# windows: error cannot lock ref ... unable to create lock 6 messages from 2019-06-18 to 2019-06-24. Participants: Anthony Sottile, Eric Sunshine, Philip Oakley, Johannes Schindelin. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/51333 ## Anthony Sottile, 2019-06-18 16:38 Subject: windows: error cannot lock ref ... unable to create lock Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CA%2BdzEB%3DiOsfuZQ5Z8uXO%2Bk6E3WczkLX64yWUpTm1NZBjdd47kg%40mail.gmail.com ``` I've set up a demo problematic repository on github: https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test The minimal reproduction is: rm -rf x git init x cd x git remote add origin https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-te> git fetch origin --tags Here's the output: + git init x Initialized empty Git repository in C:/Users/IEUser/x/x/.git/ + cd x + git remote add origin https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test + git fetch origin --tags remote: Enumerating objects: 10, done. remote: Counting objects: 100% (10/10), done. remote: Compressing objects: 100% (4/4), done. remote: Total 10 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 Unpacking objects: 100% (10/10), done. From https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test * [new branch] master -> origin/master error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux': Unable to create 'C:/Users/IEUser/x/x/.git/refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux.lock': No such file or directory ! [new branch] pr/aux -> origin/pr/aux (unable to update local ref) real-world issue: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit/issues/1058 Thanks Anthony ``` ## Anthony Sottile, 2019-06-18 16:41 Subject: Re: windows: error cannot lock ref ... unable to create lock Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CA%2BdzEBniPBM9qyR9gq%3D8sKtc8ieUkq6HGfUuZSc5%3DUdovR5wkw%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` hit send too quickly, here's my version information: $ git --version git version 2.22.0.windows.1 On Tue, Jun 18, 2019 at 9:38 AM Anthony Sottile wrote: > > I've set up a demo problematic repository on github: > https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test > > The minimal reproduction is: > > rm -rf x > git init x > cd x > git remote add origin https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-te> > git fetch origin --tags > > Here's the output: > > + git init x > Initialized empty Git repository in C:/Users/IEUser/x/x/.git/ > + cd x > + git remote add origin > https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test > + git fetch origin --tags > remote: Enumerating objects: 10, done. > remote: Counting objects: 100% (10/10), done. > remote: Compressing objects: 100% (4/4), done. > remote: Total 10 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 > Unpacking objects: 100% (10/10), done. > From https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test > * [new branch] master -> origin/master > error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux': Unable to create > 'C:/Users/IEUser/x/x/.git/refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux.lock': No such > file or directory > ! [new branch] pr/aux -> origin/pr/aux (unable to update local ref) > > > real-world issue: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit/issues/1058 > > Thanks > > Anthony ``` ## Eric Sunshine, 2019-06-18 17:01 Subject: Re: windows: error cannot lock ref ... unable to create lock Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAPig%2BcTFfhBz%2Bxiq6VAMNOW4OTvByHJ1g5oF%3DRTTh_buA%2BnUQA%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Tue, Jun 18, 2019 at 12:39 PM Anthony Sottile wrote: > + git fetch origin --tags > Unpacking objects: 100% (10/10), done. > From https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test > * [new branch] master -> origin/master > error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux': Unable to create > 'C:/Users/IEUser/x/x/.git/refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux.lock': No such > file or directory > ! [new branch] pr/aux -> origin/pr/aux (unable to update local ref) AUX is a reserved[1] filename on Windows. Quoting from that source: Do not use the following reserved names for the name of a file: CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9. Also avoid these names followed immediately by an extension... The default Git "ref store" is filesystem-based, so a branch named "aux" is problematic. Other ref store implementations would not be subject to this limitation (though I'm not sure what the state of the others is -- someone with more knowledge can probably answer that). [1]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/FileIO/naming-a-file#naming-conventions ``` ## Anthony Sottile, 2019-06-18 17:19 Subject: Re: windows: error cannot lock ref ... unable to create lock Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CA%2BdzEBk5GbkuDde6nDw%2Bnx1wL50zoswNE74EFvYJvrxPs7OZmA%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Tue, Jun 18, 2019 at 10:01 AM Eric Sunshine wrote: > > On Tue, Jun 18, 2019 at 12:39 PM Anthony Sottile wrote: > > + git fetch origin --tags > > Unpacking objects: 100% (10/10), done. > > From https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test > > * [new branch] master -> origin/master > > error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux': Unable