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[PATCH v5 1/3] rerere: wait for MERGE_RR.lock before giving up

From
Thomas Bachem via GitGitGadget <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
Date
Sep 28, 2026, 11:58 UTC
Message-ID
<3dc3d02f12a3118ac9e270c19960815f6b8170cb.1790596702.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To
<pull.2214.v5.git.1790596702.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
From: Thomas Bachem <mail@thomasbachem.com>

setup_rerere() takes MERGE_RR.lock with LOCK_DIE_ON_ERROR, so of two processes that want it at the same time the second one dies. That used to be rare. Since 452b12c2e0 (builtin/maintenance: use "geometric" strategy by default, 2026-02-24) the auto maintenance after a commit runs "git rerere gc" whenever rr-cache has enough stale entries, and the gc holds the lock while it prunes.

A rebase whose next pick conflicts while that happens dies inside repo_rerere(), before the sequencer has written the state that "git rebase --continue" needs. Every later "git rebase --continue" then fails with "you have staged changes in your working tree".

Wait for the lock for up to rerere.lockTimeout milliseconds, 1000 by default, and only then fail as before. Pruning a few thousand entries takes well under a second, so the default covers a rebase that runs into the gc.

Assisted-by: Claude Fable 5.1
Signed-off-by: Thomas Bachem <mail@thomasbachem.com>
---
 Documentation/config/rerere.adoc |  8 +++++
 rerere.c                         | 22 ++++++++++---
 t/t4200-rerere.sh                | 53 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 78 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/config/rerere.adoc b/Documentation/config/rerere.adoc
index 3a78b5ebb1..30e827f32b 100644
--- a/Documentation/config/rerere.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/config/rerere.adoc
@@ -10,3 +10,11 @@ rerere.enabled::
 	enabled if there is an `rr-cache` directory under the
 	`$GIT_DIR`, e.g. if "rerere" was previously used in the
 	repository.
+
+rerere.lockTimeout::
+	The length of time, in milliseconds, to wait for the rerere
+	lock when another process holds it, typically a background
+	`git rerere gc`.  Value 0 means not to wait at all; -1 means
+	to wait indefinitely.  Default is 1000 (i.e., wait for 1
+	second).  When the time is up, the command fails as it does
+	for any other lock it cannot take.
diff --git a/rerere.c b/rerere.c
index 1c3745d9e3..64fac07c71 100644
--- a/rerere.c
+++ b/rerere.c
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ static int rerere_enabled = -1;
 /* automatically update cleanly resolved paths to the index */
 static int rerere_autoupdate;
 
+/* how long to wait for MERGE_RR.lock, in milliseconds */
+static int rerere_lock_timeout_ms = 1000;
+
 #define RR_HAS_POSTIMAGE 1
 #define RR_HAS_PREIMAGE 2
 struct rerere_dir {
@@ -850,6 +853,8 @@ static void git_rerere_config(void)
 {
 	repo_config_get_bool(the_repository, "rerere.enabled", &rerere_enabled);
 	repo_config_get_bool(the_repository, "rerere.autoupdate", &rerere_autoupdate);
+	repo_config_get_int(the_repository, "rerere.locktimeout",
+			    &rerere_lock_timeout_ms);
 	repo_config(the_repository, git_default_config, NULL);
 }
 
@@ -882,12 +887,19 @@ int setup_rerere(struct repository *r, struct string_list *merge_rr, int flags)
 
