Failed to sync repository to ${defaultBranch}. Try /reset or

Error message

Failed to sync repository to ${defaultBranch}. Try /reset or check if the branch exists.

What it means

When a run override spec names a tier or '@'-prefixed alias (isTierName(spec) || spec.startsWith('@')), resolveRunOverrideSpec resolves it through resolveModelSpec against the profile. If the result is still a literal spec (i.e. the tier/alias chain did not bottom out in a concrete provider/model preset), the override cannot be honored and this error is thrown naming both the override target and the unresolvable spec.

Source

Thrown at packages/adapters/src/community/forge/gitea/adapter.ts:520

      const err = error as NodeJS.ErrnoException;
      if (err.code !== 'ENOENT') {
        // Real error - permission denied, I/O failure, etc.
        getLog().error({ repoPath, errorCode: err.code, err }, 'repo_path_access_failed');
        throw new Error(
          `Cannot access repository at ${repoPath}: ${err.code ?? err.message}. ` +
            'Check permissions and disk health.'
        );
      }
      // ENOENT means directory doesn't exist - we'll clone below
    }

    if (directoryExists) {
      if (shouldSync) {
        getLog().info({ repoPath, defaultBranch }, 'repo_syncing');
        const syncResult = await syncRepository(toRepoPath(repoPath), toBranchName(defaultBranch));
        if (!syncResult.ok) {
          getLog().error({ repoPath, defaultBranch }, 'repo_sync_failed');
          throw new Error(
            `Failed to sync repository to ${defaultBranch}. ` +
              'Try /reset or check if the branch exists.'
          );
        }
      }
      return;
    }

    // Directory doesn't exist - clone the repository
    getLog().info({ owner, repo, repoPath }, 'repo_cloning');

    // Create project structure (source/, worktrees/, artifacts/, logs/) before
    // cloning so worktree paths resolve correctly on first webhook clone.
    await ensureProjectStructure(owner, repo);

    // Parse URL to get host for authenticated clone
    const urlObj = new URL(this.baseUrl);
    const repoUrl = `${urlObj.protocol}//${urlObj.host}/${owner}/${repo}.git`;

View on GitHub (pinned to 0773b97458)

Solutions

Replace the spec with a concrete 'provider/model' string so resolution is not needed.
Fix the profile so the named tier/alias resolves: define or correct the missing alias entry the tier points to.
List the profile's defined aliases and tiers and use one that exists.
Resolve the spec yourself with resolveModelSpec + isLiteralSpec before calling, to see where the chain breaks.

Example fix

// before
could not resolve '@fasttrack'  // alias not defined
// after
resolveRunModelOverrides(profile, { fast: 'openai/gpt-4o-mini' });

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import { resolveModelSpec, isLiteralSpec } from '@archon/workflows/model-validation';
for (const spec of Object.values(overrides)) {
  if (isTierName(spec) || spec.startsWith('@')) {
    if (isLiteralSpec(resolveModelSpec(profile, spec))) throw new Error(`cannot resolve: ${spec}`);
  }
}

Try / catch

try {
  resolveRunModelOverrides(profile, overrides);
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && e.message.includes('could not resolve')) {
    console.error('Tier/alias chain did not resolve to a concrete model:', e.message);
  } else throw e;
}

Prevention

Point tier/alias overrides at concrete 'provider/model' strings when unsure
Keep every tier's alias target defined in the profile; audit after renames
Resolve specs with resolveModelSpec ahead of time in tooling/scripts
Validate the whole AI profile on load so dangling alias references surface early

When it happens

Trigger: Overriding a tier with another tier or alias that itself fails to resolve — e.g. the profile has a tier pointing at an undefined alias, or the '@alias' referenced in the override is missing from profile.aliases, or a tier falls back to nothing under resolveTierWithFallback.

Common situations: Tier config chain referencing an alias that was renamed/deleted; '@'-prefixed target whose alias definition was removed; cyclic or dangling alias references left after refactoring the AI profile; profile loaded from a stale config file.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of coleam00/Archon@0773b97458 (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a462f034dd0c55bd. Report an issue: GitHub.