gitbutlerapp/gitbutler · error

No base branch configured

Error message

No base branch configured

What it means

branch_land first requires a managed GitButler workspace (gitbutler/workspace ref), then reads the configured base branch via legacy get_base_branch_data. When that returns None — a managed workspace exists but no target/base branch is configured in project metadata — the land aborts with this error before touching any refs.

Source

Thrown at crates/but-api/src/land/mod.rs:192

pub fn branch_land(
    ctx: &mut Context,
    branch: String,
    no_ff: bool,
    whole_stack: bool,
) -> anyhow::Result<BranchLandResult> {
    let base_branch = {
        let mut guard = ctx.exclusive_worktree_access();
        {
            let (_repo, ws, _db) = ctx.workspace_and_db_with_perm(guard.read_permission())?;
            if !ws.kind.has_managed_ref() {
                bail!(
                    "`but land` requires an active GitButler workspace (`gitbutler/workspace`). \
                     Switch into the workspace and try again."
                );
            }
        }
        crate::legacy::virtual_branches::get_base_branch_data(ctx, guard.write_permission())?
            .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("No base branch configured"))?
    };

    let target_branch_name = base_branch.short_name.clone();
    if target_branch_name.is_empty() {
        bail!("Configured target branch has no branch name");
    }
    let fetch_remote_name = base_branch.remote_name.clone();
    let push_remote_name = if base_branch.push_remote_name.is_empty() {
        fetch_remote_name.clone()
    } else {
        base_branch.push_remote_name.clone()
    };
    if push_remote_name.is_empty() {
        bail!("Configured target branch has no push remote");
    }

    // Triangular remotes (fetch remote != push remote) are out of scope for now: the post-land
    // reconcile reads the fetch remote's tracking ref, so a push to a different remote would not

View on GitHub (pinned to 2497b8007a)

Solutions

1. Set the target (base) branch in the GitButler app for the project, then retry land.
2. Programmatically call the set-base-branch flow (e.g. gitbutler_branch_actions::set_base_branch) with refs/remotes/<remote>/<branch> before landing.
3. Verify with `but status` that a target branch is reported before invoking land.

Example fix

// before
but_api::branch_land(ctx, branch, no_ff, whole_stack)?;

// after
let target: gitbutler_reference::RemoteRefname = "refs/remotes/origin/main".to_string().parse()?;
gitbutler_branch_actions::set_base_branch(ctx, &target, perm)?;
but_api::branch_land(ctx, branch, no_ff, whole_stack)?;

// land preflight:
let has_base = crate::legacy::virtual_branches::get_base_branch_data(
    ctx,
    perm.read_permission(),
)?.is_some();
anyhow::ensure!(has_base, "configure a target branch before landing");

When it happens

Trigger: branch_land on a project whose workspace ref exists but whose base-branch data is absent: onboarding interrupted before target selection, metadata cleared or lost, or partially migrated/restored projects.

Common situations: Workspace created but the 'set target branch' step skipped; project restored from backup without metadata; users deliberately clearing the target then running land.

Related errors

• Target branch {target_ref_name} not found
• No push remote set or more than one remote
• No HEAD reference found for remote {remote_name}
• Remote HEAD for {remote_name} is not symbolic
• Branch {branch_name} not found

AI-assisted analysis of gitbutlerapp/gitbutler@2497b8007a (2026-08-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7abe634facb0fe81. Report an issue: GitHub.