From: Paul Wintz <pwintz@ucsc.edu>
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2025 23:39:01 GMT
Subject: [bug report] erroneous suggestion for "--add" option in `git config set` error message
Message-ID: <CADBJ995pDG9R8EJnK5nwWKPWAf-XF5P5KTY+bAx71EhdMvvO6A@mail.gmail.com>

It seems that there is an erroneous suggestion in a `git config set`
error message when setting a value that already has multiple values.
The error message says to use the `--add` option, but this option does
not seem to exist. The `--append` option should be suggested instead.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Create a configuration with multiple values:

    git config set --global test.test 'hello'
    git config set --global --append test.test 'hi'

2. Try to set the value of `test.test`:

    git config set --global test.test 'hi'

An error message is shown:

    warning: test.test has multiple values
    error: cannot overwrite multiple values with a single value
           Use a regexp, --add or --replace-all to change test.test.

3. Following the direction to use `--add` produces an error:

    > git config set --add test.test "aloha"
    error: unknown option `add'

The error message should say `--append` instead of `--add`.

[System Info]
git version:
git version 2.48.1
cpu: x86_64
no commit associated with this build
sizeof-long: 8
sizeof-size_t: 8
shell-path: /bin/sh
libcurl: 8.12.1
zlib: 1.3.1
uname: Linux 6.14.0-35-generic #35-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Sat Oct
11 10:06:31 UTC 2025 x86_64
compiler info: gnuc: 14.2
libc info: glibc: 2.41
$SHELL (typically, interactive shell): /bin/bash


[Enabled Hooks]
post-checkout
post-commit
post-merge
pre-push

--
Paul Wintz, PhD
UCSC Hybrid Systems Laboratory
Hartnell College, Adjunct Faculty
PaulWintz.com