git-http-backend: hook output not delivered to client

I have compiled and installed git 1.7.0.1 on a RHEL4 box and am using Apache httpd with git-http-backend. I have developed a pre-receive hook to validate that incoming commits are from a list of committers. I have tested the hook and it correctly detects invalid committers, outputs error message and exits with a non-zero return code. 

If I push a commit from an invalid committer to a repo using ssh, the hook properly detects this. git-push displays the pre-receive hook's output messages and indicates the push failed.

However if I push a commit from an invalid committer to the repo using http (git-http-backend), the hook is run and detects the invalid committer but the output messages (stderr) end up in the httpd error log instead of being ferried back to git-push. git-push does exit with an error code but the user has no visible indication there was an error on the push. The git-push output look like everything went fine even though the push failed.

So the push properly fails in both cases because the hook exits with a non-zero return code, but it seems there is a problem with git-http-backend not ferrying the hook output messages back to the client. Has anyone seen this? Or have I some how configure the system wrong?

Thanks,

BJ Hargrave <bj@bjhargrave.com> wrote:

... 

Yes, we know about this problem.

You need commit 466dbc42f5 ("receive-pack: Send internal errors over side-band #2") on both the client and the server for hook messages to work over HTTP.

This hasnt been released yet.  It is slated for 1.7.0.2.

Thanks for the quick feedback. I will keep my eye out for 1.7.0.2.