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[PATCH v5 1/3] packed-backend: fsck should warn when "packed-refs" file is empty

From
shejialuo <shejialuo@gmail.com>
Date
May 14, 2025, 15:50 UTC
Message-ID
<aCS7wk-ZCBRiHMqF@ArchLinux>
In-Reply-To
<aCS7O8tNekg_u9Wp@ArchLinux>

We assume the "packed-refs" won't be empty and instead has at least one line in it (even when there are no refs packed, there is the file header line). Because there is no terminating LF in the empty file, we will report "packedRefEntryNotTerminated(ERROR)" to the user.

However, the runtime code paths would accept an empty "packed-refs" file, for example, "create_snapshot" would simply return the "snapshot" without checking the content of "packed-refs". So, we should skip checking the content of "packed-refs" when it is empty during fsck.

After 694b7a1999 (repack_without_ref(): write peeled refs in the rewritten file, 2013-04-22), we would always write a header into the "packed-refs" file. So, versions of Git that are not too ancient never write such an empty "packed-refs" file.

As an empty file often indicates a sign of a filesystem-level issue, the way we want to resolve this inconsistency is not make everybody totally silent but notice and report the anomaly.

Let's create a "FSCK_INFO" message id "EMPTY_PACKED_REFS_FILE" to report to the users that "packed-refs" is empty.

Signed-off-by: shejialuo <shejialuo@gmail.com>
---
 Documentation/fsck-msgids.adoc |  6 ++++++
 fsck.h                         |  1 +
 refs/packed-backend.c          |  9 +++++++++
 t/t0602-reffiles-fsck.sh       | 17 +++++++++++++++++
 4 files changed, 33 insertions(+)
diff --git a/Documentation/fsck-msgids.adoc b/Documentation/fsck-msgids.adoc
index 9601fff228..0ba4f9a27e 100644
--- a/Documentation/fsck-msgids.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/fsck-msgids.adoc
@@ -59,6 +59,12 @@
 `emptyName`::
 	(WARN) A path contains an empty name.
 
+`emptyPackedRefsFile`::
+	(INFO) "packed-refs" file is empty. Report to the
+	git@vger.kernel.org mailing list if you see this error. As only
+	very early versions of Git would create such an empty
+	"packed_refs" file, we might tighten this rule in the future.
+
 `extraHeaderEntry`::
 	(IGNORE) Extra headers found after `tagger`.
 
diff --git a/fsck.h b/fsck.h
index b1deae61ee..0c5869ac34 100644
--- a/fsck.h
+++ b/fsck.h
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ enum fsck_msg_type {
 	FUNC(LARGE_PATHNAME, WARN) \
 	/* infos (reported as warnings, but ignored by default) */ \
 	FUNC(BAD_FILEMODE, INFO) \
+	FUNC(EMPTY_PACKED_REFS_FILE, INFO) \
 	FUNC(GITMODULES_PARSE, INFO) \
 	FUNC(GITIGNORE_SYMLINK, INFO) \
 	FUNC(GITATTRIBUTES_SYMLINK, INFO) \
diff --git a/refs/packed-backend.c b/refs/packed-backend.c
index 3ad1ed0787..fb91833e76 100644
--- a/refs/packed-backend.c
+++ b/refs/packed-backend.c
@@ -2103,6 +2103,15 @@ static int packed_fsck(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 		goto cleanup;
 	}
 
