From: "Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
To: git@vger.kernel.org
Cc: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>,
Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
Subject: [PATCH v2 2/2] push: suggest <remote> <branch> for a slash slip
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2026 21:55:14 +0000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <49de5a925de506ed9a141eb72927b2548b73af22.1782338114.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <pull.2331.v2.git.git.1782338114.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
From: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
When pushing the 'main' branch to the remote 'origin', i.e.,
$ git push origin main
it is easy to mistakenly write
$ git push origin/main
That is parsed as the repository to push to, and since 'origin/main'
is neither a configured remote nor a path it dies with:
fatal: 'origin/main' does not appear to be a git repository
Often 'origin/main' does not exist as a repository, so the command
fails without doing any harm, but it gives no hint that a space was
meant instead of a slash and can leave the user puzzled.
When the argument is not an existing path or configured remote but
its part before the first slash names one, suggest the intended
'<remote> <branch>' form:
$ git push origin main
The suggestion is shown as advice so it can be silenced with
advice.pushRepoLooksLikeRef.
Signed-off-by: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
---
Documentation/config/advice.adoc | 5 +++++
advice.c | 1 +
advice.h | 1 +
builtin/push.c | 31 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
t/t5529-push-errors.sh | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5 files changed, 68 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/config/advice.adoc b/Documentation/config/advice.adoc
index 257db58918..fa77a5110e 100644
--- a/Documentation/config/advice.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/config/advice.adoc
@@ -90,6 +90,11 @@ all advice messages.
Shown when linkgit:git-push[1] rejects a forced update of
a branch when its remote-tracking ref has updates that we
do not have locally.
+ pushRepoLooksLikeRef::
+ Shown when the repository given to linkgit:git-push[1] is not
+ a configured remote but looks like a `<remote>/<branch>` ref,
+ suggesting that the remote and branch be given as separate
+ arguments.
pushUnqualifiedRefname::
Shown when linkgit:git-push[1] gives up trying to
guess based on the source and destination refs what
diff --git a/advice.c b/advice.c
index 0018501b7b..63bf8b0c5f 100644
--- a/advice.c
+++ b/advice.c
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ static struct {
[ADVICE_PUSH_NON_FF_CURRENT] = { "pushNonFFCurrent" },
[ADVICE_PUSH_NON_FF_MATCHING] = { "pushNonFFMatching" },
[ADVICE_PUSH_REF_NEEDS_UPDATE] = { "pushRefNeedsUpdate" },
+ [ADVICE_PUSH_REPO_LOOKS_LIKE_REF] = { "pushRepoLooksLikeRef" },
[ADVICE_PUSH_UNQUALIFIED_REF_NAME] = { "pushUnqualifiedRefName" },
[ADVICE_PUSH_UPDATE_REJECTED] = { "pushUpdateRejected" },
[ADVICE_PUSH_UPDATE_REJECTED_ALIAS] = { "pushNonFastForward" }, /* backwards compatibility */
diff --git a/advice.h b/advice.h
index 8def280688..66f6cd6a77 100644
--- a/advice.h
+++ b/advice.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ enum advice_type {
ADVICE_PUSH_NON_FF_CURRENT,
ADVICE_PUSH_NON_FF_MATCHING,
ADVICE_PUSH_REF_NEEDS_UPDATE,
+ ADVICE_PUSH_REPO_LOOKS_LIKE_REF,
ADVICE_PUSH_UNQUALIFIED_REF_NAME,
ADVICE_PUSH_UPDATE_REJECTED,
ADVICE_PUSH_UPDATE_REJECTED_ALIAS,
diff --git a/builtin/push.c b/builtin/push.c
index 6021b71d66..255556b44d 100644
--- a/builtin/push.c
+++ b/builtin/push.c
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
#include "advice.h"
#include "branch.h"
#include "config.h"
+#include "dir.h"
#include "environment.h"
#include "gettext.h"
#include "hex.h"
@@ -662,6 +663,29 @@ static int push_multiple(struct string_list *list,
return result;
}
+static void die_if_repo_looks_like_ref(const char *repo)
+{
+ const char *slash = strchr(repo, '/');
+ struct strbuf name = STRBUF_INIT;
+ int code;
+
+ if (!slash || !slash[1] || file_exists(repo))
+ return;
+
+ strbuf_add(&name, repo, slash - repo);
+ if (!remote_is_configured(remote_get(name.buf), 0)) {
+ strbuf_release(&name);
+ return;
+ }
+
+ code = die_message(_("'%s' is not a valid push target"), repo);
+ advise_if_enabled(ADVICE_PUSH_REPO_LOOKS_LIKE_REF,
+ _("Did you mean to use: git push %s %s?"),
+ name.buf, slash + 1);
+ strbuf_release(&name);
+ exit(code);
+}
+
int cmd_push(int argc,
const char **argv,
const char *prefix,
@@ -744,6 +768,11 @@ int cmd_push(int argc,
if (repo) {
if (!add_remote_or_group(repo, &remote_group)) {
+ struct remote *r;
+
+ if (advice_enabled(ADVICE_PUSH_REPO_LOOKS_LIKE_REF))
+ die_if_repo_looks_like_ref(repo);
+
/*
* Not a configured remote name or group name.
