Subject: Re: [PATCH v3 1/1] git-gui: handle missing worktree and separated gitdir

From: Mark Levedahl <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:18:42 -0400

On 4/30/26 6:02 AM, Shroom Moo wrote:
> When git-gui is started from a directory that Git recognizes as a
> valid repository but the working tree is not accessible (e.g., a
> separated gitdir created by `git clone --separate-git-dir`, a bare
> repository, or a case where the worktree directory was removed),
> it previously called `rev-parse --show-toplevel` without error
> handling, causing a fatal Tcl error ("this operation must be run
> in a work tree").
>
> Wrap the call in a `catch` and handle the failure as follows:
>
> - For bare repositories, keep `_gitworktree` empty so that the
>   existing `is_bare` check shows "Cannot use bare repository" and
>   exits.  No behavioral change.
>
> - For non‑bare repositories, try to locate the worktree from the
>   parent directory using `git -C $parent rev-parse --show-toplevel`.
>   If the parent is a valid worktree, change to it; this covers the
>   legitimate case of starting git-gui from within the .git
>   subdirectory of a normal working tree.
>
> - If the parent directory is not a worktree, refuse to start with
>   a clear error message.  This prevents dangerous operations in a
>   separated gitdir, where ordinary Git commands like `git status`
>   would themselves refuse to run.
>
> The approach intentionally avoids two pitfalls:
>
>   - Testing `--is-inside-git-dir` before calling `--show-toplevel`
>     would break the normal use case of starting git-gui from within
>     a .git subdirectory (where --show-toplevel would succeed).
>
>   - A simple “non‑bare” check after a failed --show-toplevel would
>     reject a normal repository whose worktree was only temporarily
>     removed.
>
> The chosen method keeps the original behavior for bare repositories
> and for regular working trees, fixes the crash, and properly blocks
> separated gitdirs without a reachable worktree.
>
> Signed-off-by: Shroom Moo <[email-masked]>
> ---
>  git-gui/git-gui.sh | 23 ++++++++++++++++++++++-
>  1 file changed, 22 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
>
> diff --git a/git-gui/git-gui.sh b/git-gui/git-gui.sh
> index 23fe76e498..2392282df3 100755
> --- a/git-gui/git-gui.sh
> +++ b/git-gui/git-gui.sh
> @@ -1169,7 +1169,28 @@ if {![file isdirectory $_gitdir]} {
>  load_config 0
>  apply_config
>  
> -set _gitworktree [git rev-parse --show-toplevel]
> +if {[catch {set _gitworktree [git rev-parse --show-toplevel]}]} {
> +	# For bare repositories, use the existing error handling
> +	if {![catch {set bare [git rev-parse --is-bare-repository]}] && $bare eq {true}} {
> +		set _gitworktree {}
> +	} else {
> +		# Non-bare: try to find the worktree from the parent directory
> +		set parent [file dirname [pwd]]
> +		# Cannot go higher than the root directory; leave _gitworktree empty
> +		if {[file normalize $parent] eq [file normalize [pwd]]} {
> +			# Already at the filesystem root; let existing paths cope
> +			set _gitworktree {}
> +		} elseif {![catch {
> +			set _gitworktree [git -C $parent rev-parse --show-toplevel]
> +		}]} {
> +			cd $parent
> +		} else {
> +			catch {wm withdraw .}
> +			error_popup [mc "Cannot start git-gui from inside the Git directory."]
> +			exit 1
> +		}
> +	}
> +}
>  
>  if {$_prefix ne {}} {
>  	if {$_gitworktree eq {}} {

A bare repository can be contained in a workdir / worktree pointing at a different gitdir:
the logic above can thus a workdir that doesn't use the gitdir where git-gui was started.
The bigger issue is that a gitdir can support multiple checked-out directories with no
one-to-one mapping and no clear idea of which of those a user may have intended.

So, I believe the correct fix is to test "rev-parse --is-inside-git-dir, and if so throw a
clear error message and exit. This will give the user something to start with to solve the
problem of why they started git-gui in a gitdir, and not in a worktree.

Mark