[PATCH v2 1/3] commit: reword the empty-commit rebase errors

From: Elijah Newren via GitGitGadget <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
Date: Aug 27, 2026, 01:02 UTC
Message-ID: <65c48ed3cb638cf0be18a3aa6d86d4c4f2cf01a2.1787792534.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <pull.2389.v2.git.git.1787792534.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>

From: Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com>

When a rebase applies a commit that becomes empty, it stops and asks the user to decide whether to keep it or drop it. HEAD still points at the previously-applied commit at that point, so either amending or creating a partial commit is refused, with one of the following messages:

    You are in the middle of a rebase -- cannot amend.
    cannot do a partial commit during a rebase.

Neither message hints that the real problem is a commit that became empty, and "during a rebase" is overly broad besides -- amending and partial commits are fine at an `edit` or `break` stop. Reword both to describe the actual situation.

Signed-off-by: Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com>
---
 builtin/commit.c              | 4 ++--
 t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh | 4 ++--
 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index 28f6174503..0d908d72bb 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -521,7 +521,7 @@ static const char *prepare_index(const char **argv, const char *prefix,
 		else if (is_from_cherry_pick(whence))
 			die(_("cannot do a partial commit during a cherry-pick."));
 		else if (is_from_rebase(whence))
-			die(_("cannot do a partial commit during a rebase."));
+			die(_("cannot do a partial commit while resolving a commit that became empty."));
 	}
 
 	if (list_paths(&partial, !current_head ? NULL : "HEAD", &pathspec))
@@ -1334,7 +1334,7 @@ static int parse_and_validate_options(int argc, const char *argv[],
 		else if (is_from_cherry_pick(whence))
 			die(_("You are in the middle of a cherry-pick -- cannot amend."));
 		else if (whence == FROM_REBASE_PICK)
-			die(_("You are in the middle of a rebase -- cannot amend."));
+			die(_("You are resolving a commit that became empty -- cannot amend."));
 	}
 	if (fixup_message && squash_message)
 		die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"), "--squash", "--fixup");
diff --git a/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh b/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh
index ff11abb2f2..1e78dbfd90 100755
--- a/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh
+++ b/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh
@@ -1868,7 +1868,7 @@ test_expect_success 'correct error message for partial commit after empty pick'
 	) &&
 	echo x >file1 &&
 	test_must_fail git commit file1 2>err &&
-	test_grep "cannot do a partial commit during a rebase." err
+	test_grep "cannot do a partial commit while resolving a commit that became empty." err
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'correct error message for commit --amend after empty pick' '
@@ -1881,7 +1881,7 @@ test_expect_success 'correct error message for commit --amend after empty pick'
 	) &&
 	echo x>file1 &&
 	test_must_fail git commit -a --amend 2>err &&
-	test_grep "middle of a rebase -- cannot amend." err
+	test_grep "resolving a commit that became empty -- cannot amend." err
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'todo has correct onto hash' '

-- 
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