abhigyanpatwari/GitNexus · error · ValueError

oracle sanitization left clone references recoverable

Error message

oracle sanitization left clone references recoverable

What it means

Post-condition: after deleting every ref via `update-ref --no-deref -d`, a follow-up `for-each-ref` must return nothing. If any ref survives, the deletion was incomplete (packed refs, concurrent ref creation, or silent update-ref failure) and the clone is not fully sanitized.

Source

Thrown at eval/workflow_bench/oracle_assets.py:417

            continue
        if stat.S_ISLNK(metadata.st_mode) or not stat.S_ISREG(metadata.st_mode):
            raise ValueError(f"unsafe Git metadata blocks oracle sanitization: {pseudo_ref}")
        path.unlink()

    logs = git_dir / "logs"
    if logs.exists() or logs.is_symlink():
        logs_metadata = logs.lstat()
        if stat.S_ISLNK(logs_metadata.st_mode) or not stat.S_ISDIR(logs_metadata.st_mode):
            raise ValueError("unsafe Git reflog metadata blocks oracle sanitization")
        shutil.rmtree(logs)

    _git_checked(root, ["repack", "-A", "-d"], timeout=600)
    _git_checked(root, ["prune", "--expire=now"], timeout=600)
    _git_checked(root, ["prune-packed"], timeout=600)

    remaining_refs = _git_checked(root, ["for-each-ref", "--format=%(refname)"], timeout=60)
    if remaining_refs:
        raise ValueError("oracle sanitization left clone references recoverable")
    fsck = run_checked(
        ["git", "-C", str(root), "fsck", "--full", "--no-progress", "--no-reflogs", "--unreachable"],
        timeout=600,
        tail_bytes=MAX_CLONE_REF_BYTES,
    )
    if fsck.stdout_tail.strip() or fsck.stderr_tail.strip():
        raise ValueError("oracle sanitization left unreachable Git objects recoverable")

    forbidden_objects: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
    if original_head != sanitized_head:
        forbidden_objects.append((original_head, "original commit"))
    if hidden_tree:
        forbidden_objects.append((hidden_tree, "hidden harness tree"))
    for forbidden_object, label in forbidden_objects:
        probe = run_managed(
            ["git", "-C", str(root), "cat-file", "-e", forbidden_object],
            timeout=60,
        )

View on GitHub (pinned to d540b00184)

Solutions

1. Run `git -C <clone> pack-refs --all --prune` then re-run for-each-ref to see survivors.
2. Manually delete surviving refs: `git -C <clone> update-ref -d <survivor>` (quote the name).
3. If packed-refs persists, edit or remove .git/packed-refs and run `git -C <clone> reflog expire --all && git -C <clone> gc --prune=now`.
4. Re-clone and sanitize with no other git process touching the clone.

def is_refs_recoverable(exc: BaseException) -> bool:
    return isinstance(exc, ValueError) and "left clone references recoverable" in str(exc)

try:
    oracle_assets.sanitize_clone_for_hidden_oracles(clone)
except ValueError as exc:
    # Surviving refs imply oracle bytes may be reachable; discard the clone.
    quarantine(clone)
    raise AbortTask(str(exc)) from exc

When it happens

Trigger: Triggered when refs remain after the deletion loop — typically packed-refs entries that update-ref -d did not remove, or a concurrent git process creating refs.

Common situations: A clone whose refs are stored in .git/packed-refs and update-ref left the packed entries; another process (IDE git daemon, concurrent task) writing refs during sanitization; git version quirk in update-ref packed handling.

Related errors

• clone has more than {MAX_CLONE_REFS} references; refusing in
• clone contains an unsafe reference name
• oracle sanitization left unreachable Git objects recoverable
• oracle sanitization left the {label} recoverable
• oracle sanitization could not verify removal of the {label}

AI-assisted analysis of abhigyanpatwari/GitNexus@d540b00184 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/84c51b09fe1fb373. Report an issue: GitHub.