What causes "Could not determine selected review template" in gitbutlerapp/gitbutler?

Re-run and confirm a template with Enter.

Could not determine selected review template

Error message

Could not determine selected review template

What it means

When setting a forge review template and multiple templates are available, the command shows a prompt_select picker; this error occurs when the picker is cancelled (returns None) so no template path is chosen. The previously-guarded empty-list case is handled by the 'No review templates available' context, so reaching this line means templates existed but no selection was confirmed. Nothing is written (set_review_template is only called after selection).

Source

Thrown at crates/but/src/command/legacy/forge/review.rs:292

                } else {
                    template.clone()
                };
                (label, template)
            })
            .collect::<Vec<_>>();
        let template_options = nonempty::NonEmpty::from_vec(template_options)
            .context("No review templates available")?;
        let selected_template = {
            let mut input = out
                .prepare_for_terminal_input()
                .context("Human input required - run this in a terminal")?;
            input
                .prompt_select(
                    "Select a review template (and press Enter)",
                    &template_options,
                )?
                .cloned()
                .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("Could not determine selected review template"))?
        };
        let message = format!("Set review template path to: {}", &selected_template);
        but_api::legacy::forge::set_review_template(ctx, Some(selected_template.clone()))?;
        if let Some(out) = out.for_human() {
            writeln!(out, "{message}")?;
        }
    }

    Ok(())
}

/// Create a new forge review for a branch.
/// If no branch is specified, prompts the user to select one.
/// If there is only one branch without a an acco, asks for confirmation.
#[expect(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
pub async fn create_review(
    ctx: &mut Context,
    branch: Option<String>,

View on GitHub (pinned to caf1f223d3)

Solutions

Re-run and confirm a template with Enter.
If you already know the path, pass it directly as the argument to skip the picker.
Verify templates exist where the tool looks (.gitbutler/template dirs / configured paths) if the list surprises you.

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// Skip the picker by passing the template path explicitly when known
// e.g. but forge review set-template .gitbutler/template/default.md

Try / catch

match set_review_template_interactive(out).await {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("Could not determine selected review template") => {
        println!("Template selection cancelled; no change made."); Ok(())
    }
    other => other,
}

Prevention

Pass the template path directly to avoid the interactive step.
Keep templates in the conventional location so the list stays meaningful.

When it happens

Trigger: Running the review-template set command with several templates configured, then pressing Esc/Ctrl-C in the 'Select a review template' picker.

Common situations: User browsing available templates before deciding; aborting to inspect template contents first.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of gitbutlerapp/gitbutler@caf1f223d3 (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2c56474ec5b98fd0. Report an issue: GitHub.