GitoxideLabs/gitoxide · error

{}: {}

Error message

{}: {}

What it means

Internal macro in gix-sec's Windows identity module: `error!` builds an io::Error combining a caller-supplied message with the last OS error (`io::Error::last_os_error()`), formatted as "{msg}: {inner}". It is a helper for reporting Windows token/ownership query failures (e.g. calls to GetTokenInformation failing), not a distinct error kind developers instantiate themselves.

Solutions

1. Read the OS error appended after the colon to identify the failing Win32 call
2. Run the process with sufficient rights to open its own process/thread token
3. Avoid checking ownership of special paths (e.g. network drives) where token queries fail
4. Update gitoxide — Windows ownership heuristics have been refined over time

// Windows: skip ownership check when token queries are unavailable
#[cfg(windows)]
if !path.exists() { return Ok(false); }

match owned_result {
    Err(e) if e.raw_os_error().is_some() => {
        // decide a conservative default (deny or allow per policy)
    }
    other => other?,
}

When it happens

Trigger: Any Windows-only ownership check (token_information path inside is_path_owned_by_current_user) where a Win32 call fails and the macro captures GetLastError as the io::Error source.

Common situations: Checking file ownership on Windows with restricted tokens, unusual integrity levels, or when the process token cannot be opened (services, elevated/limited token pairs).

Understand the failure class

Background: Permission denied / not authorized / 403 Forbidden: access-control rejections when the caller lacks the required role, grant, or ownership — this error's family across 18 libraries.

Related errors

• could not inspect a reference before editing
• does not exist.

AI-assisted analysis of GitoxideLabs/gitoxide@e73179060b (2026-09-08). Data as JSON: /api/errors/23dafa79578747b3. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at gix-sec/src/identity.rs:79

}

#[cfg(windows)]
mod impl_ {
    use std::{
        io, mem,
        mem::MaybeUninit,
        os::windows::io::{AsRawHandle as _, FromRawHandle as _, OwnedHandle},
        path::Path,
        ptr,
    };

    macro_rules! error {
        ($msg:expr) => {{
            let inner = io::Error::last_os_error();
            error!(inner, $msg);
        }};
        ($inner:expr, $msg:expr) => {{
            return Err(io::Error::new($inner.kind(), format!("{}: {}", $msg, $inner)));
        }};
    }

    fn token_information(
        token: windows_sys::Win32::Foundation::HANDLE,
        class: i32,
        class_name: &'static str,
        subject: &'static str,
        path: &Path,
    ) -> io::Result<Vec<u8>> {
        use windows_sys::Win32::{
            Foundation::{ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_BUFFER, GetLastError},
            Security::GetTokenInformation,
        };

        #[expect(unsafe_code)]
        unsafe {
            let mut buffer_size = 36;

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