 	if (flags & (RERERE_AUTOUPDATE|RERERE_NOAUTOUPDATE))
 		rerere_autoupdate = !!(flags & RERERE_AUTOUPDATE);
-	if (flags & RERERE_READONLY)
+	if (flags & RERERE_READONLY) {
 		fd = 0;
-	else
-		fd = repo_hold_lock_file_for_update(r, &write_lock,
-						    git_path_merge_rr(r),
-						    LOCK_DIE_ON_ERROR);
+	} else {
+		/*
+		 * Another process may hold the lock for a while, e.g.
+		 * "git rerere gc" while it prunes rr-cache, so wait for
+		 * it instead of dying right away.
+		 */
+		fd = repo_hold_lock_file_for_update_timeout(r, &write_lock,
+							    git_path_merge_rr(r),
+							    LOCK_DIE_ON_ERROR,
+							    rerere_lock_timeout_ms);
+	}
 	read_rr(r, merge_rr);
 	return fd;
 }
diff --git a/t/t4200-rerere.sh b/t/t4200-rerere.sh
index 7bb601e117..7bd92235dc 100755
--- a/t/t4200-rerere.sh
+++ b/t/t4200-rerere.sh
@@ -242,6 +242,59 @@ test_expect_success 'old records rest in peace' '
 	test_path_is_missing $rr2/preimage
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'a held lock is waited out within rerere.lockTimeout' '
+	git reset --hard &&
+	rm -rf $rr &&
+	test_when_finished "rm -f .git/MERGE_RR.lock" &&
+	>.git/MERGE_RR.lock &&
+	{
+		( sleep 1 && rm -f .git/MERGE_RR.lock ) &
+	} &&
+	test_must_fail git -c rerere.lockTimeout=5000 merge first 2>err &&
+	wait &&
+	test_grep ! "MERGE_RR" err &&
+	test_grep "^=======\$" $rr/preimage
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'merge fails once rerere.lockTimeout is up' '
+	git reset --hard &&
+	rm -rf $rr &&
+	test_when_finished "rm -f .git/MERGE_RR.lock" &&
+	>.git/MERGE_RR.lock &&
+	test_must_fail git -c rerere.lockTimeout=0 merge first 2>err &&
+	test_grep "Unable to create" err &&
+	test_grep "^=======\$" a1 &&
+	test_path_is_missing $rr/preimage
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'rerere, forget, clear and gc fail on a lock they cannot take' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -f .git/MERGE_RR.lock" &&
+	>.git/MERGE_RR.lock &&
+	test_must_fail git -c rerere.lockTimeout=0 rerere 2>err &&
+	test_grep "Unable to create" err &&
+	test_must_fail git -c rerere.lockTimeout=0 rerere forget a1 2>err &&
+	test_grep "Unable to create" err &&
+	test_must_fail git -c rerere.lockTimeout=0 rerere clear 2>err &&
+	test_grep "Unable to create" err &&
+	test_must_fail git -c rerere.lockTimeout=0 rerere gc 2>err &&
+	test_grep "Unable to create" err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'rebase --abort fails on a lock it cannot take' '
+	git reset --hard &&
+	git checkout -b lock-held-abort third &&
+	test_when_finished "git checkout third && git branch -D lock-held-abort" &&
+	test_must_fail git rebase first &&
+	test_when_finished "rm -f .git/MERGE_RR.lock" &&
+	>.git/MERGE_RR.lock &&
+	test_must_fail git -c rerere.lockTimeout=0 rebase --abort 2>err &&
+	test_grep "Unable to create" err &&
+	test_path_is_dir .git/rebase-merge &&
+	rm .git/MERGE_RR.lock &&
+	git rebase --abort &&
+	test_path_is_missing .git/rebase-merge
+'
+
 rerere_gc_custom_expiry_test () {
 	five_days="$1" right_now="$2"
 	test_expect_success "rerere gc with custom expiry ($five_days, $right_now)" '
-- 
gitgitgadget
Previous: Thomas Bachem via GitGitGadgetNext: Thomas Bachem via GitGitGadget
Message 28 of 44 in “rerere: keep a background gc from killing a rebase”
  1. rerere: keep a background gc from killing a rebaseThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 2, 2026
  2. Phillip WoodSep 2, 2026
  3. Thomas BachemSep 2, 2026
  4. Phillip WoodSep 3, 2026
  5. Patrick SteinhardtSep 3, 2026
  6. Thomas BachemSep 3, 2026
  7. Patrick SteinhardtSep 3, 2026
  8. Thomas BachemSep 3, 2026
  9. Phillip WoodSep 3, 2026
  10. rerere: keep a background gc from killing a rebaseThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 4, 2026
  11. Phillip WoodSep 4, 2026
  12. Thomas BachemSep 4, 2026
  13. Phillip WoodSep 7, 2026
  14. Junio C HamanoSep 4, 2026
  15. Thomas BachemSep 4, 2026
  16. rerere: keep a background gc from killing a rebaseThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 4, 2026
  17. Junio C HamanoSep 4, 2026
  18. Thomas BachemSep 5, 2026
  19. Junio C HamanoSep 5, 2026
  20. Thomas BachemSep 6, 2026
  21. Patrick SteinhardtSep 7, 2026
  22. 0/2 rerere: wait for MERGE_RR.lock, and go on at a conflictThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 14, 2026
  23. 1/2 rerere: wait for MERGE_RR.lock, and let the gc skip itThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 14, 2026
  24. Patrick SteinhardtSep 28, 2026
  25. 2/2 rerere: go on at a conflict when the lock stays busyThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 14, 2026
  26. Patrick SteinhardtSep 28, 2026
  27. 0/3 rerere: wait for MERGE_RR.lock, and go on at a conflictThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 28, 2026
  28. 1/3 rerere: wait for MERGE_RR.lock before giving upThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 28, 2026
  29. 2/3 rerere: add "gc --auto" that skips a held lockThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 28, 2026
  30. Patrick SteinhardtSep 30, 2026
  31. Thomas BachemOct 1, 2026
  32. Patrick SteinhardtOct 1, 2026
  33. 3/3 rerere: go on at a conflict when the lock stays busyThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Sep 28, 2026
  34. 0/3 rerere: wait for MERGE_RR.lock, and go on at a conflictThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Oct 2, 2026
  35. 1/3 rerere: wait for MERGE_RR.lock before giving upThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Oct 2, 2026
  36. 2/3 rerere: add "gc --skip-locked" for auto maintenanceThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Oct 2, 2026
  37. Patrick SteinhardtOct 9, 2026
  38. Thomas BachemOct 10, 2026
  39. 3/3 rerere: go on at a conflict when the lock stays busyThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Oct 2, 2026
  40. Patrick SteinhardtOct 9, 2026
  41. Thomas BachemOct 10, 2026
  42. 0/2 rerere: wait for MERGE_RR.lock, but not in auto maintenanceThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Oct 10, 2026
  43. 1/2 rerere: wait for MERGE_RR.lock before giving upThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Oct 10, 2026
  44. 2/2 rerere: add "gc --skip-locked" for auto maintenanceThomas Bachem via GitGitGadget, Oct 10, 2026

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