jdx/mise · error

failed to locate Git repository for {}: {}

Error message

failed to locate Git repository for {}: {}

What it means

Thrown when the dotfiles/files subsystem cannot determine the Git repository root of a source directory. It runs `git rev-parse --show-toplevel` (or equivalent) in the source and, if Git itself fails, surfaces Git's stderr (or the exit status when stderr is empty) alongside the source path. This library requires a Git repository because the source's tracked-file list and content hashing depend on Git.

Source

Thrown at src/system/files.rs:1905

    let mut root_command = Command::new("git");
    root_command
        .arg("-C")
        .arg(source)
        .args(["-c", "safe.directory=*", "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"])
        .stdout(std::process::Stdio::piped())
        .stderr(std::process::Stdio::piped());
    crate::git::sanitize_git_command(&mut root_command);
    let root_output = root_command.output().wrap_err_with(|| {
        format!(
            "failed to locate Git repository for {}",
            source.display_user()
        )
    })?;
    if !root_output.status.success() {
        let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&root_output.stderr)
            .trim()
            .to_string();
        bail!(
            "failed to locate Git repository for {}: {}",
            source.display_user(),
            if stderr.is_empty() {
                root_output.status.to_string()
            } else {
                stderr
            }
        );
    }
    let root = root_output
        .stdout
        .strip_suffix(b"\n")
        .unwrap_or(&root_output.stdout);
    let root = root.strip_suffix(b"\r").unwrap_or(root);
    let safe = format!("safe.directory={}", path_buf_from_git_bytes(root).display());
    let mut command = Command::new("git");
    command
        .arg("-C")

View on GitHub (pinned to afd2eddd3a)

Solutions

1. Initialize or restore the Git repository in the source directory (git init / re-clone).
2. Fix the repository corruption or permission problems reported in the stderr included in the message.
3. Point the files config at a directory that is actually inside a Git work tree.
4. Verify `git rev-parse --show-toplevel` succeeds manually inside the source directory.

Example fix

// before (mise.toml)
[[files]]
source = "~/dotfiles"

// after
# cd ~/dotfiles && git init && git add -A && git commit -m init
# (or clone: git clone git@github.com:you/dotfiles.git ~/dotfiles)

use std::process::Command;
fn ensure_git_repo(source: &std::path::Path) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
    let out = Command::new("git")
        .arg("rev-parse").arg("--show-toplevel")
        .current_dir(source)
        .output()?;
    if !out.status.success() {
        anyhow::bail!(
            "source {} is not inside a Git repository: {}",
            source.display(),
            String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr).trim()
        );
    }
    Ok(())
}

match result {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("failed to locate Git repository") => {
        eprintln!("Source is not a Git repo; run `git init` or fix the repo first: {e}");
    }
    Err(e) => return Err(e),
    Ok(plan) => apply(plan),
}

When it happens

Trigger: Applying or planning dotfiles whose `source` points at a directory that is not inside a Git work tree, or where running `git rev-parse --show-toplevel` fails (corrupt .git, permission error, git not functioning, bare/broken repo).

Common situations: Pointing `[files]` source at a plain (non-Git) directory; a repository with a deleted or corrupted .git directory; running in a sandbox/CI where the source was copied without .git; unreadable repo metadata due to permissions.

Understand the failure class

Background: "git command failed": what it means when a tool shells out to git and git exits non-zero — this error's family across 21 libraries.

Related errors

• failed to list Git-tracked files in {}: {}
• failed rename: {} -> {}: {err}
• {err} dotfiles: rollback failed: {rollback_err}
• {}
• comparing checkpoints requires git

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@afd2eddd3a (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e08dca14926ab6a7. Report an issue: GitHub.