pcottle/learnGitBranching · error · GitError

git-result-nothing

Error message

git-result-nothing

What it means

`git checkout -` moves HEAD back to where it was before the last move. This error is thrown when there is no previous position recorded (HEAD.lastLastTarget is unset), so there is nothing to go 'back' to.

Source

Thrown at src/js/git/commands.js:906

      var args = null;
      if (commandOptions['-b']) {
        // the user is really trying to just make a
        // branch and then switch to it. so first:
        args = commandOptions['-b'].concat(generalArgs);
        command.twoArgsImpliedHead(args, '-b');

        var validId = engine.validateBranchName(args[0]);
        engine.branch(validId, args[1]);
        engine.checkout(validId);
        return;
      }

      if (commandOptions['-']) {
        // get the heads last location
        var lastPlace = engine.HEAD.get('lastLastTarget');
        if (!lastPlace) {
          throw new GitError({
            msg: intl.str('git-result-nothing')
          });
        }
        engine.HEAD.set('target', lastPlace);
        return;
      }

      if (commandOptions['-B']) {
        args = commandOptions['-B'].concat(generalArgs);
        command.twoArgsImpliedHead(args, '-B');

        engine.forceBranch(args[0], args[1]);
        engine.checkout(args[0]);
        return;
      }

      command.validateArgBounds(generalArgs, 1, 1);

View on GitHub (pinned to 5b09d0ff96)

Solutions

1. Use an explicit ref: `git checkout main` or `git checkout <branch>`
2. Perform at least one checkout/switch before using `-`
3. Use `git switch -` only after a prior switch has been recorded

Example fix

// before
git checkout -
// after
git checkout main

if (engine.HEAD.get('lastLastTarget')) { engine.checkout('-'); } else { engine.checkout('main'); }

When it happens

Trigger: Running `git checkout -` as the first HEAD-moving command (no prior checkout/switch in the session), or after history of the previous target was cleared.

Common situations: User dashes off `checkout -` immediately after starting a level or after `git reset` scenarios that never set a prior target.

Related errors

• git-error-options
• git-error-remote-branch
• git-error-exist
• cannot fetch to ' + ref + ' when checked out on ' + ref
• ' + ref + ' is not a branch

AI-assisted analysis of pcottle/learnGitBranching@5b09d0ff96 (2026-08-27). Data as JSON: /api/errors/24cf046012310216. Report an issue: GitHub.