Re: [PATCH] object-file: don't use object database without a repository

From: Pushkar Singh <pushkarkumarsingh1970@gmail.com>
Date: Apr 5, 2026, 06:03 UTC
Message-ID: <CALE2CrSP0poB2u=SuWuhXNt-FLgqOTV0rmZoWYX8p6OOzpodOw@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <20260404172817.2995133-1-luca.stefani.ge1@gmail.com>

Hi Luca,

Thanks for the patch, this was interesting to read.

[snip]

> When git diff is invoked without a backing repository,
> INDEX_WRITE_OBJECT is never set in flags, meaning only the hash is
> needed and nothing should be written to the object store.

From my understanding, this avoids using the object database in non-repository scenarios by forcing the use of index_core() when INDEX_WRITE_OBJECT is not set, which makes sense since we only need the hash in that case.

I had a small question regarding coverage:

- Do we already have tests for cases like:
  git diff -- <file1> <file2> outside a repository,
  especially with large files triggering this path?

It might be useful to add one to ensure this behavior is preserved.

Also, are there any other callers of index_fd() that might rely on similar assumptions about repository initialization?

Thanks, Pushkar