Git pulling depends on the current dir

Question

I am trying to git pull some repository via root user from any directory.

For example, executing git pull from /root/:

#> cd ~
#> sudo -u dmalikov git --git-dir=/home/dmalikov/path/to/repo/.git pull 
/usr/libexec/git-core/git-sh-setup: line 142: cd: /root/.: Permission denied
Cannot chdir to /root/., the toplevel of the working tree

And executing git pull from /:

#> cd /
#> sudo -u dmalikov git --git-dir=/home/dmalikov/path/to/repo/.git pull 
Already up-to-date.

Why did current directory affects git pulling command?

How can that redundant cd be avoided?

Where is /root is it a folder inside your repo? If it is you shouldn't have permission issues. If /root is outside of your git structure, the question that begs to be asked is why is it accessing that folder in the first place? — bluesman, Mar 26 '12 at 18:53
I am trying to work with root because it is a content of eix-sync.conf. — ДМИТРИЙ МАЛИКОВ, Mar 30 '12 at 19:52

amcnabb · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-26T17:41:24.893

In your first example, the git command runs as user dmalikov with the current directory /root. Since the git pull command is equivalent to a git fetch followed by a git merge, and since git merge operates on the working tree, git tries to hunt for the working tree. As this user does not have permission to cd /root, the git command fails.

Even your second example doesn't work as you would expect. If there are actual changes to be pulled (instead of "Already up-to-date"), then the git pull will fail because it can't find the working tree.

You have a few simple options:

1) You can just do the git fetch portion of the operation by doing:

sudo -u dmalikov git --git-dir=/home/dmalikov/path/to/repo/.git fetch

which doesn't give any error for me.

2) You can add a cd to the working tree:

(cd /home/dmalikov/path/to/repo; sudo -u dmalikov git pull)

Related: git --git-dir not working as expected: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1386291/git-git-dir-not-working-as-expected — kenorb, Dec 07 '12 at 11:19

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 26 '12 at 18:57

3

To answer my own comment, the /root was an interesting error

To have it work with --git-dir you also need to specify a work-tree directory

sudo -u dmalikov git --git-dir=/home/dmalikov/path/to/repo/.git --work-tree=/home/dmalikov/path/to/repo/.git pull

answered Mar 26 '12 at 18:57

bluesman

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`fatal: Could not change back to '/root': Permission denied` – ДМИТРИЙ МАЛИКОВ Mar 26 '12 at 19:01
What machine are you on? It will use your system (windows or linux) specific paths. The following works on my local machine (git bash on windows) `$ git --git-dir=/c/workspace/changes/.git --work-tree=/c/workspace/changes/ pull Already up-to-date.` – bluesman Mar 26 '12 at 19:20
Try to execute your command from dir, where you cannot `cd` via non-root user. – ДМИТРИЙ МАЛИКОВ Mar 26 '12 at 19:42

rtn · Answer 3 · 2012-03-24T14:18:37.047

0

I don't think it's possible to avoid that cd as you run git with a user that doesn't have permission to change directory back to the current directory, i.e. /root. / as current directory obviously works since everyone has permissions to change to that directory.

edited Mar 24 '12 at 14:18

answered Mar 24 '12 at 12:41

rtn

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`fatal: Could not change back to '/root': Permission denied` – ДМИТРИЙ МАЛИКОВ Mar 24 '12 at 13:27
Changed my answer. It has to do with permissions and not --work-tree as I thought initially. – rtn Mar 24 '12 at 14:19

Git pulling depends on the current dir

3 Answers3