What causes "{hash} is not a valid git commit" in nikivdev/code?

Run `git rev-parse --verify ^{commit}` yourself to see git's own error

{hash} is not a valid git commit

Error message

{hash} is not a valid git commit

What it means

resolve_git_commit_sha() runs `git rev-parse --verify <hash>^{commit}` inside the repo. If the command fails, or the returned SHA is empty, it throws this error indicating the supplied string is not a resolvable git commit in this repository. The git stderr is attached as context.

Source

Thrown at src/commit.rs:7135

    let matches: Vec<_> = entries
        .into_iter()
        .filter(|entry| commit_queue_entry_matches(entry, hash))
        .collect();

    match matches.len() {
        0 => bail!("No queued commit matches {}", hash),
        1 => Ok(matches.into_iter().next().unwrap()),
        _ => bail!("Multiple queued commits match {}. Use a longer hash.", hash),
    }
}

fn resolve_git_commit_sha(repo_root: &Path, hash: &str) -> Result<String> {
    let rev = format!("{hash}^{{commit}}");
    let sha = git_capture_in(repo_root, &["rev-parse", "--verify", &rev])
        .with_context(|| format!("{hash} is not a valid git commit"))?;
    let trimmed = sha.trim();
    if trimmed.is_empty() {
        bail!("{hash} is not a valid git commit");
    }
    Ok(trimmed.to_string())
}

fn queue_existing_commit_for_approval(
    repo_root: &Path,
    hash: &str,
    mark_reviewed: bool,
) -> Result<CommitQueueEntry> {
    let commit_sha = resolve_git_commit_sha(repo_root, hash)?;
    let branch = git_capture_in(repo_root, &["rev-parse", "--abbrev-ref", "HEAD"])
        .unwrap_or_else(|_| "unknown".to_string())
        .trim()
        .to_string();
    let message = git_capture_in(repo_root, &["log", "-1", "--format=%s", &commit_sha])
        .unwrap_or_default()
        .trim()
        .to_string();

View on GitHub (pinned to a747e741ae)

Solutions

Run `git rev-parse --verify <hash>^{commit}` yourself to see git's own error
Run `git fetch --all` if the commit may exist on a remote
Correct the hash typo or use the full 40-char SHA from `git log`
Check you are in the right repository/clone containing the commit

Example fix

// before (shell)
f commit approve deadbeef   # unknown locally
// after (shell)
git fetch --all && git rev-parse --verify deadbeef^{commit} && f commit approve deadbeef

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

use std::process::Command;
fn commit_exists(repo: &std::path::Path, hash: &str) -> bool {
    Command::new("git")
        .current_dir(repo)
        .args(["rev-parse", "--verify", &format!("{hash}^{{commit}}")])
        .output()
        .map(|o| o.status.success())
        .unwrap_or(false)
}

Try / catch

if let Err(e) = tool.resolve_commit_sha(repo, hash) {
    if e.to_string().contains("is not a valid git commit") {
        let _ = Command::new("git").current_dir(repo).args(["fetch", "--all"]).status();
        // then retry or surface guidance to the user
    } else { return Err(e.into()); }
}

Prevention

`git fetch --all` before referencing remote commits
Validate refs with `git rev-parse --verify` before tooling calls
Use full 40-char SHAs in automation
Watch for shallow clones (--depth) missing history

When it happens

Trigger: Passing a hash that does not exist locally (not fetched), a branch/tag name that isn't a commit, a mistyped hash, or an abbreviated hash too short for git to resolve unambiguously.

Common situations: Referencing a commit from a remote that hasn't been fetched, typos in the hash, using a tag that was deleted, or running in a shallow clone where the commit is missing.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of nikivdev/code@a747e741ae (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/448c3c8e7ecf49a5. Report an issue: GitHub.