From: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2025 07:15:32 GMT
Subject: Re: [BUG] protocol.file.allow=always not honored when --local
Message-ID: <20251017071532.GA4073661@coredump.intra.peff.net>
In-Reply-To: <176066758616.6.12811000416591629223.957743298@passmail.net>

On Fri, Oct 17, 2025 at 02:19:38AM +0000, fence.borrowing375@passmail.net wrote:

> Created an empty directory, then initialized git:
> `mkdir ~/test && cd ~/test && git init`
> 
> Ensured file:// transport protocol is default/unset value (file:// is
> disabled by default):
> `git config --list | grep protocol`
> # no output
> 
> Enabled file:// transport for local repository:
> `git config --local protocol.file.allow always`
> 
> Then, attempted to add a git submodule:
> `git submodule add /path/to/module/.git`

I don't think this will work as you expect, because of the use of "git
config --local". When we run git-clone under the hood to clone the new
submodule, it is a new repository, and does not look at the config of
the containing repository at all[1].

As you noted, setting it in the user-level "--global" config file would
work. You can also override the config via the environment like:

  git -c protocol.file.allow=always submodule add ...

though note that anybody cloning will need to do the same thing (and of
course have the submodule available at the exact same local path!).

-Peff

[1] There have been discussions in the past on whether submodules should
    receive some config from the superproject repository. But there are
    a lot of complications, as it is the right thing for some config
    keys but not for some others. I doubt we will change the behavior
    anytime soon.