gastownhall/beads · error

not in a git repository

Error message

not in a git repository

What it means

runTeamWizard refuses to run when the current working directory is not inside a git repository; isGitRepo() returns false and the wizard returns the sentinel error "not in a git repository" after printing guidance to run `git init`. The team wizard operates on branches and repo state, so a git repo is a hard prerequisite.

Source

Thrown at cmd/bd/init_team.go:34

func runTeamWizard(ctx context.Context, store storage.DoltStorage) error {
	fmt.Printf("\n%s %s\n\n", ui.RenderBold("bd"), ui.RenderBold("Team Workflow Setup Wizard"))
	fmt.Println("This wizard will configure beads for team collaboration.")
	fmt.Println()

	if ctx == nil {
		ctx = context.Background()
	}
	reader := bufio.NewReader(os.Stdin)

	// Step 1: Check if we're in a git repository
	fmt.Printf("%s Detecting git repository setup...\n", ui.RenderAccent("▶"))

	if !isGitRepo() {
		fmt.Printf("%s Not in a git repository\n", ui.RenderWarn("⚠"))
		fmt.Println("\n  Initialize git first:")
		fmt.Println("  git init")
		fmt.Println()
		return fmt.Errorf("not in a git repository")
	}

	// Get current branch
	currentBranch, err := getGitBranch()
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get current branch: %w", err)
	}

	fmt.Printf("%s Current branch: %s\n", ui.RenderPass("✓"), currentBranch)

	// Step 2: Check for protected main branch
	fmt.Printf("\n%s Checking branch configuration...\n", ui.RenderAccent("▶"))

	fmt.Println("\nIs your main branch protected (prevents direct commits)?")
	fmt.Println("  GitHub: Settings → Branches → Branch protection rules")
	fmt.Println("  GitLab: Settings → Repository → Protected branches")
	fmt.Print("\nProtected main branch? [y/N]: ")

View on GitHub (pinned to 71377f2769)

Solutions

1. Initialize a repository in the project root: git init, then re-run bd team.
2. cd into your existing clone/repo root (or any directory inside it) before running `bd team`.
3. If .git is missing but the project should be a repo, re-clone or restore .git (e.g. git init && git remote add origin ... && git fetch).
4. If .git exists but is corrupted (isGitRepo false), back up files, run git init, and reattach the remote.

Example fix

// before
$ cd /tmp/new-project && bd team
⚠ Not in a git repository
error: not in a git repository

// after
$ cd /tmp/new-project && git init && bd team
✔ Team wizard started

// Go caller: replicate the guard before invoking the wizard
cmd := exec.Command("git", "rev-parse", "--is-inside-work-tree")
if out, err := cmd.Output(); err != nil || strings.TrimSpace(string(out)) != "true" {
	return fmt.Errorf("bd team requires a git repository; run 'git init' first")
}
// Shell caller: git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree >/dev/null 2>&1 || { git init; }

if err := runTeamWizard(cmd, args); err != nil {
	if err.Error() == "not in a git repository" {
		fmt.Println("Prerequisite missing: initialize git with 'git init', then re-run the wizard.")
		os.Exit(1)
	}
	return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Invoking `bd team` (the team wizard) from a directory with no .git anywhere up the tree: a fresh uninitialized project, a subdirectory outside any clone, a repo where .git was deleted/corrupted, or after running bd from a parent directory above the clone.

Common situations: Developer downloads beads and runs `bd team` before ever running `git init`; running in a temp/scratch directory that was never a repo; .git removed accidentally or the folder was copied without hidden files (e.g. via a tool that skips dotfiles); invoking from a git worktree-adjacent or bare-clone path where the check's cwd expectation fails.

Related errors

• auto-export: git add failed: %w
• not in a git repository
• failed to read .gitignore: %w
• failed to write .gitignore: %w
• failed to get current branch: %w

AI-assisted analysis of gastownhall/beads@71377f2769 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f9bcf0ebb056a692. Report an issue: GitHub.