zed-industries/zed · error · anyhow::Error

git.worktree_directory must not be empty

Error message

git.worktree_directory must not be empty

What it means

The same worktree-directory validator rejects an empty value (crates/project/src/git_store.rs:10498). git.worktree_directory must be a non-empty relative path; an empty string gives Zed nothing to join onto the repository anchor and is refused before any worktree is created.

Source

Thrown at crates/project/src/git_store.rs:10498

    repository_anchor_path: &Path,
    worktree_directory_setting: &str,
    path_style: PathStyle,
) -> Result<PathBuf> {
    // Check the original setting before trimming, since a path like "///"
    // is absolute but becomes "" after stripping trailing separators.
    // Also check for leading `/` or `\` explicitly, because on Windows
    // `Path::is_absolute()` requires a drive letter — so `/tmp/worktrees`
    // would slip through even though it's clearly not a relative path.
    if path_style.is_absolute(worktree_directory_setting)
        || worktree_directory_setting.starts_with('\\')
    {
        anyhow::bail!(
            "git.worktree_directory must be a relative path, got: {worktree_directory_setting:?}"
        );
    }

    if worktree_directory_setting.is_empty() {
        anyhow::bail!("git.worktree_directory must not be empty");
    }

    let trimmed = worktree_directory_setting.trim_end_matches(['/', '\\']);
    if trimmed == ".." {
        anyhow::bail!("git.worktree_directory must not be \"..\" (use \"../some-name\" instead)");
    }

    let joined = path_style.join_path(repository_anchor_path, trimmed)?;
    let resolved = if path_style.is_posix() {
        joined
    } else {
        path::normalize_path(&joined)
    };
    let resolved = if resolved.starts_with(repository_anchor_path) {
        resolved
    } else if let Some(repo_dir_name) = repository_anchor_path
        .file_name()
        .and_then(|name| name.to_str())

View on GitHub (pinned to f4178619ac)

Solutions

1. Remove the git.worktree_directory key from settings.json to get the default
2. Set an explicit non-empty relative path such as ".zed-worktrees" or "../worktrees"

Example fix

// settings.json - before
{ "git": { "worktree_directory": "" } }

// settings.json - after
{ "git": { "worktree_directory": ".zed-worktrees" } }

if worktree_directory_setting.is_empty() {
    return Err("git.worktree_directory must not be empty".into());
}

When it happens

Trigger: Setting "git": { "worktree_directory": "" } in settings.json and creating a worktree. Note that "///" does not reach this check - it is caught earlier as an absolute path.

Common situations: Explicitly blanking the setting hoping to restore the default; settings templating that renders an empty value; user error.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Invalid value" and "allowed values are" config errors: what your library rejected and how to fix it — this error's family across 41 libraries.

Related errors

• git.worktree_directory must be a relative path, got: {worktr
• git.worktree_directory must not be ".." (use "../some-name"
• git.worktree_directory resolved to {resolved:?}, which is ou
• untracked files are present and will NOT be included in the
• A worktree already exists at {}

AI-assisted analysis of zed-industries/zed@f4178619ac (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a01c8e5185e3e479. Report an issue: GitHub.