Deleting tags in Git - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Deleting tags

List tags

↓

Choose tag to delete

↓

Delete local tag

↓

Delete remote tag (optional)

↓

Verify deletion

The flow shows listing tags, choosing one to delete, removing it locally, optionally removing it from remote, and verifying the deletion.

Execution Sample

Git

git tag
  git tag -d v1.0
  git push origin :refs/tags/v1.0
  git tag

This sequence lists tags, deletes a local tag named v1.0, deletes the remote tag v1.0, then lists tags again to confirm.

Process Table

Step	Command	Action	Result
1	git tag	List all tags	v0.9 v1.0 v1.1
2	git tag -d v1.0	Delete local tag v1.0	Deleted tag 'v1.0' locally
3	git push origin :refs/tags/v1.0	Delete remote tag v1.0	Remote tag 'v1.0' deleted
4	git tag	List all tags again	v0.9 v1.1

💡 Tag v1.0 deleted locally and remotely; final tag list shows only v0.9 and v1.1

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 4
Local tags	v0.9, v1.0, v1.1	v0.9, v1.1	v0.9, v1.1
Remote tags	v0.9, v1.0, v1.1	v0.9, v1.0, v1.1	v0.9, v1.1

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why does deleting a local tag not remove it from the remote repository?

Deleting a local tag only affects your local copy. The remote repository keeps its own tags until you explicitly delete them with a push command, as shown in step 3.

What does the command 'git push origin :refs/tags/v1.0' do?

This command tells Git to delete the tag named v1.0 from the remote repository by pushing an empty reference, as shown in step 3.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what tags remain locally after step 2?

A v1.0, v1.1

B v0.9, v1.0, v1.1

C v0.9, v1.1

D v1.0 only

💡 Hint

Check the 'Local tags' row in variable_tracker after step 2

At which step is the remote tag v1.0 deleted?

A Step 3

B Step 2

C Step 1

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Action' column in execution_table for remote deletion

If you skip step 3, what will the remote tags list show after step 4?

A v0.9, v1.1

B v0.9, v1.0, v1.1

C v1.0 only

D No tags

💡 Hint

Refer to variable_tracker 'Remote tags' before and after step 3

Concept Snapshot

Deleting tags in Git:
- List tags: git tag
- Delete local tag: git tag -d <tagname>
- Delete remote tag: git push origin :refs/tags/<tagname>
- Verify deletion by listing tags again
- Local and remote tags are managed separately

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how to delete tags in Git. First, you list all tags with 'git tag'. Then, you delete a local tag using 'git tag -d <tagname>'. To remove the tag from the remote repository, you push an empty reference with 'git push origin :refs/tags/<tagname>'. Finally, you list tags again to confirm the deletion. The local and remote tags are separate; deleting locally does not affect the remote until you push the deletion. This step-by-step trace helps beginners understand the difference and the commands needed to fully delete tags.