+	if (!st.st_size) {
+		struct fsck_ref_report report = { 0 };
+		report.path = "packed-refs";
+		ret = fsck_report_ref(o, &report,
+				      FSCK_MSG_EMPTY_PACKED_REFS_FILE,
+				      "file is empty");
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
 	if (strbuf_read(&packed_ref_content, fd, 0) < 0) {
 		ret = error_errno(_("unable to read '%s'"), refs->path);
 		goto cleanup;
diff --git a/t/t0602-reffiles-fsck.sh b/t/t0602-reffiles-fsck.sh
index 9d1dc2144c..f671ac4d3a 100755
--- a/t/t0602-reffiles-fsck.sh
+++ b/t/t0602-reffiles-fsck.sh
@@ -647,6 +647,23 @@ test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'the filetype of packed-refs should be checked' '
 	)
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'empty packed-refs should be reported' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -rf repo" &&
+	git init repo &&
+	(
+		cd repo &&
+		test_commit default &&
+
+		>.git/packed-refs &&
+		git refs verify 2>err &&
+		cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+		warning: packed-refs: emptyPackedRefsFile: file is empty
+		EOF
+		rm .git/packed-refs &&
+		test_cmp expect err
+	)
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'packed-refs header should be checked' '
 	test_when_finished "rm -rf repo" &&
 	git init repo &&
-- 
2.49.0
Previous: shejialuoNext: shejialuo
Message 61 of 67 in “align the behavior when opening "packed-refs"”
  1. 0/4 align the behavior when opening "packed-refs"shejialuo, May 6, 2025
  2. 1/4 packed-backend: skip checking consistency of empty packed-refs fileshejialuo, May 6, 2025
  3. Junio C HamanoMay 6, 2025
  4. shejialuoMay 7, 2025
  5. Junio C HamanoMay 6, 2025
  6. shejialuoMay 7, 2025
  7. 2/4 packed-backend: extract snapshot allocation in `load_contents`shejialuo, May 6, 2025
  8. Junio C HamanoMay 6, 2025
  9. 3/4 packed-backend: extract munmap operation for `MMAP_TEMPORARY`shejialuo, May 6, 2025
  10. Junio C HamanoMay 6, 2025
  11. Junio C HamanoMay 6, 2025
  12. shejialuoMay 7, 2025
  13. 4/4 packed-backend: use mmap when opening large "packed-refs" fileshejialuo, May 6, 2025
  14. Junio C HamanoMay 6, 2025
  15. Junio C HamanoMay 6, 2025
  16. shejialuoMay 7, 2025
  17. 0/4 align the behavior when opening "packed-refs"shejialuo, May 7, 2025
  18. 1/4 packed-backend: fsck should allow an empty "packed-refs" fileshejialuo, May 7, 2025
  19. 2/4 packed-backend: extract snapshot allocation in `load_contents`shejialuo, May 7, 2025
  20. 3/4 packed-backend: extract munmap operation for `MMAP_TEMPORARY`shejialuo, May 7, 2025
  21. Jeff KingMay 8, 2025
  22. Junio C HamanoMay 8, 2025
  23. shejialuoMay 9, 2025
  24. 4/4 packed-backend: mmap large "packed-refs" file during fsckshejialuo, May 7, 2025
  25. Jeff KingMay 8, 2025
  26. shejialuoMay 9, 2025
  27. Jeff KingMay 9, 2025
  28. shejialuoMay 9, 2025
  29. Junio C HamanoMay 7, 2025
  30. Jeff KingMay 8, 2025
  31. Junio C HamanoMay 8, 2025
  32. Jeff KingMay 8, 2025
  33. shejialuoMay 9, 2025
  34. 0/3 align the behavior when opening "packed-refs"shejialuo, May 11, 2025
  35. 1/3 packed-backend: fsck should allow an empty "packed-refs" fileshejialuo, May 11, 2025
  36. Patrick SteinhardtMay 12, 2025
  37. shejialuoMay 12, 2025
  38. Patrick SteinhardtMay 12, 2025
  39. Jeff KingMay 12, 2025
  40. Junio C HamanoMay 12, 2025
  41. Patrick SteinhardtMay 13, 2025
  42. shejialuoMay 13, 2025
  43. 2/3 packed-backend: extract snapshot allocation in `load_contents`shejialuo, May 11, 2025
  44. Patrick SteinhardtMay 12, 2025
  45. shejialuoMay 12, 2025
  46. Patrick SteinhardtMay 12, 2025
  47. Jeff KingMay 12, 2025
  48. shejialuoMay 13, 2025
  49. 3/3 packed-backend: mmap large "packed-refs" file during fsckshejialuo, May 11, 2025
  50. Jeff KingMay 12, 2025
  51. 0/3 align the behavior when opening "packed-refs"shejialuo, May 13, 2025
  52. 1/3 packed-backend: fsck should warn when "packed-refs" file is emptyshejialuo, May 13, 2025
  53. Junio C HamanoMay 13, 2025
  54. shejialuoMay 14, 2025
  55. 3/3 packed-backend: mmap large "packed-refs" file during fsckshejialuo, May 13, 2025
  56. Junio C HamanoMay 13, 2025
  57. shejialuoMay 14, 2025
  58. 2/3 packed-backend: extract snapshot allocation in `load_contents`shejialuo, May 13, 2025
  59. 0/3 align the behavior when opening "packed-refs"shejialuo, May 14, 2025
  60. 2/3 packed-backend: extract snapshot allocation in `load_contents`shejialuo, May 14, 2025
  61. 1/3 packed-backend: fsck should warn when "packed-refs" file is emptyshejialuo, May 14, 2025
  62. 3/3 packed-backend: mmap large "packed-refs" file during fsckshejialuo, May 14, 2025
  63. Junio C HamanoMay 15, 2025
  64. Junio C HamanoMay 21, 2025
  65. Jeff KingMay 22, 2025
  66. Patrick SteinhardtMay 23, 2025
  67. Junio C HamanoMay 23, 2025

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