gastownhall/beads · error

creating .bd-dolt-ok marker: %w

Error message

creating .bd-dolt-ok marker: %w

What it means

DoltFormat seeds a .bd-dolt-ok marker file inside a pre-v56 .dolt directory so newer bd/Dolt versions know the directory is compatible. If MarkDoltDirCompatible cannot create or write that marker, the error is wrapped as "creating .bd-dolt-ok marker: %w" — typically a filesystem permission or path problem, not a Dolt problem.

Source

Thrown at cmd/bd/doctor/fix/dolt_format.go:26

)

// DoltFormat fixes the "Dolt Format" warning by seeding the .bd-dolt-ok marker
// for pre-0.56 dolt databases that are otherwise functional.
//
// In server mode, the .beads/dolt/.dolt/ directory is vestigial from an older
// embedded Dolt setup. The data lives on the Dolt server. Seeding the marker
// tells future doctor checks that this database has been acknowledged.
func DoltFormat(path string) error {
	// resolveBeadsDir follows .beads/redirect to find the actual beads directory
	beadsDir := resolveBeadsDir(filepath.Join(path, ".beads"))
	doltDir := filepath.Join(beadsDir, "dolt")

	if !doltserver.IsPreV56DoltDir(doltDir) {
		return nil // Already OK or no .dolt/ directory
	}

	if err := doltserver.MarkDoltDirCompatible(doltDir); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("creating .bd-dolt-ok marker: %w", err)
	}

	fmt.Printf("  Seeded .bd-dolt-ok marker in %s\n", doltDir)
	return nil
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 71377f2769)

Solutions

1. Fix permissions so the current user can write inside <repo>/.dolt (chown/chmod)
2. Check that the filesystem/mount is writable (not read-only)
3. Re-run `bd doctor` after fixing access; if persistent, manually create an empty .bd-dolt-ok file in the .dolt directory

Example fix

// before
$ bd doctor  # creating .bd-dolt-ok marker: permission denied
// after
$ sudo chown -R $(whoami) .dolt/
$ bd doctor  # Seeded .bd-dolt-ok marker in .dolt/

info, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(doltDir, ".bd-dolt-ok"))
if err == nil && !info.IsDir() {
	return nil // marker already present; skip
}
if info, err := os.Stat(doltDir); err != nil || !info.IsDir() {
	return fmt.Errorf("dolt dir %s missing or inaccessible", doltDir)
}
if f, err := os.OpenFile(filepath.Join(doltDir, ".probe"), os.O_CREATE|os.O_WRONLY, 0o644); err != nil {
	return fmt.Errorf("%s is not writable: %w", doltDir, err)
} else {
	f.Close(); os.Remove(filepath.Join(doltDir, ".probe"))
}

if err := fix.DoltFormat(doltDir); err != nil {
	if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "creating .bd-dolt-ok marker") {
		log.Printf("fix permissions on %s and retry: %v", doltDir, err)
	}
	return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `bd doctor` format fix on a repo whose .dolt directory is pre-v56 format, when the process cannot write .bd-dolt-ok into doltDir: read-only filesystem, wrong ownership/permissions, or doltDir path issues (symlink, deleted mid-run).

Common situations: Repository cloned by another user with root-owned .dolt; repo checked out on a read-only mount or container volume; running bd with a restricted user/UID in CI.

Related errors

• dolt path is not executable
• unable to read plugin file: %w
• failed to remove Dolt database: %w
• read .beads/.gitignore: %w
• inspecting remote target %s: %w

AI-assisted analysis of gastownhall/beads@71377f2769 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c76137237f2f1624. Report an issue: GitHub.