How to add a submodule with nested submodules?

When I do the following only the root submodule is added. How to add all submodules in the submodule recursively?

git submodule add https://the-submodule.git path/to/submodule

In the above submodule there is a nested submodule and the folder is not even created after cloning

path/to/submodule                   <- root submodule
path/to/submodule/nested-submodule  <- nested submodule (folder not even created)

The main project is on github and the submodule is gitlab (with including nested submodules)

CodePudding user response：

After cloning you have to init recursively with

git submodule update --init --recursive

This will do what you want