pack: exclude blobs when lazy-fetching trees

A partial clone with missing trees can be obtained using "git clone
--filter=tree:none <repo>". In such a repository, when a tree needs to
be lazily fetched, any tree or blob it directly or indirectly references
is fetched as well, regardless of whether the original command required
those objects, or if the local repository already had some of them.

This is because the fetch protocol, which the lazy fetch uses, does not
allow clients to request that only the wanted objects be sent, which
would be the ideal solution. This patch implements a partial solution:
specify the "blob:none" filter, somewhat reducing the fetch payload.

This change has no effect when lazily fetching blobs (due to how filters
work). And if lazily fetching a commit (such repositories are difficult
to construct and is not a use case we support very well, but it is
possible), referenced commits and trees are still fetched - only the
blobs are not fetched.

The necessary code change is done in fetch_pack() instead of somewhere
closer to where the "filter" instruction is written to the wire so that
only one part of the code needs to be changed in order for users of all
protocol versions to benefit from this optimization.

Signed-off-by: Jonathan Tan <jonathantanmy@google.com>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>

1 files changed, 14 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/fetch-pack.c b/fetch-pack.c
index 973d72f..79007f9 100644
--- a/fetch-pack.c
+++ b/fetch-pack.c
@@ -1615,6 +1615,20 @@ struct ref *fetch_pack(struct fetch_pack_args *args,
 	if (nr_sought)
 		nr_sought = remove_duplicates_in_refs(sought, nr_sought);
 
+	if (args->no_dependents && !args->filter_options.choice) {
+		/*
+		 * The protocol does not support requesting that only the
+		 * wanted objects be sent, so approximate this by setting a
+		 * "blob:none" filter if no filter is already set. This works
+		 * for all object types: note that wanted blobs will still be
+		 * sent because they are directly specified as a "want".
+		 *
+		 * NEEDSWORK: Add an option in the protocol to request that
+		 * only the wanted objects be sent, and implement it.
+		 */
+		parse_list_objects_filter(&args->filter_options, "blob:none");
+	}
+
 	if (!ref) {
 		packet_flush(fd[1]);
 		die(_("no matching remote head"));