threads / discuss / 42793

git branch doesn't allow me to forcibly delete branch which was checked out in a now-deleted worktree dir

Subject: git branch doesn't allow me to forcibly delete branch which was checked out in a now-deleted worktree dir

## tl;dr

8 messages between Jul 7, 2016 and Jul 9, 2016.

replies: 7people: 3as markdown or json

Erik Johnson· Jul 7, 2016, 18:44 UTC · lore

% git branch -D archive-extracted-xz error: Cannot delete branch 'archive-extracted-xz' checked out at '/home/erik/git/salt/archive-extracted-xz' % test -d /home/erik/git/salt/archive-extracted-xz || echo "directory doesn't exist" directory doesn't exist % git --version git version 2.9.0

I know that I can just get rid of this error by pruning the worktrees, but this still seems like incorrect behavior on the part of git branch. It shouldn't be telling me that the branch is checked out in a directory that does not exist, that is just factually incorrect.

--

-Erik

"For me, it is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." --Carl Sagan

Jacob Keller· Jul 7, 2016, 23:39 UTC · re: Erik Johnson · lore

Re: git branch doesn't allow me to forcibly delete branch which was checked out in a now-deleted worktree dir

On Thu, Jul 7, 2016 at 11:44 AM, Erik Johnson <palehose@gmail.com> wrote:

Show 14 quoted lines

> % git branch -D archive-extracted-xz
> error: Cannot delete branch 'archive-extracted-xz' checked out at
> '/home/erik/git/salt/archive-extracted-xz'
> % test -d /home/erik/git/salt/archive-extracted-xz || echo "directory
> doesn't exist"
> directory doesn't exist
> % git --version
> git version 2.9.0
>
> I know that I can just get rid of this error by pruning the worktrees,
> but this still seems like incorrect behavior on the part of git branch.
> It shouldn't be telling me that the branch is checked out in a directory
> that does not exist, that is just factually incorrect.
>

Until the worktree status is updated git branch probably isn't checking itself. It might be worth triggering a worktree prune when doing branch work. Note that some worktrees may be on removable media or similar, and thus even if the directory doesn't exist right now, that does not mean it's no longer checked out. There is already support for setting a worktree as "persistent", but this means git branch definitely shouldn't just do its own check for non existent directory.

Thanks, Jake

Show 7 quoted lines

> --
>
> -Erik
>
> "For me, it is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to
> persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring."  --Carl Sagan
>

Erik Johnson· Jul 8, 2016, 00:36 UTC · re: Jacob Keller · lore

Re: git branch doesn't allow me to forcibly delete branch which was checked out in a now-deleted worktree dir

On Thu, Jul 07, 2016 at 04:39:26PM -0700, Jacob Keller wrote:

Show 28 quoted lines

>On Thu, Jul 7, 2016 at 11:44 AM, Erik Johnson <palehose@gmail.com> wrote:
>> % git branch -D archive-extracted-xz
>> error: Cannot delete branch 'archive-extracted-xz' checked out at
>> '/home/erik/git/salt/archive-extracted-xz'
>> % test -d /home/erik/git/salt/archive-extracted-xz || echo "directory
>> doesn't exist"
>> directory doesn't exist
>> % git --version
>> git version 2.9.0
>>
>> I know that I can just get rid of this error by pruning the worktrees,
>> but this still seems like incorrect behavior on the part of git branch.
>> It shouldn't be telling me that the branch is checked out in a directory
>> that does not exist, that is just factually incorrect.
>>
>
>Until the worktree status is updated git branch probably isn't
>checking itself. It might be worth triggering a worktree prune when
>doing branch work. Note that some worktrees may be on removable media
>or similar, and thus even if the directory doesn't exist right now,
>that does not mean it's no longer checked out. There is already
>support for setting a worktree as "persistent", but this means git
>branch definitely shouldn't just do its own check for non existent
>directory.
>
>Thanks,
>Jake
>

I'm not expecting _any_ git branch command to prune worktrees, but a branch _deletion_ shouldn't fail because git thinks the branch is checked out in a worktree that doesn't exist anymore. Even in the scenario where the worktree corresponding to that branch is on removable media, does it really matter? You're trying to delete the branch.

I feel like this is a recent change in behavior, too. I've been using worktrees since they were first available in 2.5, and I don't remember having to prune to be able to delete the branch until recently.

--

-Erik

"For me, it is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." --Carl Sagan

Jacob Keller· Jul 9, 2016, 00:41 UTC · re: Erik Johnson · lore

Re: git branch doesn't allow me to forcibly delete branch which was checked out in a now-deleted worktree dir

On Thu, Jul 7, 2016 at 5:36 PM, Erik Johnson <palehose@gmail.com> wrote:

Show 5 quoted lines

> I'm not expecting _any_ git branch command to prune worktrees, but a
> branch _deletion_ shouldn't fail because git thinks the branch is
> checked out in a worktree that doesn't exist anymore. Even in the
> scenario where the worktree corresponding to that branch is on removable
> media, does it really matter? You're trying to delete the branch.

I disagree. git branch -d (should) fail to delete a branch when it is checked out in a worktree. If the worktree is a persistent (ie: not there due to removable media etc) directory then it *definitely* shouldn't allow you to delete.

It is possible we should update "git branch -d" should perform a worktree prune first, since that would enable it to determine that you deleted the directory, and any worktree which is removable should be marked as persistent.

Given that there is a known workaround (git worktree prune) and that it is expected behavior for a branch checked out to prevent deletion, I think the best coarse of action would be to patch git branch -d to do a prune before attempting to delete.

