title: git rebase -i HEAD~7 -- showing only "noop" in editor
body: <p>I am trying to squash a commit which is at HEAD into one that is a few back. When I run <code>git rebase -i HEAD~7</code>, however, I am presented with just a <code>noop</code> in the editor! I am totally confused about how this is supposed to work.</p>
  
  <p>I am working in a branch (<code>cleanup</code>) that I created (using <code>checkout -b cleanup ...</code> on the SHA1 I found in <code>reflog</code>) after I had my first <code>rebase</code> experience and I accidentally deleted all of those commits; point is, I am not sure what the branch's parent is (if that matters, here). </p>
  
  <p>I am simply trying to do what I have read about many times: I want to modify slightly some commited code that isn't the most recent commit. Whether that's an application for "squashing" or just amending it when I get to that point, I don't know.</p>
  
  <p>I am also seeing this on STDOUT as the editor starts after running the rebase command shown above:</p>
  
  <pre><code>$ git rebase -i HEAD~7
  usage: git rev-list [OPTION] &lt;commit-id&gt;... [ -- paths... ]
    limiting output:
      --max-count=&lt;n&gt;
      ...
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>In addition to the <code>HEAD~7</code> reference, I have tried specifying the entire SHA1, and different refspecs to local and remote branches. Same result for everything...</p>
  
  <p>What am I missing? Thanks for your help!</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <h3>Edit:</h3>
  
  <pre><code>$ git log --oneline HEAD~7..HEAD
  d0fd20e temp Fix resume_cities table
  ea2ffdf Fix db/seeds.rb to reflect recent database structure modifications
  dbd2b8b Add several models/scaffolds that go along with the Geonames tables
  9759091 Fix name of the ResumeSkill model file.
  3fc3134 Added the SHA1 for the previous commit to the comments on the migration, to help link back to that.
  bacbeb2 Consolidate database migrations! READ ME!
  0c49a57 Moved back to gem versions of linkedin, omniauth, and twitter
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>It's the <code>bacbeb2</code> commit I want to amend with the <code>d0fd20e</code></p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p>Per the recommendation of @MarkLongair, I added <code>set -x</code> to <code>/usr/lib/git-core/git-rebase--interactive</code> and saw the following strange output:</p>
  
  <pre><code>$ git rebase -i HEAD~7
  
  [... output muted for brevity, see the full output, here: http://gist.github.com/1163118]
  + read -r shortsha1 rest
  + sed -n s/^&gt;//p
  + git rev-list --no-merges --cherry-pick --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit --abbrev=7 --reverse --left-right --topo-order 2c51946812a198ca908ebcad2308e4b8274624b3...d0e9ff6d9c1f8bc374856ca2a84ad52d6013b5bf
  usage: git rev-list [OPTION] &lt;commit-id&gt;... [ -- paths... ]
    limiting output:
      --max-count=&lt;n&gt;
      --max-age=&lt;epoch&gt;
      --min-age=&lt;epoch&gt;
      --sparse
      --no-merges
      --remove-empty
      --all
      --branches
      --tags
      --remotes
      --stdin
      --quiet
    ordering output:
      --topo-order
      --date-order
      --reverse
    formatting output:
      --parents
      --children
      --objects | --objects-edge
      --unpacked
      --header | --pretty
      --abbrev=&lt;n&gt; | --no-abbrev
      --abbrev-commit
      --left-right
    special purpose:
      --bisect
      --bisect-vars
      --bisect-all
  + test t = 
  + test -s /home/ryan/Projects/social-jobs/.git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo
  + echo noop
  [...]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I say, 'strange output' because if I run the <code>rev-list</code> command directly from my shell, it works as expected:</p>
  
  <pre><code>$ git rev-list --no-merges --cherry-pick --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit --abbrev=7 --reverse --left-right --topo-order 2c51946812a198ca908ebcad2308e4b8274624b3...d0e9ff6d9c1f8bc374856ca2a84ad52d6013b5bf
  &gt;0c49a57 Moved back to gem versions of linkedin, omniauth, and twitter
  &gt;bacbeb2 Consolidate database migrations! READ ME!
  &gt;3fc3134 Added the SHA1 for the previous commit to the comments on the migration, to help link back to that.
  &gt;9759091 Fix name of the ResumeSkill model file.
  &gt;dbd2b8b Add several models/scaffolds that go along with the Geonames tables
  &gt;ea2ffdf Fix db/seeds.rb to reflect recent database structure modifications
  &gt;d0e9ff6 !temp Fix resume_cities table !temp
  </code></pre>