windmill-labs/windmill · error · Error

Refusing to rename your current branch \`${currentBranch}\`

Error message

Refusing to rename your current branch \`${currentBranch}\` — it is already a fork branch. To fork a fork, omit --from-branch: \`wmill workspace fork\` bases the new fork on this fork's original branch and creates a fresh fork branch without renaming.

What it means

The current branch is itself a fork branch (wm-fork/<base>/<old-id>). Renaming it onto a new fork branch would silently detach the existing fork from its branch mapping, losing the git sync linkage. The CLI blocks this and instead tells you how to fork a fork properly: omit --from-branch, which bases the new fork on the current fork's original branch and creates a fresh branch without renaming.

Source

Thrown at cli/src/commands/workspace/fork.ts:78

  if (opts.fromBranch) {
    // Explicit override: base on <fromBranch>, rename the current branch.
    if (opts.fromBranch === currentBranch) {
      throw new Error(
        `--from-branch is for converting a *different* working branch into the fork branch, but you are already on \`${currentBranch}\`. ` +
        `Omit --from-branch to create a fresh fork branch with \`git checkout -b\`.`,
      );
    }
    if (isBaseBranch(currentBranch)) {
      throw new Error(
        `Refusing to rename your current branch \`${currentBranch}\` — it looks like a base branch (mapped to a workspace in wmill.yaml, or main/master). ` +
        `Check out the disposable working branch you want to convert first.`,
      );
    }
    if (getOriginalBranchForWorkspaceForks(currentBranch)) {
      // Current branch is itself a fork branch (wm-fork/<base>/<old-id>).
      // Renaming it onto the new fork branch would detach the existing fork.
      throw new Error(
        `Refusing to rename your current branch \`${currentBranch}\` — it is already a fork branch. ` +
        `To fork a fork, omit --from-branch: \`wmill workspace fork\` bases the new fork on this fork's original branch and creates a fresh fork branch without renaming.`,
      );
    }
    if (!findWorkspaceByGitBranch(config.workspaces, opts.fromBranch)) {
      throw new Error(
        `Could not find a workspace mapped to branch \`${opts.fromBranch}\` in wmill.yaml's workspaces section. ` +
        `Pass the base branch your fork should be based on (e.g. the branch bound to the parent workspace).`,
      );
    }
    clonedBranchName = opts.fromBranch;
    renameCurrent = true;
  } else if (originalBranchIfForked) {
    // Fork of a fork: link to the original branch; user checks out a new branch.
    log.info(`You are creating a fork of a fork. The branch will be linked to the original branch this was forked from, i.e. \`${originalBranchIfForked}\`, for all settings and overrides.`);
    clonedBranchName = originalBranchIfForked;
    renameCurrent = false;
  } else if (isBaseBranch(currentBranch)) {

View on GitHub (pinned to e474e8803c)

Solutions

1. Omit --from-branch: run plain `wmill workspace fork` from the fork branch to create a fork-of-fork linked to the original base branch
2. If you meant to fork a different branch, first switch to a non-fork working branch: `git switch <base-or-working-branch>`

Example fix

// before
git switch wm-fork/main/my-feature
wmill workspace fork --from-branch main  # refusal
// after
wmill workspace fork  # fork of a fork, based on original branch 'main'

const WM_FORK_PREFIX = 'wm-fork';
const current = execSync('git branch --show-current', { encoding: 'utf8' }).trim();
if (opts.fromBranch && current.startsWith(`${WM_FORK_PREFIX}/`)) {
  throw new Error('Already on a fork branch: omit --from-branch to fork the fork.');
}
await createWorkspaceFork(opts, name);

function isForkBranch(branch: string, prefix = 'wm-fork'): boolean {
  return branch.startsWith(`${prefix}/`);
}

try {
  await createWorkspaceFork(opts, name);
} catch (e) {
  if ((e as Error).message.includes('already a fork branch')) {
    console.error('Run `wmill workspace fork` without --from-branch to create a fork of the fork.');
  } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `wmill workspace fork --from-branch <X>` while HEAD is on a branch whose name matches wm-fork/<base>/<id> (i.e. getOriginalBranchForWorkspaceForks returns a value).

Common situations: Chaining forks: user already created one fork and now tries to fork it again while still on the fork branch with --from-branch still in the command line from the previous invocation.

Related errors

• You can only create forks within a git repo. Forks are track
• Could not resolve parent workspace. Make sure you are in a g
• Could not get git branch name
• --from-branch is for converting a *different* working branch
• Refusing to rename your current branch \`${currentBranch}\`

AI-assisted analysis of windmill-labs/windmill@e474e8803c (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8e7187e8a3a893f1. Report an issue: GitHub.