git-unarchive is a helper script to download + git-add + git-commit a tar.gz or zip. It is useful to follow a project that only releases tar/zip source files.

It helps even more if you want to rebase your local commits on top of upstream tar/zip.

Simple use

% git-unarchive http:/xxx/zzz-1.1.1.zip
stripping zzz-1.1.1 (moving files in current directory)
committed http:/xxx/zzz-1.1.1.zip

Rebase

% git-unarchive --rebase http:/xxx/zzz-1.1.2.zip
stripping zzz-1.1.2 (moving files in current directory)
committed http:/xxx/zzz-1.1.2.zip
First, rewinding head to replay your work on top of it...
Applying: local change: adapt xxx to yyy