From: Phillip Wood Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:19:09 GMT Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 1/3] commit: reword the empty-commit rebase errors Message-ID: In-Reply-To: <65c48ed3cb638cf0be18a3aa6d86d4c4f2cf01a2.1787792534.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com> Hi Elijah On 27/08/2026 02:02, Elijah Newren via GitGitGadget wrote: > From: Elijah Newren > > 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 > --- > 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.")); "while committing a commit that became empty" would be clearer to me, but I what you have is definitely an improvement on the existing message. Thanks Phillip > } > > 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' '