badges/shields · error · NotFound

no commits found

Error message

no commits found

What it means

The GitHub last-commit service fetches the commit list for a branch (optionally narrowed by `path`) and destructures the first commit. GitHub's API returns an empty array when nothing matches, so `commit` is undefined and the service throws `NotFound` with 'no commits found'. This indicates a valid request whose result set is empty, not a network/auth failure.

Source

Thrown at services/github/github-last-commit.service.js:104

  }

  static defaultBadgeData = { label: 'last commit' }

  async fetch({ user, repo, branch, path }) {
    return this._requestJson({
      url: `/repos/${user}/${repo}/commits`,
      options: { searchParams: { sha: branch, path, per_page: 1 } },
      schema,
      httpErrors: httpErrorsFor(),
    })
  }

  async handle({ user, repo, branch }, queryParams) {
    const { path, display_timestamp: displayTimestamp } = queryParams
    const body = await this.fetch({ user, repo, branch, path })
    const [commit] = body.map(obj => obj.commit)

    if (!commit) throw new NotFound({ prettyMessage: 'no commits found' })

    return renderDateBadge(commit[displayTimestamp].date)
  }
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 766fd8bc89)

Solutions

1. Verify the branch name in the badge URL exists on GitHub
2. Remove or correct the `path` query parameter so it matches real files
3. Push at least one commit to the branch
4. Point the badge at the default branch (e.g. main/master)

Example fix

// before
/badge/last-commit/user/repo/empty-branch?path=nonexistent-dir   -> no commits found
// after
/badge/last-commit/user/repo/main

// ensure branch exists and has commits
const res = await fetch(`https://api.github.com/repos/${user}/${repo}/branches/${branch}`)
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`branch ${branch} missing`)
const { commit } = await res.json() // commit.sha proves non-empty history

const hasCommit = (body) => Array.isArray(body) && body.length > 0 && Boolean(body[0]?.commit)

try {
  await fetchLastCommitBadge(user, repo, branch, path)
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message === 'no commits found') return 'unknown'
  throw e
}

When it happens

Trigger: Fetching last-commit for a branch that has no commits (empty repo / freshly created branch); using a `path` query param that matches no files in the branch's history; misspelled branch name resolving to an empty ref list.

Common situations: Empty or newly initialized repository; pointing the badge at a branch before the first push; a path filter (e.g. subfolder) that does not exist on that branch; typo in branch name.

Related errors

• no commits found
• no commits found
• unknown type, provider, or upstream issue
• gist not found
• no matching releases found

AI-assisted analysis of badges/shields@766fd8bc89 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f9ad573ca57ee127. Report an issue: GitHub.