Warning: petalinux-config deletes files

This post shares a warning that you may lose your work if you run petalinux-config --get-hw-description in an existing PetaLinux project.

As of 2019.1 running petalinux-config --get-hw-description deletes meta-user/recipes-bsp/device-tree/files/*.dtsi. It deletes these files without asking if petalinux should delete them.

No warning is given in UG1144 (v2019.1) May 22, 2019

PetaLinux Tools Documentation Reference Guide [link]

No warning is given in petalinux-config --help as seen here:

Sync hardware description from Vivado export to PetaLinux BSP project:
  $ cd <Vivado_Export_to_SDK_Directory>
  $ petalinux-config --get-hw-description
  It will sync up the HDF/DSA file  from <Vivado_Export_to_SDK_Directory>
  to project-spec/hw-description/ directory.

Sync hardware description inside PetaLinux project but outside Vivado export to SDK directory:
  $ petalinux-config --get-hw-description=<Vivado_Export_to_SDK_Directory>

Also, petalinux-config gives the impression that you should use it to keep a PetaLinux project in sync with a hardware design. However, if you do, you will lose work as stated. This differs from the behavior of the SDK, which will update the platform without removing user's work.

References

Xilinx logo from [link]