Fix: fatal: not a git repository

fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git
fatal: not a git repository (or any parent up to mount point /home)
Stopping at filesystem boundary (GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM not set).

Every git command needs a repository. Git searches for a .git directory starting where you are and walking upward through the parents; if it reaches the root (or a mount point) without finding one, it stops with this message.

Cause 1: you are in the wrong directory

pwd
ls -la                  # is there a .git here?
git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || echo "not inside a repo"

cd ~/projects/myapp     # go to the project folder, then retry

Editors and terminals that open in your home directory, a fresh SSH session, or a cd in a script that did not run are the usual culprits. In a script, cd "$(dirname "$0")" or git -C /path/to/repo status makes the location explicit.

Cause 2: the code was downloaded, not cloned

A zip export from GitHub, a release tarball, or a folder copied from a colleague without .git contains the files but no history. Either clone it properly or start a fresh repository on top.

# Proper clone
git clone https://github.com/owner/repo.git

# Or turn the folder into a new repository
cd myapp
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Import"

Cause 3: .git was deleted or is damaged

rm -rf .git, a cleanup script, a sync tool that skips hidden folders, or a disk problem can remove or corrupt it. If .git exists but git still complains, look inside: .git/HEAD must exist and contain ref: refs/heads/... or a commit hash.

ls .git
cat .git/HEAD
git fsck

A missing HEAD can be recreated with echo 'ref: refs/heads/main' > .git/HEAD (use your real branch name). If the repository is otherwise ruined, re-clone it and copy your uncommitted changes across; the remote still has every pushed commit.

Cause 4: a mount point or container boundary

Git stops at file system boundaries. In a container with the project bind-mounted at a subdirectory, or with a home directory on NFS, the .git above the boundary is not found. Set GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM=1, or mount the repository root rather than a subfolder.

Check that it is fixed

git status
git rev-parse --show-toplevel     # prints the repository root

When it is not what you think

• fatal: detected dubious ownership in repository is a different safety check: the repo belongs to another user. Fix with git config --global --add safe.directory /path/to/repo if you trust it.
• In CI, a job that fails with this message usually means the checkout step did not run or ran in another working directory; check the pipeline’s working-directory setting.
• A .git file (not directory) is normal in worktrees and submodules; it contains gitdir: ... pointing elsewhere. If that path no longer exists, the message appears; fix it with git worktree repair or re-initialize the submodule with git submodule update --init.

Official documentation

• git: GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM
• git-init and git-clone