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[PATCH 3/4] repack: retain cruft packs in MIDXs after incremental repacks

From
Taylor Blau <ttaylorr@openai.com>
Date
Sep 30, 2026, 01:28 UTC
Message-ID
<1774fed77be11b37ce9eb4b7806f5f14539503fb.1790731662.git.me@ttaylorr.com>
In-Reply-To
<cover.1790731662.git.me@ttaylorr.com>

An incremental repack can write a commit and tree into a new pack while leaving objects they reach in an existing cruft pack. For example, a commit can make a previously unreachable blob reachable again. Since 'repack' will invoke 'pack-objects' with '--incremental', it will not copy the blob out of its cruft pack.

When the 'repack.midxMustContainCruft' configuration is set to "false", writing the first MIDX after such a repack may omit that cruft pack. The new pack bypasses the `!names.nr` fallback, and there are no previous MIDX packs for `midx_has_unknown_packs()` to check. Selecting the new commit for bitmap coverage then fails because its reachable objects are not all in the MIDX.

The omission dates all the way back to 5ee86c273bf (repack: exclude cruft pack(s) from the MIDX where possible, 2025-06-23). It relies on geometric repacking to copy once-cruft objects with '--stdin-packs=follow'. However, an ordinary incremental repack makes no such guarantee. Require the MIDX to include cruft packs in that case, even when a new pack was written.

Exercise this with the existing fixture that makes a cruft commit reachable again and adds a new (unpacked) commit on top, and ensure that the incremental repack is able to successfully write a reachability bitmap.

Signed-off-by: Taylor Blau <ttaylorr@openai.com>
---
 builtin/repack.c        |  6 ++++++
 t/t7704-repack-cruft.sh | 11 +++++++++++
 2 files changed, 17 insertions(+)
diff --git a/builtin/repack.c b/builtin/repack.c
index c4360382c1f..b7596d488da 100644
--- a/builtin/repack.c
+++ b/builtin/repack.c
@@ -539,6 +539,12 @@ int cmd_repack(int argc,
 			strvec_push(&cmd.args, "--stdin-packs=follow");
 		strvec_push(&cmd.args, "--unpacked");
 	} else {
+		/*
+		 * Incremental repacks do not copy already-packed objects,
+		 * so cruft packs may be required to form a reachability
+		 * closure for the MIDX.
+		 */
+		midx_must_contain_cruft = 1;
 		strvec_push(&cmd.args, "--unpacked");
 		strvec_push(&cmd.args, "--incremental");
 	}
diff --git a/t/t7704-repack-cruft.sh b/t/t7704-repack-cruft.sh
index b49f22878f7..f7f83e70ffe 100755
--- a/t/t7704-repack-cruft.sh
+++ b/t/t7704-repack-cruft.sh
@@ -787,6 +787,17 @@ test_expect_success 'geometric repack rescues descendants of loose trees' '
 	)
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'incremental repack includes cruft for MIDX bitmaps' '
+	setup_cruft_exclude_tests incremental-cruft &&
+	(
+		cd incremental-cruft &&
+
+		GIT_TEST_MULTI_PACK_INDEX=0 \
+		git repack -d --write-midx --write-bitmap-index &&
+		git rev-list --test-bitmap HEAD
+	)
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'repack --write-midx includes cruft when instructed' '
 	setup_cruft_exclude_tests exclude-cruft-when-instructed &&
 	(
-- 
2.56.0.4.gbee41d2fc68
Previous: Taylor BlauNext: Jeff King
Message 14 of 41 in “repack: various corner cases for cruft-less MIDXs”
  1. 0/4 repack: various corner cases for cruft-less MIDXsTaylor Blau, Sep 30, 2026
  2. 1/4 pack-objects: introduce `stdin_packs_context` structTaylor Blau, Sep 30, 2026
  3. Junio C HamanoSep 30, 2026
  4. Taylor BlauOct 1, 2026
  5. 2/4 pack-objects: ensure tree/tag closure with '--stdin-packs=follow'Taylor Blau, Sep 30, 2026
  6. Junio C HamanoSep 30, 2026
  7. Derrick StoleeSep 30, 2026
  8. Taylor BlauOct 1, 2026
  9. Elijah NewrenOct 1, 2026
  10. Taylor BlauOct 2, 2026
  11. Jeff KingOct 2, 2026
  12. Jeff KingSep 30, 2026
  13. Taylor BlauOct 1, 2026
  14. 3/4 repack: retain cruft packs in MIDXs after incremental repacksTaylor Blau, Sep 30, 2026
  15. Jeff KingSep 30, 2026
  16. Taylor BlauOct 1, 2026
  17. 4/4 repack: retain cruft packs in MIDXs containing kept packsTaylor Blau, Sep 30, 2026
  18. Jeff KingSep 30, 2026
  19. Taylor BlauOct 1, 2026
  20. Jeff KingSep 30, 2026
  21. Taylor BlauOct 1, 2026
  22. 0/8 repack: various corner cases for cruft-less MIDXsTaylor Blau, Oct 1, 2026
  23. 1/8 pack-objects: introduce `stdin_packs_context` structTaylor Blau, Oct 1, 2026
  24. 2/8 pack-objects: ensure tree/tag closure with '--stdin-packs=follow'Taylor Blau, Oct 1, 2026
  25. Jeff KingOct 2, 2026
  26. Taylor BlauOct 3, 2026
  27. Jeff KingOct 3, 2026
  28. 3/8 repack: retain cruft packs in MIDXs after incremental repacksTaylor Blau, Oct 1, 2026
  29. 4/8 repack: use a sorted list for explicitly kept packsTaylor Blau, Oct 1, 2026
  30. Jeff KingOct 2, 2026
  31. 5/8 repack: follow kept packs when omitting cruft from the MIDXTaylor Blau, Oct 1, 2026
  32. Jeff KingOct 2, 2026
  33. Taylor BlauOct 3, 2026
  34. 6/8 repack: track the preferred pack explicitly in MIDX write stepsTaylor Blau, Oct 1, 2026
  35. Jeff KingOct 2, 2026
  36. Taylor BlauOct 3, 2026
  37. Jeff KingOct 3, 2026
  38. 7/8 repack: defer allocating the append plan's write stepTaylor Blau, Oct 1, 2026
  39. 8/8 repack: include required packs in incremental MIDX writesTaylor Blau, Oct 1, 2026
  40. Jeff KingOct 2, 2026
  41. Taylor BlauOct 3, 2026

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