# [BUG REPORT] `--autostash` rebase + pre-rebase error ends in corrupt state

2 messages from 2024-08-09 to 2024-08-13. Participants: Brian Lyles, Phillip Wood.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/61930

## Brian Lyles, 2024-08-09 19:29

Subject: [BUG REPORT] `--autostash` rebase + pre-rebase error ends in corrupt state
Message-ID: <17ea26263cf57664.70b1dd9aae081c6e.203dcd72f6563036@zivdesk>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/17ea26263cf57664.70b1dd9aae081c6e.203dcd72f6563036%40zivdesk

```
If you perform a rebase using `--autostash`, and the pre-rebase hook
exits with a non-zero exit code, your worktree is left in some sort of
invalid state. This is reproducible with the following script:

    git init --initial-branch main
    echo -e '#!/bin/sh\nexit 1' > .git/hooks/pre-rebase
    chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-rebase
    
    git commit --allow-empty -m "initial commit"
    
    git switch -c feature1 main
    
    touch a.txt
    git add a.txt
    git commit -m "add a"
    
    git switch -c feature2 main
    
    touch b.txt
    git add b.txt
    git commit -m "add b"
    
    echo "content" > b.txt
    git rebase --autostash feature1

At this point, `git status` indicates that you are rebasing and
`__git_ps1` also shows simply `(|REBASE)`. However, attempting to `git
rebase --abort` or `git rebase --continue` gives "warning: could not
read '.git/rebase-merge/head-name': No such file or directory", and does
not appear to change the worktree state.

You're able to recover from this by using `git rebase --quit` and then
resetting to the commit you were on before attempting the rebase.

This issue only occurs if there is actually some modification to stash;
the presence of `--autostash` by itself does not trigger it.

If the above script is adjusted to make no uncommitted modifications,
and rebase without using `--autostash`, then the rebase is simply
aborted as expected when the pre-rebase hook fails.

I've reproduced this in the following OS/git version combinations:

- Gentoo Linux, git v2.46.0
- MacOS Sonoma 14.5, git v2.46.0
- Windows 11, git 2.44.0.windows.1

-- 
Thank you,
Brian Lyles

```

## Phillip Wood, 2024-08-13 10:01

Subject: Re: [BUG REPORT] `--autostash` rebase + pre-rebase error ends in corrupt state
Message-ID: <61ea41e7-d525-496b-aa2c-f605b99fc3d5@gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/61ea41e7-d525-496b-aa2c-f605b99fc3d5%40gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <17ea26263cf57664.70b1dd9aae081c6e.203dcd72f6563036@zivdesk>

```
Hi Brian

On 09/08/2024 20:29, Brian Lyles wrote:
> If you perform a rebase using `--autostash`, and the pre-rebase hook
> exits with a non-zero exit code, your worktree is left in some sort of
> invalid state. This is reproducible with the following script:

Thanks for reporting this. It looks like the rebase code was written on 
the assumption that we only write the state files after successfully 
checking out the commit we're rebasing onto. Unfortunately "--autostash" 
breaks that assumption as it creates the autostash state file much 
earlier leading to an inconsistent state if the rebase cannot start. 
I'll post a fix later this week.

> You're able to recover from this by using `git rebase --quit` and then
> resetting to the commit you were on before attempting the rebase.

I don't think you should need to reset HEAD as it should be untouched. 
You can get the stashed changes back by running "git stash --apply" with 
the oid from the "Created autostash: ..." line that rebase prints.

Best Wishes

Phillip

```