Thanks, Jake

Erik Johnson· Jul 9, 2016, 02:22 UTC · re: Jacob Keller · lore

Re: git branch doesn't allow me to forcibly delete branch which was checked out in a now-deleted worktree dir

On Fri, Jul 08, 2016 at 05:41:17PM -0700, Jacob Keller wrote:

Show 24 quoted lines

>On Thu, Jul 7, 2016 at 5:36 PM, Erik Johnson <palehose@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I'm not expecting _any_ git branch command to prune worktrees, but a
>> branch _deletion_ shouldn't fail because git thinks the branch is
>> checked out in a worktree that doesn't exist anymore. Even in the
>> scenario where the worktree corresponding to that branch is on removable
>> media, does it really matter? You're trying to delete the branch.
>
>I disagree. git branch -d (should) fail to delete a branch when it is
>checked out in a worktree. If the worktree is a persistent (ie: not
>there due to removable media etc)  directory then it *definitely*
>shouldn't allow you to delete.
>
>It is possible we should update "git branch -d" should perform a
>worktree prune first, since that would enable it to determine that you
>deleted the directory, and any worktree which is removable should be
>marked as persistent.
>
>Given that there is a known workaround (git worktree prune) and that
>it is expected behavior for a branch checked out to prevent deletion,
>I think the best coarse of action would be to patch git branch -d to
>do a prune before attempting to delete.
>
>Thanks,
>Jake

Well, I never mentioned -d (I was using -D), but I think we're both in agreement.

--

-Erik

"For me, it is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." --Carl Sagan

Jacob Keller· Jul 9, 2016, 04:58 UTC · re: Erik Johnson · lore

Re: git branch doesn't allow me to forcibly delete branch which was checked out in a now-deleted worktree dir

On Fri, Jul 8, 2016 at 7:22 PM, Erik Johnson <palehose@gmail.com> wrote:

Show 19 quoted lines

> On Fri, Jul 08, 2016 at 05:41:17PM -0700, Jacob Keller wrote:
>> It is possible we should update "git branch -d" should perform a
>> worktree prune first, since that would enable it to determine that you
>> deleted the directory, and any worktree which is removable should be
>> marked as persistent.
>>
>> Given that there is a known workaround (git worktree prune) and that
>> it is expected behavior for a branch checked out to prevent deletion,
>> I think the best coarse of action would be to patch git branch -d to
>> do a prune before attempting to delete.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Jake
>
>
> Well, I never mentioned -d (I was using -D), but I think we're both in
> agreement.
>
>

Out of curiosity, what is git branch -D behavior when the worktree does exist?

Thanks, Jake

Erik Johnson· Jul 9, 2016, 05:05 UTC · re: Jacob Keller · lore

Re: git branch doesn't allow me to forcibly delete branch which was checked out in a now-deleted worktree dir

On Fri, Jul 08, 2016 at 09:58:26PM -0700, Jacob Keller wrote:

Show 25 quoted lines

>On Fri, Jul 8, 2016 at 7:22 PM, Erik Johnson <palehose@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Fri, Jul 08, 2016 at 05:41:17PM -0700, Jacob Keller wrote:
>>> It is possible we should update "git branch -d" should perform a
>>> worktree prune first, since that would enable it to determine that you
>>> deleted the directory, and any worktree which is removable should be
>>> marked as persistent.
>>>
>>> Given that there is a known workaround (git worktree prune) and that
>>> it is expected behavior for a branch checked out to prevent deletion,
>>> I think the best coarse of action would be to patch git branch -d to
>>> do a prune before attempting to delete.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Jake
>>
>>
>> Well, I never mentioned -d (I was using -D), but I think we're both in
>> agreement.
>>
>>
>
>Out of curiosity, what is git branch -D behavior when the worktree does exist?
>
>Thanks,
>Jake

It works the same irrespective of whether or not the directory exists:

% git worktree add ../foo Preparing ../foo (identifier foo) HEAD is now at 91e095b Merge pull request #34429 from terminalmage/pkg-latest-versioncheck % git branch -D foo error: Cannot delete branch 'foo' checked out at '/home/erik/git/salt/foo' % rm -rf /home/erik/git/salt/foo % git branch -D foo error: Cannot delete branch 'foo' checked out at '/home/erik/git/salt/foo' % git worktree prune -v Removing worktrees/foo: gitdir file points to non-existent location % git branch -D foo Deleted branch foo (was 91e095b).

--

-Erik

"For me, it is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." --Carl Sagan

Duy Nguyen· Jul 9, 2016, 05:33 UTC · re: Erik Johnson · lore

Re: git branch doesn't allow me to forcibly delete branch which was checked out in a now-deleted worktree dir

On Thu, Jul 7, 2016 at 8:44 PM, Erik Johnson <palehose@gmail.com> wrote:

> % git branch -D archive-extracted-xz
> error: Cannot delete branch 'archive-extracted-xz' checked out at
> '/home/erik/git/salt/archive-extracted-xz'

This is from commit f292244 (branch -d: refuse deleting a branch which is currently checked out - 2016-03-29) which is about -d not -D, so it's probably an oversight. I think -D, as a forced form, should allow deleting branches on other worktrees, we could simply detach the worktree first.

It's worth noting that before that commit, -D refuses to delete branch on current worktree as well and f292244 simply applies the same behavior on other worktrees. If we change the -D behavior about deleting branches on other worktrees, we may need to consider to keep the behavior on current branch, or treat it equally as any other worktrees.

-- 
Duy