git status returns fatal: Not a git repository but .git exists and HEAD has proper permissions

Question

When I run git status on my repo I get fatal: Not a git repository: /my repo/.git/modules/docs

I\'ve checked and .git exists and contains HEAD with the

Answer 1

These two files contains absolute submodule path:

{submodule}/.git
.git/modules/{submodule}/config

So, if you moved the repo, the absolute path in these two files are not valid, and cause the 'not a git repository' error. Just fix these files manually.

Answer 2

Former versions of git used an absolute path to locate the gitdir of a submodule. The solution is as follows:

1. Upgrade git to the latest version. Some says you'll need at least version 1.7.10. I just successfully solved the issue with git 1.8.3.
2. Delete all the broken submodule folders: rm -rf broken_submodule_folder
3. Update the registered submodules: git submodule update. You should see the submodules being checked out.