stablyai/orca · error · Error

Could not refresh base ref "${baseBranch}" from "${remoteTra

Error message

Could not refresh base ref "${baseBranch}" from "${remoteTrackingBase.remote}". Check your network and try again.

What it means

Remote create: refreshing the remote-tracking base ref failed AND no usable stale local copy of that ref exists. refreshRemoteTrackingBaseForWorktreeCreate threw, and the follow-up hasRemoteTrackingRefSsh also reported the ref absent. The code blocks create only when BOTH conditions hold — a stale-but-present ref would let git worktree add proceed. The message points at network because the refresh is a fetch.

Source

Thrown at src/main/ipc/worktree-remote.ts:1658

          presetDirectories.length === sparseDirectories.length &&
          sparseDirectories.every((entry) => presetSet.has(entry))
        sparsePresetId = directoriesMatch ? preset.id : undefined
      } catch {
        // Why: corrupt preset data should not block creation or falsely label the new worktree.
      }
    }
  }

  // Why: addWorktree/setup probes run inside the new path; older relays need that root registered before accepting git/fs ops there.
  await registerRequiredSshWorktreeCreateRoots(repo.connectionId!, [remotePath])

  if (remoteTrackingBase) {
    try {
      await refreshRemoteTrackingBaseForWorktreeCreate(provider, repo, remoteTrackingBase)
    } catch {
      // Why: a refresh failure shouldn't block create if a usable (stale) local base ref exists; probe after registerRoot and hard-fail only when none does.
      if (!(await hasRemoteTrackingRefSsh(provider, repo.path, remoteTrackingBase.ref))) {
        throw new Error(
          `Could not refresh base ref "${baseBranch}" from "${remoteTrackingBase.remote}". Check your network and try again.`
        )
      }
    }
  } else if (!(await hasRemoteWorktreeBaseRef(provider, repo.path, baseBranch))) {
    // Why: non-remote-tracking bases keep the legacy best-effort fetch; verified PR/MR SHA bases already have the object, so a broad fetch is wasted.
    try {
      await fetchRemoteForWorktreeCreate(provider, repo, 'origin')
    } catch {
      /* best-effort */
    }
  }

  const localBaseRefRefresh =
    settings.refreshLocalBaseRefOnWorktreeCreate && !checkoutExistingBranch && remoteTrackingBase
      ? await refreshLocalBaseRefForRemoteWorktreeCreate(provider, repo.path, remoteTrackingBase)
      : undefined
  const localBaseRefUpdateSuggestion =

View on GitHub (pinned to 1136503c6a)

Solutions

1. Restore network/SSH connectivity to the host and retry (the refresh is retried on each create).
2. Confirm the base branch still exists on the remote (git ls-remote).
3. Pass an explicit baseBranch that is already cached locally, or pick a different base, so the create can proceed from the stale ref.
4. Re-authenticate the SSH connection if the fetch failed with an auth error.

// Confirm connectivity + ref presence before create
const reachable = await pingSshHost(connectionId)
const hasRef = await hasRemoteTrackingRefSsh(provider, repo.path, remoteTrackingBase.ref)
if (!reachable || !hasRef) {
  return { ok: false, error: 'Base ref unavailable and host unreachable. Check network and retry.' }
}

catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error && err.message.startsWith('Could not refresh base ref')) {
    // transient network: retry once after reconnect
    await reconnectSsh(connectionId)
    return retryCreate()
  }
  throw err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Remote create with a remoteTrackingBase; the fetch/refresh threw (network down, SSH unreachable, auth failure) and hasRemoteTrackingRefSsh(provider, repo.path, remoteTrackingBase.ref) returned false. Reached at worktree-remote.ts:1658.

Common situations: VPN/network outage to the SSH host; SSH key revoked or agent not forwarded; remote deleted the branch since last clone (so no stale ref either); relay connection dropped mid-fetch; first-ever create on a host with no local refs cached.

Related errors

• Could not refresh base ref "${baseBranch}" from "${remoteTra
• Could not resolve a default base ref for this repo. Pick a b
• Base ref "${baseBranch}" was not found after fetching.
• SSH target did not connect: ${state.status}
• Remote connection dropped. Click Reconnect on the SSH target

AI-assisted analysis of stablyai/orca@1136503c6a (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8fab735e0190215e. Report an issue: GitHub.