to create > > 'C:/Users/IEUser/x/x/.git/refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux.lock': No such > > file or directory > > ! [new branch] pr/aux -> origin/pr/aux (unable to update local ref) > > AUX is a reserved[1] filename on Windows. Quoting from that source: > > Do not use the following reserved names for the name of a file: > CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, > COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and > LPT9. Also avoid these names followed immediately by an > extension... > > The default Git "ref store" is filesystem-based, so a branch named > "aux" is problematic. Other ref store implementations would not be > subject to this limitation (though I'm not sure what the state of the > others is -- someone with more knowledge can probably answer that). > > [1]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/FileIO/naming-a-file#naming-conventions Oh of course, totally forgot about the special files on windows. Thanks for the quick response and helpful link! Anthony ``` ## Philip Oakley, 2019-06-22 11:24 Subject: Re: windows: error cannot lock ref ... unable to create lock Message-ID: <98e1e1e5-c410-caf1-0e2f-9cb0cc6d7e94@iee.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/98e1e1e5-c410-caf1-0e2f-9cb0cc6d7e94%40iee.org In-Reply-To: ``` On 18/06/2019 18:01, Eric Sunshine wrote: > On Tue, Jun 18, 2019 at 12:39 PM Anthony Sottile wrote: >> + git fetch origin --tags >> Unpacking objects: 100% (10/10), done. >> From https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test >> * [new branch] master -> origin/master >> error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux': Unable to create >> 'C:/Users/IEUser/x/x/.git/refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux.lock': No such >> file or directory >> ! [new branch] pr/aux -> origin/pr/aux (unable to update local ref) > AUX is a reserved[1] filename on Windows. Quoting from that source: > > Do not use the following reserved names for the name of a file: > CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, > COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and > LPT9. Also avoid these names followed immediately by an > extension... > > The default Git "ref store" is filesystem-based, so a branch named > "aux" is problematic. Other ref store implementations would not be > subject to this limitation (though I'm not sure what the state of the > others is -- someone with more knowledge can probably answer that). > > [1]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/FileIO/naming-a-file#naming-conventions This sounds interesting. I thought (but I'm not certain) that Git for Windows avoided creating files in the working tree with such problematic names, so that a clone of a repo that contained a file "AUX" (any case, any extension IIRC), would be bypassed with possibly a warning message. However this looks to be a slightly different case where a _branch_ called "AUX" (lower cased) has been created within the clone, and it's a problem not trapped. Maybe worth creating a proper issue on the Git-for-Windows repo. Also cc'ing Dscho who may remember better than I. -- Philip ``` ## Johannes Schindelin, 2019-06-24 10:40 Subject: Re: windows: error cannot lock ref ... unable to create lock Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/nycvar.QRO.7.76.6.1906241240450.44%40tvgsbejvaqbjf.bet In-Reply-To: <98e1e1e5-c410-caf1-0e2f-9cb0cc6d7e94@iee.org> ``` Hi Philip, On Sat, 22 Jun 2019, Philip Oakley wrote: > On 18/06/2019 18:01, Eric Sunshine wrote: > > On Tue, Jun 18, 2019 at 12:39 PM Anthony Sottile wrote: > > > + git fetch origin --tags > > > Unpacking objects: 100% (10/10), done. > > > From https://github.com/asottile-archive/git-windows-branch-test > > > * [new branch] master -> origin/master > > > error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux': Unable to create > > > 'C:/Users/IEUser/x/x/.git/refs/remotes/origin/pr/aux.lock': No such > > > file or directory > > > ! [new branch] pr/aux -> origin/pr/aux (unable to update local > > > ref) > > AUX is a reserved[1] filename on Windows. Quoting from that source: > > > > Do not use the following reserved names for the name of a file: > > CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, > > COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and > > LPT9. Also avoid these names followed immediately by an > > extension... > > > > The default Git "ref store" is filesystem-based, so a branch named > > "aux" is problematic. Other ref store implementations would not be > > subject to this limitation (though I'm not sure what the state of the > > others is -- someone with more knowledge can probably answer that). > > > > [1]: > > https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/FileIO/naming-a-file#naming-conventions > This sounds interesting. I thought (but I'm not certain) that Git for Windows > avoided creating files in the working tree with such problematic names, so > that a clone of a repo that contained a file "AUX" (any case, any extension > IIRC), would be bypassed with possibly a warning message. > > However this looks to be a slightly different case where a _branch_ called > "AUX" (lower cased) has been created within the clone, and it's a problem not > trapped. Maybe worth creating a proper issue on the Git-for-Windows repo. Also > cc'ing Dscho who may remember better than I. He doesn't ;-) Ciao, Dscho ```