jesseduffield/lazygit · error

Unexpected value '%s' for '%s'. Allowed values: %s

Error message

Unexpected value '%s' for '%s'. Allowed values: %s

What it means

Generic enum validator in pkg/config/user_config_validation.go: validateEnum(name, value, allowedValues) returns this error when a config string field does not match any allowed value. It is the shared backstop for several enum-ish user config options (e.g. git.log config values, custom command output modes such as '', none, terminal, log, logWithPty, popup).

Source

Thrown at pkg/config/user_config_validation.go:143

				return errors.New("git.diffRenderers: 'args' cannot be used with diff renderer type 'extDiff'.")
			}
		case "rawGit":
			if diffRenderer.Command != "" {
				return errors.New("git.diffRenderers: 'command' cannot be used with diff renderer type 'rawGit'.")
			}
		default:
			return fmt.Errorf("git.diffRenderers: unknown type '%s'. Allowed values: stdinFilter, extDiff, rawGit", diffRenderer.Type)
		}
	}
	return nil
}

func validateEnum(name string, value string, allowedValues []string) error {
	if slices.Contains(allowedValues, value) {
		return nil
	}
	allowedValuesStr := strings.Join(allowedValues, ", ")
	return fmt.Errorf("Unexpected value '%s' for '%s'. Allowed values: %s", value, name, allowedValuesStr)
}

func validateKeybindingsRecurse(path string, node any) error {
	value := reflect.ValueOf(node)
	if value.Kind() == reflect.Struct {
		for _, field := range reflect.VisibleFields(reflect.TypeOf(node)) {
			var newPath string
			if len(path) == 0 {
				newPath = field.Name
			} else {
				newPath = fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", path, field.Name)
			}
			if err := validateKeybindingsRecurse(newPath,
				value.FieldByName(field.Name).Interface()); err != nil {
				return err
			}
		}
	} else if value.Kind() == reflect.Slice {

View on GitHub (pinned to c477a2959b)

Solutions

1. Read the allowed values listed in the error message and set the field to one of them exactly.
2. Check casing — matching is exact string equality, not case-insensitive.
3. If you believe the value should be valid, check the field's allowed list in user_config_validation.go for your lazygit version.

Example fix

# before
customCommands:
  - key: 'a'
    command: make test
    output: window

# after
customCommands:
  - key: 'a'
    command: make test
    output: popup

func inEnum(v string, allowed ...string) bool {
	for _, a := range allowed {
		if v == a {
			return true
		}
	}
	return false
}

When it happens

Trigger: Any config field validated via validateEnum receiving a value outside its allowed list — e.g. customCommands output 'window' instead of 'popup', or a v.value like 'menu' for a field that only permits a fixed set.

Common situations: Typos or casing differences in enum-valued config keys; values valid in older lazygit versions that were renamed; hand-written configs instead of copying from docs.

Related errors

• gui.sidePanels: a side panel must have at least one tab.
• gui.sidePanels must not be empty.
• gui.spinner.frames must not be empty.
• All gui.spinner.frames entries must have the same width.
• git.diffRenderers: 'command' must be specified for diff rend

AI-assisted analysis of jesseduffield/lazygit@c477a2959b (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/66ce8964632f1425. Report an issue: GitHub.