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fix: avoid GIT_DIR environment discovery panic#2648

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Sebastian Thiel (Byron) merged 1 commit into
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investigate-git-dir-panic
Jun 18, 2026
Merged

fix: avoid GIT_DIR environment discovery panic#2648
Sebastian Thiel (Byron) merged 1 commit into
mainfrom
investigate-git-dir-panic

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@Byron Sebastian Thiel (Byron) commented Jun 17, 2026 •
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Created by Codex on behalf of Byron. Byron will review before this is ready to merge.

Summary

Avoid a panic when repository discovery uses a GIT_DIR environment override by preserving the trust value already derived for the effective git directory before calling open_from_paths().

Reported issue

I ran into a panic while using this. You can reproduce by running

cd $(mktemp -d)
git init
GIT_DIR=.git hx newfile.txt

or

VISUAL=hx git --git-dir=.git commit --allow-empty

This panics at

gitoxide/gix/src/open/repository.rs

Line 184 in eac50e1

let git_dir_trust = git_dir_trust.as_mut().expect("trust must be determined by now");
with the following backtrace:

thread 'main' panicked at ~/.local/share/cargo/registry/src/index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f/gix-0.84.0/src/open/repository.rs:184:52:
trust must be determined by now
stack backtrace:
   0: __rustc::rust_begin_unwind
   1: core::panicking::panic_fmt
   2: core::option::expect_failed
   3: gix::open::repository::<impl gix::types::ThreadSafeRepository>::open_from_paths
   4: gix::discover::<impl gix::types::ThreadSafeRepository>::discover_with_environment_overrides_opts
   5: helix_vcs::git::open_repo
   6: helix_vcs::git::get_diff_base
   7: helix_vcs::DiffProviderRegistry::get_diff_base
   8: helix_view::editor::Editor::open
   9: helix_term::application::Application::new
  10: hx::main_impl::{{closure}}
  11: tokio::runtime::park::CachedParkThread::block_on
  12: tokio::runtime::context::runtime::enter_runtime
  13: tokio::runtime::runtime::Runtime::block_on
  14: hx::main

For context, I use the --git-dir option for tracking my dotfiles in a bare git repo.

Change

open_with_environment_overrides() already computes ownership trust for the effective git directory and chooses the mapped options from that trust level. This change stores the computed trust in Options before opening, matching discover_opts() and preventing the internal expect() from being reached with unset trust.

Git baseline

git --git-dir=<repo/.git> --work-tree=<repo> status --short exits successfully.

Validation

  • cargo test -p gix --test gix repository::open::discover_with_git_dir_environment_override_sets_trust
  • cargo test -p gix --test gix repository::open
  • codex review --commit b3e83763562408cb99c8d860ea823607195119b8

@codex @Byron
fix: set trust for GIT_DIR environment discovery
3b4a6bc 
A Helix user reported that opening a repository with GIT_DIR set could panic in
gix while discovering a repository through environment overrides. The reported
reproductions used GIT_DIR=.git with Helix or git --git-dir=.git invoking an
editor, and the panic came from open_from_paths() expecting git-dir trust to
have already been determined.

The GIT_DIR override path in open_with_environment_overrides() already
determines ownership trust for the effective git directory and selects options
from the trust mapping, but it did not store that trust in the Options passed to
open_from_paths(). Store the determined trust there, matching discover_opts(),
so configuration loading receives an explicit trust value instead of reaching
the internal expect().

Git baseline: `git --git-dir=<repo/.git> --work-tree=<repo> status --short` exits successfully.

Co-authored-by: Sebastian Thiel <[email protected]>
@Byron
Sebastian Thiel (Byron) marked this pull request as ready for review June 18, 2026 06:28
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings June 18, 2026 06:28
Copilot AI reviewed Jun 18, 2026
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Pull request overview

This PR fixes a panic in gix repository discovery when GIT_DIR is set by ensuring the already-computed trust level for the effective git directory is propagated into open_from_paths(), avoiding an internal expect() on missing trust.

Changes:

  • Preserve the computed git_dir_trust in open_with_environment_overrides() before calling open_from_paths().
  • Add a regression test covering repository discovery with a GIT_DIR environment override.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

File Description
gix/src/open/repository.rs Sets options.git_dir_trust based on ownership-derived trust before opening from paths, preventing a panic when GIT_DIR overrides discovery.
gix/tests/gix/repository/open.rs Adds a serial regression test verifying discovery with GIT_DIR works without panicking and opens the expected git directory.

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@Byron
Sebastian Thiel (Byron) merged commit 5dfb44d into main Jun 18, 2026
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@Byron @codex