Unfuck My Git State

Recover corrupted Git and worktree state safely

Recover a repo without making the blast radius worse.

Core Rules

1. Snapshot first. Do not "just try stuff."
2. Prefer non-destructive fixes before force operations.
3. Treat .git/ as production data until backup is taken.
4. Use git symbolic-ref before manually editing .git/HEAD.
5. After each fix, run verification before proceeding.

Fast Workflow

1. Capture diagnostics:

bash

bash scripts/snapshot_git_state.sh .

2. Route by symptom using references/symptom-map.md.
3. Generate non-destructive command plan:

bash

bash scripts/guided_repair_plan.sh --repo .

4. Apply the smallest matching playbook.
5. Run references/recovery-checklist.md verification gate.
6. Escalate only if the gate fails.

For explicit routing:

bash

bash scripts/guided_repair_plan.sh --list
bash scripts/guided_repair_plan.sh --symptom phantom-branch-lock

Regression Harness

Use disposable simulation tests before changing script logic:

bash

bash scripts/regression_harness.sh

Run one scenario:

bash

bash scripts/regression_harness.sh --scenario orphaned-worktree

Playbook A: Orphaned Worktree Metadata

Symptoms:

• git worktree list shows a path that no longer exists.
• Worktree entries include invalid or zero hashes.

Steps:

bash

git worktree list --porcelain
git worktree prune -v
git worktree list --porcelain

If stale entries remain, back up .git/ and remove the specific stale folder under .git/worktrees/<name>, then rerun prune.

Playbook B: Phantom Branch Lock

Symptoms:

• git branch -d or git branch -D fails with "already used by worktree".
• git worktree list seems to disagree with branch ownership.

Steps:

bash

git worktree list --porcelain

Find the worktree using that branch, switch that worktree to another branch or detach HEAD there, then retry the branch operation in the main repo.

Playbook C: Detached or Contradictory HEAD

Symptoms:

• git status says detached HEAD unexpectedly.
• git branch --show-current and git symbolic-ref -q HEAD disagree.

Steps:

bash

git symbolic-ref -q HEAD || true
git reflog --date=iso -n 20
git switch <known-good-branch>

If branch context is unknown, create a rescue branch from current commit:

bash

git switch -c rescue/$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)

Then reconnect to the intended branch after investigation.

Playbook D: Missing or Broken Refs

Symptoms:

• unknown revision, not a valid object name, or cannot lock ref.

Steps:

bash

git fetch --all --prune
git show-ref --verify refs/remotes/origin/<branch>
git branch -f <branch> origin/<branch>
git switch <branch>

Use reflog to recover local-only commits before forcing branch pointers.

Last Resort: Manual HEAD Repair

Only after backup of .git/.

Preferred:

bash

git show-ref --verify refs/heads/<branch>
git symbolic-ref HEAD refs/heads/<branch>

Fallback when symbolic-ref cannot be used:

bash

echo "ref: refs/heads/<branch>" > .git/HEAD

Immediately run the verification gate.

Verification Gate (Must Pass)

Run checks in references/recovery-checklist.md. Minimum bar:

• git status exits cleanly with no fatal errors.
• git symbolic-ref -q HEAD matches intended branch.
• git worktree list --porcelain has no missing paths and no zero hashes.
• git fsck --no-reflogs --full has no new critical errors.

Escalation Path

1. Archive .git:

bash

tar -czf git-metadata-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).tar.gz .git

2. Clone fresh from remote.
3. Recover unpushed work with reflog and cherry-pick from old clone.
4. Document failure mode and add guardrails to automation.

Automation Hooks

When building worktree tooling (iMi, scripts, bots), enforce:

• preflight snapshot and state validation
• post-operation verification gate
• hard stop on HEAD/ref inconsistency
• explicit user confirmation before destructive commands

Resources

• Symptom router: references/symptom-map.md
• Verification checklist: references/recovery-checklist.md
• Diagnostic snapshot script: scripts/snapshot_git_state.sh
• Guided plan generator: scripts/guided_repair_plan.sh
• Disposable regression harness: scripts/regression_harness.sh