* Try treating it as a direct URL or path, e.g.
@@ -753,7 +782,7 @@ int cmd_push(int argc,
* from the URL so the loop below can handle it
* identically to a named remote.
*/
- struct remote *r = pushremote_get(repo);
+ r = pushremote_get(repo);
if (!r)
die(_("bad repository '%s'"), repo);
string_list_append(&remote_group, r->name);
diff --git a/t/t5529-push-errors.sh b/t/t5529-push-errors.sh
index 80b06a0cd2..cfb294305d 100755
--- a/t/t5529-push-errors.sh
+++ b/t/t5529-push-errors.sh
@@ -54,6 +54,37 @@ test_expect_success 'detect empty remote with targeted refspec' '
grep "fatal: bad repository ${SQ}${SQ}" stderr
'
+test_expect_success 'suggest <remote> <branch> for a <remote>/<branch> slip' '
+ test_must_fail git push origin/main 2>stderr &&
+ grep "${SQ}origin/main${SQ} is not a valid push target" stderr &&
+ grep "hint: Did you mean to use: git push origin main?" stderr &&
+ test_must_fail git -c advice.pushRepoLooksLikeRef=false push origin/main 2>stderr &&
+ ! grep "Did you mean" stderr
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'suggest <remote> <branch> when the branch has slashes' '
+ test_must_fail git push origin/feature/x 2>stderr &&
+ grep "hint: Did you mean to use: git push origin feature/x?" stderr
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'no suggestion when prefix is not a configured remote' '
+ test_must_fail git push not-a-remote/main 2>stderr &&
+ ! grep "Did you mean" stderr
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'no suggestion for a trailing slash with no branch' '
+ test_must_fail git push origin/ 2>stderr &&
+ ! grep "Did you mean" stderr
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'no suggestion when the argument is an existing path' '
+ test_when_finished "rm -rf origin" &&
+ git init --bare origin/main &&
+ git push origin/main HEAD:refs/heads/pushed 2>stderr &&
+ ! grep "Did you mean" stderr &&
+ git -C origin/main rev-parse --verify refs/heads/pushed
+'
+
test_expect_success 'detect ambiguous refs early' '
git branch foo &&
git tag foo &&
--
gitgitgadget
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-06-24 21:55 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 20+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-06-12 11:10 [PATCH 0/2] branch/push: suggest intended form when remote/branch slip given Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget
2026-06-12 11:10 ` [PATCH 1/2] branch: suggest <remote>/<branch> on upstream slip Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget
2026-06-22 19:56 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-06-22 21:35 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-06-24 12:35 ` Ben Knoble
2026-06-12 11:10 ` [PATCH 2/2] push: suggest <remote> <branch> for a slash slip Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget
2026-06-22 20:40 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-06-22 8:41 ` [PATCH 0/2] branch/push: suggest intended form when remote/branch slip given Harald Nordgren
2026-06-22 8:59 ` Weijie Yuan
2026-06-22 21:16 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-06-23 7:35 ` Harald Nordgren
2026-06-24 21:55 ` [PATCH v2 " Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget
2026-06-24 21:55 ` [PATCH v2 1/2] branch: suggest <remote>/<branch> on upstream slip Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget
2026-06-24 22:33 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-06-25 7:44 ` Harald Nordgren
2026-06-24 21:55 ` Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget [this message]
2026-06-24 22:42 ` [PATCH v2 2/2] push: suggest <remote> <branch> for a slash slip Junio C Hamano
2026-06-25 3:36 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-06-25 7:53 ` Harald Nordgren
2026-06-25 13:12 ` Junio C Hamano
Reply instructions:
You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:
* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
and reply-to-all from there: mbox
Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
switches of git-send-email(1):
git send-email \
--in-reply-to=49de5a925de506ed9a141eb72927b2548b73af22.1782338114.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com \
--to=gitgitgadget@gmail.com \
--cc=git@vger.kernel.org \
--cc=haraldnordgren@gmail.com \
/path/to/YOUR_REPLY
https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html
* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line
before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox