Why am I getting "Commit failed with error: pathspec ... did not match any file(s)"?

Question

I am having some issues with Git.

I have a repository where I can commit any file to without problem. However, there is a single file 'Funder.php' which, when I try committing, tells me there is an error as:

Commit failed with error:
pathspec 'application/libraries/Funder.php' did not match any file(s) known to git.

I am quite new to this, so was wondering if anybody could please help?

Does the file `application/libraries/Funder.php` exist? What OS are you using? — Cyclonecode, Jan 28 '15 at 10:37
Try running `git status` in your repository and see if you get any clues to way this is happening. — Cyclonecode, Jan 28 '15 at 10:42

Daniel Silva · Answer 1 · 2018-10-30T21:43:47.650

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The reason why this error happens is pointed in this post: https://stackoverflow.com/a/29485441/2769415

Windows’ file system is mostly case-insensitive, so you cannot rename a file by just changing its capitalization. Instead, you will have to use a temporary name in between.

Solution: Rename the file back to the original one, then rename it to a different name, then back to the one with the correct capitalization. Git will not throw the bug anymore.

Example:

Created FOOBar class.
Renamed it to FooBar and then got the error.
Rename it back to FOOBar.
Rename to FooBarTest.
Rename to FooBar.
Git works now.

edited Oct 30 '18 at 21:43

answered Aug 20 '15 at 21:15

Daniel Silva

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This worked after trying and failing with the above solutions. – fahmy Aug 23 '15 at 02:24
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Does it count as a bug in git? – Meng Zhang Nov 05 '15 at 12:06
@ZhangMeng - it's more of a user error than a bug, but perhaps a UX feature. See [my concise answer](http://stackoverflow.com/a/34427057/1799146) that points to the issue and how to resolve quickly without this random renaming game – julian soro Dec 23 '15 at 01:12
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what if i don't remember its old name? – Jemshit Feb 26 '16 at 13:15

score 45 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 28 '15 at 10:48

This is the error you get when you attempt to run

git commit <file>

but <file> hasn't been staged yet; in other words, Git hasn't been told about it, yet. This is most likely what's happening here. Run

git add application/libraries/Funder.php

then try to commit.

score 7 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 02 '15 at 16:45

I had the same problem in Android Studio after renaming some activities. I tried adding (git add) and moving (git mv) the files but never helped and I was getting the same message again and again.

Finally I decided to backup the classes in the package that had the problematic file in a separate folder in my HDD, then I removed the files from the original folder and in the terminal I did:

rm app/src/main/java/com/path/to/package/with/problematic/files/

Then recreated the deleted package via Android Studio and copied and pasted my classes back there. After that I was able to commit without any issues.

That's a pretty drastic solution for just one file. – SMBiggs Dec 18 '15 at 00:28 — SMBiggs, Dec 18 '15 at 00:28
I'm facing same problem. What can i do for whole project ? – Viks Feb 02 '16 at 06:14 — Viks, Feb 02 '16 at 06:14

score 6 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 23 '15 at 01:09

6

Here's a concise answer on the quickest way to resolve this issue. Similar to @cmbind55 post but to the point.

Problem: I have added a file that I later renamed.

Solution:

Un-add the old file name

git reset HEAD oldFileName.file

Now, add the new file name

git add newFileName.file

Commit and be happy

answered Dec 23 '15 at 01:09

julian soro

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I added a directory like Dir in my project structure which wasn't commited to the git, now if try to rename it to dir it throws above error! – Muhammad Babar Mar 03 '16 at 14:07
@MuhammadBabar sounds like you may have done `git add` to a file under Dir. Git won't track empty directories, so you probably have something inside Dir that git is tracking. What does your output say? – julian soro Mar 04 '16 at 00:12
Julian you are right indeed i did copied some files and folders inside Dir but i deleted them rather than committing! Which means my working directory doesn't have any changes to be committed because i have already deleted the files & folders! P.S: I'm a newbie to git :) – Muhammad Babar Mar 04 '16 at 05:31
Strangest part is that Android studio doesn't show any files & folders that are to be committed in LocalChanges tab! But on git shell if i run `git status` i can still see the a lot of files that are not staged for commit and a lot files that are (deleted files and folders) to be committed! – Muhammad Babar Mar 04 '16 at 05:37
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I definitely recommend learning git at the command line first before using the tools. Glad you figured it out – julian soro Mar 04 '16 at 19:06

score 4 · Answer 5 · answered Jun 07 '17 at 18:09

4

if working from terminal ensure that you have a message flag in your command.

git commit "Your Commit Message" //Throws an error: pathspec '3.

git commit -m "Your Commit Message" //No error thrown

answered Jun 07 '17 at 18:09

Fredrick Anyera M

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This fixed my problem. – StarLord Aug 11 '21 at 04:43

score 3 · Answer 6 · answered Aug 10 '15 at 13:53

I had this failing commit scenario due to a renamed directory.

This was the originally created directory with a capitalization mistake:

application/Templates/lists/index.html

Within the IDE, I had agreed to add this file to the existing git repo. In later testing, I discovered I had a case-sensitive path issue with the capitalization of "Templates". Within the IDE, I simply renamed the directory to "templates" (changed to lower-case). I did not record the actual sequence of events around this, but later when my commit failed with the following message, I had a hunch this was this issue. Apparently, the IDE did not fully handle this case of renaming a directory.

