plandex-ai/plandex · error

error creating branch: %v

Error message

error creating branch: %v

What it means

Wraps a failure from db.CreateBranch inside the 'create branch' transaction. The branch could not be created for the given repo/plan/parent — e.g. duplicate name, missing parent, or DB constraint failure — causing the whole WithTx block to roll back.

Source

Thrown at app/server/handlers/branches.go:142

	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(r.Context())

	err = db.ExecRepoOperation(db.ExecRepoOperationParams{
		OrgId:    auth.OrgId,
		UserId:   auth.User.Id,
		PlanId:   planId,
		Branch:   "main",
		Reason:   "create branch",
		Scope:    db.LockScopeWrite,
		Ctx:      ctx,
		CancelFn: cancel,
	}, func(repo *db.GitRepo) error {

		err := db.WithTx(ctx, "create branch", func(tx *sqlx.Tx) error {
			_, err = db.CreateBranch(repo, plan, parentBranch, req.Name, tx)

			if err != nil {
				return fmt.Errorf("error creating branch: %v", err)
			}

			return nil
		})

		return err
	})

	if err != nil {
		log.Printf("Error creating branch: %v\n", err)
		http.Error(w, "Error creating branch: "+err.Error(), http.StatusInternalServerError)
		return
	}

	log.Println("Successfully created branch")
}

func DeleteBranchHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

View on GitHub (pinned to e2d772072e)

Solutions

1. Check the wrapped %v cause — most often a duplicate-name constraint violation
2. Use a unique branch name or verify the branch does not already exist
3. Confirm parentBranch still exists and is accessible in this repo
4. Retry if the error was transient (deadlock/connection) — WithTx rolls back cleanly

Example fix

// before
_, err = db.CreateBranch(repo, plan, parentBranch, req.Name, tx)
if err != nil {
	return fmt.Errorf("error creating branch: %v", err)
}
// after
_, err = db.CreateBranch(repo, plan, parentBranch, req.Name, tx)
if err != nil {
	if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "duplicate" ) {
		return fmt.Errorf("branch %q already exists", req.Name)
	}
	return fmt.Errorf("error creating branch: %v", err)
}

// pre-check before the transaction
exists, _ := db.BranchExists(repo, req.Name)
if exists {
	return fmt.Errorf("branch %q already exists", req.Name)
}

err := CreateBranchHandler(w, r, req)
if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "error creating branch") {
	if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "duplicate") || strings.Contains(err.Error(), "unique") {
		http.Error(w, "branch name already in use", http.StatusConflict)
		return
	}
	http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusInternalServerError)
}

When it happens

Trigger: Branch creation API runs the WithTx callback; CreateBranch returns an error such as a unique-constraint violation on branch name, invalid parentBranch reference, or underlying SQL error.

Common situations: Client tries to create a branch whose name already exists; parent branch deleted or renamed concurrently; DB connectivity issue mid-transaction; name violates constraints (length/charset).

Related errors

• error creating invite: %v
• error deleting invite: %v
• error accepting invite: %v
• error creating org user: %v
• error starting transaction: %v

AI-assisted analysis of plandex-ai/plandex@e2d772072e (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/74ad0a0d9aee49d5. Report an issue: GitHub.