could not open git/commit_editmsg

Question

I have a git repository linked to a dropbox folder. Recently, I have switched my laptop to another, and now i can not perform the function \"git commit -am\". I keep getting

Answer 1

I had same issue, here the steps , how I solved the issue.

1) first checked the file permission( and found, only root having access )

$ls -l .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 13 Jun 11 07:54 .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG

2) logged in as root and changed file permission

# chown arun:arun .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG ( here arun is my username, refer chown command for more details )

3) Now file permission changed and able to commit without any issues !

$ls -l .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG

-rw-r--r-- 1 arun arun 12 Jun 16 11:47 .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG

Answer 2

This is an file permission issue, user you are currently logged on does not have permissions to use the files.

If that's your repo, you may try:

• switching to other user who owns the repo
• changing the owner of the repo (sudo chown youruser -R yourrepodir/)
• changing the permissions for the particular files using chmod (you should avoid using 0777 as it is not secure)

Answer 3

I had this issue when I had a git repo inside a git repo in a working copy.. hope that helps

Answer 4

Ensure that the git app you use (whether GUI, cmd or bash) is running as an Administrator. This of course apply if you are using Windows.

Answer 5

try this git init --shared=0777

Answer 6

Assuming you're on a Windows machine, the chances are that you modified a hidden file and no longer have write permissions to the hidden file.

To solve this, simply navigate to your .git folder and delete the "COMMIT_EDITMSG" file.