windmill-labs/windmill · warning

⚠️ WARNING: Branch name "${currentBranch}" contains filesys

Error message

⚠️  WARNING: Branch name "${currentBranch}" contains filesystem-unsafe characters (/ \ : * ? " < > | .).

What it means

The first of two identical-text warnings in `validateBranchConfiguration`. When the current git branch contains filesystem-unsafe characters (`/ \ : * ? " < > | .`) and the CLI is about to interactively create a new empty workspace entry for that branch, it warns that the raw branch name is problematic for filenames. Branch-specific sync files embed the branch name, so such characters would break or confuse file paths on some filesystems.

Source

Thrown at cli/src/core/conf.ts:485

        `Current Git branch '${currentBranch}' does not match any workspace in the configuration.\n` +
          `Available workspaces: ${availableInfo}`
      );

      const shouldCreate =
        opts.yes ||
        (await Confirm.prompt({
          message: `Create empty workspace configuration for branch '${currentBranch}'?`,
          default: true,
        }));

      if (shouldCreate) {
        // Warn if branch name contains filesystem-unsafe characters
        if (/[\/\\:*?"<>|.]/.test(currentBranch)) {
          const sanitizedBranchName = currentBranch.replace(
            /[\/\\:*?"<>|.]/g,
            "_"
          );
          log.warn(
            `⚠️  WARNING: Branch name "${currentBranch}" contains filesystem-unsafe characters (/ \\ : * ? " < > | .).`
          );
          log.warn(
            `   Branch-specific files will be saved with sanitized name: "${sanitizedBranchName}"`
          );
          log.warn(
            `   Example: "file.variable.yaml" → "file.${sanitizedBranchName}.variable.yaml"`
          );
        }

        // Read current config, add workspace entry, and write it back
        const currentConfig = await readConfigFile();

        if (!currentConfig.workspaces) {
          currentConfig.workspaces = {} as WorkspacesConfig;
        }
        (currentConfig.workspaces as any)[currentBranch] = {};

View on GitHub (pinned to e474e8803c)

Solutions

1. Accept the sanitization (CLI replaces unsafe chars with `_`); note the sanitized name shown in the follow-up warning.
2. Rename the branch to avoid unsafe characters, e.g. `git branch -m feature/add-login feature-add-login`.
3. Pre-create a workspace entry in `wmill.yaml` whose key/`gitBranch` matches the branch so the creation path is skipped.
4. Use `--workspace` to bypass branch auto-detection entirely.

Example fix

// before
git checkout -b feature/add-login
// after
git checkout -b feature-add-login

const branch = $("git branch --show-current").trim();
if (/[\/\\:*?"<>|.]/.test(branch)) {
  console.warn(`Branch "${branch}" will be sanitized in wmill file names — consider renaming`);
}

const isFsSafeBranch = (b: string): boolean => !/[\/\\:*?"<>|.]/.test(b);

When it happens

Trigger: Running `wmill push`/`pull` in a git repo where the current branch (after workspace-fork resolution) matches no workspace, the user is in an interactive TTY and accepts the "Create empty workspace configuration" prompt, and the branch name matches `/[\/\\:*?"<>|.]/` — e.g. feature/xyz, release:v2, or a branch with a dot.

Common situations: Working on a feature branch like `feature/add-login` or `hotfix/1.2.3` in a repo whose `wmill.yaml` has no workspace entry for that branch; slash-containing branch names from Jira/GitHub conventions are the most frequent case.

Related errors

• Branch-specific files will be saved with sanitized name: "${
• Example: "file.variable.yaml" → "file.${sanitizedBranchName}
• File not found: ${filePath}
• Workspace folder not found, are you in the right directory?
• Directory not found: ${targetDirectory}

AI-assisted analysis of windmill-labs/windmill@e474e8803c (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0785376204955f17. Report an issue: GitHub.