GitoxideLabs/gitoxide · error

the rebase state repeats marker-required

Error message

the rebase state repeats marker-required

What it means

The rebase todo/state parser in gix-tix (`parse_state`) found a `marker-required` line in the rebase state file, but a `marker-required` line was already seen earlier in the file. The state format allows each scalar field to appear at most once, so a second occurrence is rejected as a malformed or corrupted state file. This prevents silently overwriting a previously recorded value.

Solutions

1. Open the rebase state file and remove the duplicate `marker-required` line, keeping exactly one.
2. If the state file is corrupted or unclear, abort the operation and let the tool regenerate state from scratch.
3. Check for other running gix/gitoxide processes that may have written the state file concurrently.

Example fix

// before (state file)
marker-required true
marker-required false
// after
marker-required true

fn state_file_is_clean(text: &str) -> bool {
    text.lines().filter(|l| l.starts_with("marker-required ")).count() <= 1
}

match todo::parse(state_text) {
    Ok(state) => apply(state),
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("repeats marker-required") => {
        eprintln!("corrupt state: duplicate marker-required; regenerate state");
    }
    Err(e) => return Err(e),
}

When it happens

Trigger: Parsing a rebase state file via `parse`/`parse_state` (gix-tix/src/edit/todo.rs:697) where two `marker-required <bool>` lines exist. Typically caused by a hand-edited or concurrently-written state file, or by a corrupted `.git/rebase-merge`-style state.

Common situations: Manually editing a rebase state file and accidentally duplicating a line; merge conflicts while a state file was modified; tooling that appends instead of replacing fields; state files copied between worktrees.

Understand the failure class

Background: Schema validation failed / invalid input schema: payload rejected because its shape doesn't match the expected schema — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

• the rebase state repeats checkout-allowed
• the rebase state repeats its HEAD ref
• the rebase state repeats its resolved conflict
• the recorded HEAD ref has trailing data
• a captured ref name has trailing data

AI-assisted analysis of GitoxideLabs/gitoxide@e73179060b (2026-09-08). Data as JSON: /api/errors/38314ae6eeec06e3. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at gix-tix/src/edit/todo.rs:697

    let mut continuation_sources = Vec::new();
    for line in body[..end].lines() {
        let (key, value) = line.split_once(' ').context("a rebase state line has no value")?;
        match key {
            "base" => {
                if base.replace(ObjectId::from_hex(value.as_bytes())?).is_some() {
                    anyhow::bail!("the rebase state has more than one base");
                }
            }
            "onto" => {
                if onto.replace(ObjectId::from_hex(value.as_bytes())?).is_some() {
                    anyhow::bail!("the rebase state has more than one onto target");
                }
            }
            "tip" => tips.push(ObjectId::from_hex(value.as_bytes())?),
            "scope" => scope.push(ObjectId::from_hex(value.as_bytes())?),
            "marker-required" => {
                if marker_required.replace(value.parse()?).is_some() {
                    anyhow::bail!("the rebase state repeats marker-required");
                }
            }
            "checkout-allowed" => {
                if checkout_allowed.replace(value.parse()?).is_some() {
                    anyhow::bail!("the rebase state repeats checkout-allowed");
                }
            }
            "head-ref" => {
                let encoded = value.as_bytes().as_bstr();
                let (name, consumed) = gix::quote::ansi_c::undo(encoded)
                    .map_err(gix::Exn::into_error)
                    .context("could not unquote the recorded HEAD ref")?;
                if !encoded[consumed..].trim().is_empty() {
                    anyhow::bail!("the recorded HEAD ref has trailing data");
                }
                let name = gix::refs::FullName::try_from(name.as_ref()).context("the recorded HEAD ref is invalid")?;
                if head_ref.replace(name).is_some() {
                    anyhow::bail!("the rebase state repeats its HEAD ref");

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