14157 2020-12-18 13:31:54 +0000 git fetcher: consider using different git commands for repo packing, eliminating "git pack-redundant" 2026-03-27 16:48:12 +0000 1 1 7 Build System, Metadata & Runtime BitBake bitbake unspecified x86 Multiple RESOLVED FIXED backports perhaps High normal 6.0 M3 1 daniel.klauer richard.purdie akuster poky.bs.watcher poky.watcher randy.macleod --- --- No (bug/feature does not impact docs) oldest_to_newest 88796 0 daniel.klauer 2020-12-18 13:31:54 +0000 Hello, First some background: bitbake's git fetcher invokes `git pack-redundant` and some other commands for packing the git repos downloaded into the downloads cache directory. In recent git versions (such as git 2.25.1 from Ubuntu 20.04), `git pack-redundant` sometimes crashes. It only happens on some repositories, and it's not a big issue for the Yocto build process, since as far as I could tell bitbake ignores the error and just continues on (the only reason I even noticed that is because of Kubuntu's automated crash/error reporting tool popping up occasionally in the middle of running a Yocto build here on my desktop). This crash has been reported to the git mailing list (see <https://lore.kernel.org/git/CANYiYbHOczhRoJkOofFNQ6VA3BiyOF=QjffFBDvLn43Ts8B67w@mail.gmail.com/T/#t>) and it will probably be fixed (and as it turns out, has existed since 2019). However, there also was some concern about why bitbake uses this at all. From what I understood, `git pack-redundant` may be deprecated soon anyways, and it would be better to just use `git repack -ad` instead of `git pack-redundant --all | xargs -r rm`, or even better `git gc --prune=now` instead of `git prune-packed` + `git pack-refs --all` + `git pack-redundant --all | xargs -r rm`. Please see that mail thread for a more detailed explanation. I don't know exactly what bitbake needs here, but maybe this simplification would be worth considering. Thanks! 88815 1 akuster 2020-12-24 18:43:35 +0000 Daniel, Thanks for bringing this issue forward. The bug triage is off until after the New Year. Due to the Year End holiday, there may be a delay in response. 96110 2 randy.macleod 2023-07-26 21:29:36 +0000 Bulk move to 4.3 M3. 104592 3 richard.purdie 2026-03-12 14:22:44 +0000 $ git pack-redundant 'git pack-redundant' is nominated for removal. If you still use this command, please add an extra option, '--i-still-use-this', on the command line and let us know you still use it by sending an e-mail to <git@vger.kernel.org>. Thanks. fatal: refusing to run without --i-still-use-this The fetcher does still reference this 104594 4 randy.macleod 2026-03-12 14:35:06 +0000 We need to ensure that we don't lose any of the unreachable references since the archives need them. 104849 5 richard.purdie 2026-03-27 16:48:12 +0000 Thanks again for raising this, we did finally get around to merging something to avoid it: https://git.openembedded.org/bitbake/commit/?id=64fda8cb8efaff280d33bf60d93fed6e37244640