What does this svn2git error mean?

Question

I am trying to import my repository from svn to git using svn2git, but it seems like it\'s failing when it hits a branch. What\'s the problem?

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Answer 1

I was following some svn to git instructions when I ran into the same error message. The error occurred when I ran this command:

git svn clone file:///pathto/repo /pathto/new-git-repo –-no-metadata -A authors.txt -t tags -b branches -T trunk

After the error occurred, I edited the .git/config-file as follows:

tags = tags/*:refs/remotes/svn/tags/*
branches = branches/*:refs/remotes/svn/*

->

tags = tags/*:refs/remotes/svn/tags/*
branches = branches/*:refs/remotes/svn/branches/*

I.e., I just formatted the "braches" line to be similar to the "tags" line. Then I ran the command again. The process produced a valid git repo with remote branches.

Answer 2

To fix your problems you have to convert the imported remote branches and tags to local ones.

Section from Scott Chacone (PRO GIT): Original link: http://progit.org/book/ch8-2.html:

To move the tags to be proper Git tags, run

$ cp -Rf .git/refs/remotes/tags/* .git/refs/tags/
$ rm -Rf .git/refs/remotes/tags

This takes the references that were remote branches that started with tag/ and makes them real (lightweight) tags.

Next, move the rest of the references under refs/remotes to be local branches:

$ cp -Rf .git/refs/remotes/* .git/refs/heads/
$ rm -Rf .git/refs/remotes

This worked for me perfectly.

Answer 3

It seems svn2git doesn't pass the branch configuration correctly. I had the standard layout but the error occurred. I fixed it with passing the defaults for the layout again:

$ svn2git http://repos --branches branches --tags tags --trunk trunk

Then it worked as expected.

Answer 4

Your subversion repository does not have a standard trunk/branches/tags structure. Specify the alternate places for where you branched by using the --branch, --tag, --trunk options.

Answer 5

I had to open up the .git/config file and delete all the branches and tags entries under the svn-remote section and run the 'git svn clone' command for this error to go away. Apparently, if I run this command multiple times (usually stop and re-start from a revision), the branch/tag entries get added to the config file instead of being reused, which causes the error.