The IDE commit error message:

Commit failed with error: pathspec "application/templates/lists/index.html" did not match any file(s) known to git.

After doing some reading, my strategy was to take the file back out and then add it again. I unstaged the suspect file

git reset HEAD lists/Templates/lists/index.html

Note, git status only showed the directory here... Not the file.

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)

    lists/templates/

Then, I added back with the corrected directory name (I only used the path for the add, following the lead from git status).

git add lists/templates/

After this, my commit succeeded. I'm not sure if this was the ideal technique, but it resolved the commit error in my case.

score 3 · Answer 7 · answered Jun 21 '16 at 10:18

3

i had same problem. just change 'Initial comment single quotes '' to double quotes ""

answered Jun 21 '16 at 10:18

Trilochan

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score 2 · Answer 8 · answered Jan 30 '16 at 18:08

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I had a similar problem but fixed it. I should have been using "" instead of '' in windows command line

answered Jan 30 '16 at 18:08

alaboudi

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score 2 · Answer 9 · answered Mar 02 '16 at 09:06

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I had the same problem. None of the answers here did not help me to resolve the issue. After being stuck for two days, I drew attention that the whole filename with path are very long. I did refactoring renaming it to something less complicated and rearranging folders to reduce the full filename length and it worked!

answered Mar 02 '16 at 09:06

Evgeniy Mishustin

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Wow, this was it for me too. Running on windows, of course, where paths have problems with long names. – Ezekiel Kruglick May 04 '16 at 23:02

score 2 · Answer 10 · answered Mar 11 '16 at 01:19

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iOS 9.2.1, Xcode 7.2.1, ARC enabled

Ran into this while changing "contents.json" file for my LaunchImage asset catalog. You may elect to use the terminal commands provided as the answer, but try this simpler way...

Source Control -> Refresh Status

Hope this helps. Cheers!

answered Mar 11 '16 at 01:19

serge-k

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didn't help unfortunately. – MJQZ1347 Mar 13 '16 at 09:57
@MJQZ1347 hey could you please add to what condition you are trying to resolve exactly? – serge-k Mar 13 '16 at 18:10
@DeyaEldeen Great! Glad to help. – serge-k Sep 19 '16 at 15:50

score 1 · Answer 11 · answered Mar 08 '16 at 08:52

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i had the same issue with the word "certificate" as a package name... when i rename the Package to "certificates" it just work... strange ..

answered Mar 08 '16 at 08:52

HowardS

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score 0 · Answer 12 · answered Jun 14 '16 at 05:20

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With XCode 7.3 I renamed the file in question to FooBar.foo.tmp and then commited once XCode/git added this new file and set the old one to be deleted. Once I commited then I renamed it back (within XCode). Now it's fine. C'est la vie.

answered Jun 14 '16 at 05:20

Robert Wasmann

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score 0 · Answer 13 · answered Sep 21 '16 at 00:15

My problem was that I was copy / pasting the entire commit line, and it had special characters, which appeared to be normal characters in the console (ex: smart quotes instead of normal quotes). Once I pasted them into a plain-text editor, I saw them, corrected them, and it worked.

score 0 · Answer 14 · answered Oct 11 '16 at 09:40

0

I had the same problem with '.entitlements' file, deleting existing file and adding it again worked for me.

answered Oct 11 '16 at 09:40

R.S.

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score 0 · Answer 15 · answered Mar 01 '17 at 18:15

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I had a similar problem committing deleted files with SourceTree in Mac. One of the problematic files had accents (áéíóú...). To solve it I had to use terminal rather than SourceTree

answered Mar 01 '17 at 18:15

xleon

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score 0 · Answer 16 · answered Mar 27 '17 at 17:13

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I've experienced this by mistakenly creating the branch in a different repo on BitBucket, so make sure you're in the right repo and that the branch exists there.

answered Mar 27 '17 at 17:13

PWM

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score 0 · Answer 17 · answered Feb 12 '19 at 05:41

I got the same error. I was passing the commit message as part of command line argument. The commit message I was passing with double quotes.

In git commit I was using double quotes again. This was throwing the same error.

So I removed the double quotes from the commit message while calling git commit. This fixed my issues.

git commit -m "%commit_message%"

The above command was throwing the same error

I have changed it to

git commit -m %commit_message%

This fixed my issue.

score 0 · Answer 18 · answered Mar 21 '19 at 13:02

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In my case the troublesome file was marked with --skip-worktree. This could be easily checked with

git ls-files -v . | grep ^S

answered Mar 21 '19 at 13:02

montonero

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score 0 · Answer 19 · answered May 21 '20 at 18:46

My issue was a temporary word backup file starting with ~$, the filename was ~$?????.docx.

I am not sure what was going on - my word document is picked up by GIT using Pycharm so I guess I was editing at somepoint when working with GIT.

I had to create a temporary file with the same name, commit then delete the file.

score 0 · Answer 20 · answered Sep 04 '20 at 10:18

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Try using double quotes for "Initial project version"

try using double quotes, if you are work on Windows OS

answered Sep 04 '20 at 10:18

Nasreen Ustad

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Why am I getting "Commit failed with error: pathspec ... did not match any file(s)"?

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