fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git — how to fix

fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

Quick fix: cd into the folder that contains your project's .git directory, or run git init to create a new repository there.

What it means

Git looked for a .git folder in the current directory and every parent directory and found none, so it doesn't know which repository you mean.

Fixes

You are in the wrong folder. Check where you are and move into the project:

pwd
cd path/to/your/project
git status

The project was never a repository. Create one:

git init

You downloaded a ZIP instead of cloning. ZIP downloads from GitHub don't include history. Clone instead:

git clone https://github.com/USER/REPO.git

The .git folder was deleted or moved. If you have a remote copy, clone it again and copy your changed files over. Without a remote, the history is gone, but git init lets you start a new one.

Inside Docker or CI. Build contexts often exclude .git (for example via .dockerignore). Pass the info you need (like a commit hash) as a build argument instead of running git inside the container, or include .git in the context.

safe.directory in newer Git. If the folder belongs to another user, Git prints a different error, detected dubious ownership in repository. See the related fix below.

Last updated 2026-10-27.