usestrix/strix · error · ValueError

Strix requires full git history for diff-scope. Please set f

Error message

Strix requires full git history for diff-scope. Please set fetch-depth: 0 in your CI config.

What it means

Raised by _resolve_repo_diff_scope (utils.py:961) when the repo is a git repository but _is_repo_shallow reports it was cloned with --depth (a .git/shallow file exists). Diff-scope computes merge-base against the base ref, which requires the full history; a shallow clone can make the base unreachable and produce wrong or empty diffs, so Strix refuses upfront.

Source

Thrown at strix/interface/utils.py:961

        current_branch = _get_current_branch_name(repo_path)
        default_branch = _resolve_default_branch_name(repo_path, env)
        if current_branch and default_branch and current_branch != default_branch:
            return True
    return False


def _resolve_repo_diff_scope(
    source: dict[str, str], diff_base: str | None, env: dict[str, str]
) -> RepoDiffScope:
    source_path = source.get("source_path", "")
    workspace_subdir = source.get("workspace_subdir")
    repo_path = Path(source_path)

    if not _is_git_repo(repo_path):
        raise ValueError(f"Source is not a git repository: {source_path}")

    if _is_repo_shallow(repo_path):
        raise ValueError(
            "Strix requires full git history for diff-scope. Please set fetch-depth: 0 "
            "in your CI config."
        )

    base_ref = _resolve_base_ref(repo_path, diff_base, env)
    merge_base_result = _run_git_command(repo_path, ["merge-base", base_ref, "HEAD"], check=False)
    if merge_base_result.returncode != 0:
        stderr = merge_base_result.stderr.strip()
        raise ValueError(
            f"Unable to compute merge-base against '{base_ref}' for '{source_path}'. "
            f"{stderr or 'Ensure the base branch history is fetched and reachable.'}"
        )

    merge_base = merge_base_result.stdout.strip()
    if not merge_base:
        raise ValueError(
            f"Unable to compute merge-base against '{base_ref}' for '{source_path}'. "
            "Ensure the base branch history is fetched and reachable."

View on GitHub (pinned to 8551339130)

Solutions

  1. In GitHub Actions set 'fetch-depth: 0' on the checkout step (the error message names this exact fix)
  2. Unshallow an existing clone: git fetch --unshallow (or git fetch --depth=<large>) then re-run
  3. For GitLab, set GIT_DEPTH: 0 in CI variables
  4. Clone fresh without --depth for diff-scope runs

Example fix

# before
- uses: actions/checkout@v4   # fetch-depth: 1 (shallow)
- run: strix -t . --diff-scope

# after
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
  with:
    fetch-depth: 0
- run: strix -t . --diff-scope --diff-base origin/main
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if (Path(source_path) / ".git" / "shallow").exists():
    raise SystemExit("shallow clone detected; run `git fetch --unshallow` before diff-scope")

Type guard

def is_full_clone(path: str) -> bool:
    return not (Path(path) / ".git" / "shallow").exists()

Try / catch

try:
    run_diff_scope_scan()
except ValueError as e:
    if "full git history" in str(e):
        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", source_path, "fetch", "--unshallow"], check=True)
        run_diff_scope_scan()  # retry once unshallowed
    else:
        raise

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Diff-scope on a repo cloned with git clone --depth=1 or --single-branch; GitHub Actions actions/checkout with default fetch-depth: 1; Docker builds using shallow clones; minimal CI images that default to shallow fetch.

Common situations: actions/checkout@v4 without fetch-depth: 0; GitLab CI default shallow clone (GIT_DEPTH=1); space-saving shallow clones in CI caches; developers reusing CI-built shallow workspaces locally.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of usestrix/strix@8551339130 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/644de9b9f8f9bc7a. Report an issue: GitHub.