gastownhall/beads · error

failed to pin target git marker identity: %w

Error message

failed to pin target git marker identity: %w

What it means

bd pins the worktree's `.git` marker file (the plain-text file inside a linked worktree pointing at its gitdir) via `os.Lstat` before removal. This error means the marker could not be stat'ed at all — it is missing or unreadable — so bd cannot verify the target is a genuine, intact linked worktree.

Source

Thrown at cmd/bd/worktree_cmd.go:1021

	}
	pathInfo, err := os.Lstat(worktree.path)
	if err != nil {
		return pinnedWorktreeTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to pin target directory identity: %w", err)
	}
	if pathInfo.Mode()&os.ModeSymlink != 0 || !pathInfo.IsDir() {
		return pinnedWorktreeTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("target path is not a real directory: %s", worktree.path)
	}
	gitDirInfo, err := os.Lstat(gitDir)
	if err != nil {
		return pinnedWorktreeTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to pin target git directory identity: %w", err)
	}
	if gitDirInfo.Mode()&os.ModeSymlink != 0 || !gitDirInfo.IsDir() {
		return pinnedWorktreeTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("target git directory is not a real directory: %s", gitDir)
	}
	gitMarkerPath := filepath.Join(worktree.path, ".git")
	gitMarkerInfo, err := os.Lstat(gitMarkerPath)
	if err != nil {
		return pinnedWorktreeTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to pin target git marker identity: %w", err)
	}
	if gitMarkerInfo.Mode()&os.ModeSymlink != 0 || !gitMarkerInfo.Mode().IsRegular() {
		return pinnedWorktreeTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("target git marker is not a regular file: %s", gitMarkerPath)
	}
	gitDirFingerprint, err := fingerprintWorktreeFilesystem(gitDir)
	if err != nil {
		return pinnedWorktreeTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to fingerprint target git directory: %w", err)
	}
	gitMarkerFingerprint, err := fingerprintWorktreeFilesystem(gitMarkerPath)
	if err != nil {
		return pinnedWorktreeTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to fingerprint target git marker: %w", err)
	}
	statusFingerprint, err := fingerprintWorktreeStatusPaths(worktree.path, string(statusOutput))
	if err != nil {
		return pinnedWorktreeTarget{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to fingerprint target changes: %w", err)
	}

	return pinnedWorktreeTarget{

View on GitHub (pinned to 71377f2769)

Solutions

1. Verify `<worktree>/.git` exists and is readable: `ls -la <worktree>/.git`; recreate it (`echo "gitdir: /repo/.git/worktrees/<name>" > .git`) if deleted
2. Run `git worktree repair` from the main repository to restore links
3. If the worktree is unwanted, delete the directory manually and run `git worktree prune`

Example fix

// before: marker missing, removal fails
// after: repair registration
cd /repo && git worktree repair && bd worktree remove mywt

if _, err := os.Lstat(filepath.Join(worktreePath, ".git")); err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("refusing: worktree marker missing: %w", err)
}

func hasGitMarker(worktreePath string) bool {
    _, err := os.Lstat(filepath.Join(worktreePath, ".git"))
    return err == nil
}

When it happens

Trigger: `bd worktree remove <name>` or observeRevalidation when `<worktree path>/.git` does not exist or cannot be lstat'ed (permission denied, deleted while bd ran, I/O error).

Common situations: Deleting the `.git` file inside a linked worktree; running removal after a partially-failed cleanup; read-only or inaccessible worktree directories; Windows/network mounts hiding the file.

Related errors

• target git directory is not a real directory: %s
• cannot safely prepare .gitignore cleanup: %w
• target directory identity changed
• target git directory identity changed
• target git marker identity changed

AI-assisted analysis of gastownhall/beads@71377f2769 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1bacbcb5add68d3d. Report an issue: GitHub.