GitoxideLabs/gitoxide · error

review commits can amend only staged paths

Error message

review commits can amend only staged paths

What it means

In review mode, amending is restricted to paths in the `ChangeGroup::Staged` group. If a review-driven amend selects a path whose group is anything else (unstaged/other), the operation is refused because review commits only incorporate staged changes.

Solutions

1. Stage the selected path first so its group is `ChangeGroup::Staged`, then amend in review mode.
2. Select only staged paths when amending under review mode.
3. Run the amend without review mode if amending non-staged paths is intended.

Example fix

// before: amending an unstaged path in review mode
// after
repo.stage_paths([&selected_path])?; // or the tix staging equivalent
head::perform(&repo, Kind::Amend, Some((&[selected_path], ChangeGroup::Staged)), ...)?;

if review && let Some(path) = selected_amend_path {
    if path.group != crate::ChangeGroup::Staged {
        anyhow::bail!("stage the path or disable review mode before amending");
    }
}

match result {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("review commits can amend only staged paths") => {
        eprintln!("stage the selected path or run without review mode");
    }
    other => other?,
}

When it happens

Trigger: `perform_inner` with the `review` flag set, `Kind::Amend`, and `selected_amend_path` whose `path.group != crate::ChangeGroup::Staged` — e.g. selecting an unstaged path for amend while in review flow.

Common situations: Using review-mode commands while an unstaged path is selected; UI state keeping a previously-unstaged path selected; scripts passing review:true with arbitrary path groups.

Understand the failure class

Background: UnsupportedOperationException and "is not supported" errors: when a library deliberately refuses a call — this error's family across 30 libraries.

Related errors

• cannot amend with unresolved index conflicts
• a tree change cannot be amended from the worktree
• review commits cannot be copied
• review commit names an invalid review reference
• the review base must be an ancestor of the reviewed commit

AI-assisted analysis of GitoxideLabs/gitoxide@e73179060b (2026-09-08). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4e15e1ec993ae6db. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at gix-tix/src/edit/head.rs:110

    let tree = match kind {
        Kind::Spill => match selected_paths {
            Some((paths, selected_parent)) => {
                spill_paths_tree(&repo, old_tree, selected_parent.unwrap_or(parent_tree), paths)?
            }
            None => parent_tree,
        },
        Kind::Amend => {
            let index = repo.index_or_empty().context("could not load the index")?;
            if index
                .entries()
                .iter()
                .any(|entry| entry.stage() != gix::index::entry::Stage::Unconflicted)
            {
                anyhow::bail!("cannot amend with unresolved index conflicts");
            }
            if let Some(path) = selected_amend_path {
                if review && path.group != crate::ChangeGroup::Staged {
                    anyhow::bail!("review commits can amend only staged paths");
                }
                amend_path_tree(&repo, old_tree, path, &index)?
            } else if review || index_only {
                let index_tree = create::index_tree(&repo, &index)?;
                if index_tree == old_tree && !pending {
                    return Ok(None);
                }
                index_tree
            } else {
                let index_tree = create::index_tree(&repo, &index)?;
                if index_tree != old_tree {
                    index_tree
                } else {
                    let baseline = repo.find_tree(old_tree)?;
                    create::worktree_tree(&repo, &baseline)?
                }
            }
        }

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