git branches and commits showing on command line with ! and *

When I navigate to the directory of my git repo, my command line shows me a lot of stuff. I'm used to it showing me my status, like

> on [master] <current commit notes

but right now, it shows a huuuuge amount of information, with !'s and *'s and what looks like a log of my commit hierarchy. Here's what it looks like (## replacing sensitive info):

on ! [backup-master] This is the fixes I need!
 ! [checkout] Added ## and ##. This commit may be garbage
  * [master] Merge branch 'master' of /home/path/path
   ! [oldRval] Added top level cells ## and ##
----
  -  [master] Merge branch 'master' of /home/path/path
  *  [master^2] Changes to ## and level ##. Modified ## boost architecture
  *  [master^2^] Changes to all ##, some ##, many ##
  *  [master^2~2] many schematic changes. Updated ##. Updated ##
  *  [master~2] placement update done. ## done update and ongoing ## errors.
  *  [master~3] ongoing block
  *  [master~4] Updates to ##. Updated to ## for cleaner layout.
  *  [master~5^2] final fixes on ##. Separated ##.
  *  [master~5^2^] This is the fixes I need
  *  [master~6] Updated ##, ## and some ## with ## versions
+    [backup-master] this is the fixes I need
++*  [checkout] Added XX and ## . This commit may be garbage
++*+ [oldRval] Added top level cells ## and ##

It makes it seem like my repo is somehow out of sync? Or is this just a setting? Do I need to merge some branches? A commit/pull doesn't solve it... any suggestions appreciated.

Regarding why you are seeing this in your prompt, it is possible that your shell configuration (e.g., .bashrc, .zshrc, etc.) or a tool you are using has been configured to run git show-branch or a similar command whenever you navigate into a git directory. Normally, the prompt would show simpler information such as the current branch and maybe the current status.

You may want to check your shell configuration files (.bashrc, .profile, ...) to see if there is anything that causes git show-branch or a similar command to run when you navigate to a git directory. Look for functions or aliases that might be modifying the prompt (e.g., PS1 in bash).

Regarding your repository being out of sync, this output does not necessarily mean that your repository is out of sync, but it is showing the commit history of various branches. If you want to see if your branch is behind or ahead of the remote, you can use the git status command. If you need to synchronize your local branch with the remote, you might need to use git fetch followed by git merge or git rebase.

The output you are seeing looks like the output of the git show-branch command, which is a command used to see various branches and their commits all at once. It is meant for seeing what is happening among several branches in a repository.

The output includes:

• on ! [backup-master] This is the fixes I need! means that you are currently on the backup-master branch, and the "!" indicates that this is not the current HEAD (meaning it is not the tip of the current branch).
• ! [checkout] Added ## and ##. This commit may be garbage shows another branch named checkout, with "!" indicating that this is not the current HEAD.
• * [master] Merge branch 'master' of /home/path/path shows the commit on master branch, and "*" indicates that this is the current HEAD.
• The lines with * and - show the commit hierarchy and which commit is an ancestor of which.

Simply typing the command "bash" solved it. I must have been in some kind of git prompt. No idea how I got into it, but that's how I fixed it.