gitbutlerapp/gitbutler · warning · anyhow::Error

Comment {id} is archived and cannot be updated

Error message

Comment {id} is archived and cannot be updated

What it means

update_payload() found the comment with the given id but its archived_at_ms is set, so the store refuses to modify it. Archived comments are hidden from listings, yet still physically present, which is why update lands here instead of the not-found branch.

Source

Thrown at crates/but-comments/src/lib.rs:350

    /// Whether the listing wrote to the store (persisted drift, auto-archived comments, or
    /// purged old archived rows). Callers that bridge processes can use this to notify other
    /// consumers of the store.
    pub persisted_changes: bool,
}

/// Replace the payload of the unarchived comment with the given `id`.
pub fn update_payload(
    store: &CommentStore,
    id: &str,
    payload: String,
    now_ms: i64,
) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
    store.update(|comments| {
        let Some(comment) = comments.iter_mut().find(|c| c.id == id) else {
            bail!("No comment with id {id}");
        };
        if comment.archived_at_ms.is_some() {
            bail!("Comment {id} is archived and cannot be updated");
        }
        comment.payload = payload;
        comment.updated_at_ms = now_ms;
        Ok(())
    })
}

/// Archive the comment with the given `id`, hiding it from all future listings.
/// Returns `false` if the comment does not exist or was already archived.
pub fn archive_comment(store: &CommentStore, id: &str, now_ms: i64) -> anyhow::Result<bool> {
    store.update(|comments| {
        Ok(
            match comments
                .iter_mut()
                .find(|c| c.id == id && c.archived_at_ms.is_none())
            {
                Some(comment) => {
                    comment.archived_at_ms = Some(now_ms);

View on GitHub (pinned to caf1f223d3)

Solutions

1. Refresh the comment listing (archived entries are excluded) so stale edits cannot be submitted
2. If the edit matters, un-archive/restore the comment first if such an API exists, or re-create it
3. Guard edit UIs by checking archived state from the fresh listing before enabling save
4. Treat this error as a soft conflict: notify the user the comment no longer exists actively

// check archived state from the live store before enabling edit
let active = store.with(|comments| comments.iter()
    .find(|c| c.id == id).map(|c| c.archived_at_ms.is_none()))?;
anyhow::ensure!(active == Some(true), "comment {id} is archived");

match but_comments::update_payload(&store, id, payload, now) {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("archived") =>
        notify("this comment was archived elsewhere — edit discarded"),
    r => r?,
}

When it happens

Trigger: Updating a comment that was archived earlier via archive_comment(), typically from a UI that still shows a stale (pre-archive) view and lets the user edit it.

Common situations: Two windows open on the same review; one archives, the other submits an edit; clients replaying offline edits after a sync archived the comment.

Related errors

• No comment with id {id}
• Commit {} is not in the applied workspace
• Nothing to anchor a comment to in {scope}
• Cannot comment on {scope}: the diff is binary or too large
• There has been a malformed conflicted commit, unable to find

AI-assisted analysis of gitbutlerapp/gitbutler@caf1f223d3 (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3ff44b36d737f93a. Report an issue: GitHub.