"Git fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref" while using maven release plugin

Question

I get the following error output while running the Maven release plugin prepare step i.e. mvn release:prepare --batch-mode -DreleaseVersion=1.1.2 -DdevelopmentVersion=1.2.0-SNAPSHOT -Dtag=v1.1.2 -X from an Atlassian Bamboo plan. However doing the same in the command line works fine. The full error stack is below.

Any ideas how can this be solved?

[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-release-plugin:2.4.2:prepare (default-cli) on project hpcmom: An error is occurred in the checkin process: Exception while executing SCM command. Detecting the current branch failed: fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref -> [Help 1]     org.apache.maven.lifecycle.LifecycleExecutionException: Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-release-plugin:2.4.2:prepare (default-cli) on project hpcmom: An error is occurred in the checkin process: Exception while executing SCM command.     at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor.java:217)     at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor.java:153)     at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor.java:145)     at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleModuleBuilder.buildProject(LifecycleModuleBuilder.java:84)     at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleModuleBuilder.buildProject(LifecycleModuleBuilder.java:59)     at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleStarter.singleThreadedBuild(LifecycleStarter.java:183)     at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleStarter.execute(LifecycleStarter.java:161)     at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.doExecute(DefaultMaven.java:320)     at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.execute(DefaultMaven.java:156)     at org.apache.maven.cli.MavenCli.execute(MavenCli.java:537)     at org.apache.maven.cli.MavenCli.doMain(MavenCli.java:196)     at org.apache.maven.cli.MavenCli.main(MavenCli.java:141)     at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)     at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:57)     at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)     at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:606)     at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.launchEnhanced(Launcher.java:290)     at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.launch(Launcher.java:230)     at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.mainWithExitCode(Launcher.java:409)     at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.main(Launcher.java:352) Caused by: org.apache.maven.plugin.MojoExecutionException: An error is occurred in the checkin process: Exception while executing SCM command.     at org.apache.maven.plugins.release.PrepareReleaseMojo.prepareRelease(PrepareReleaseMojo.java:281)     at org.apache.maven.plugins.release.PrepareReleaseMojo.execute(PrepareReleaseMojo.java:232)     at org.apache.maven.plugin.DefaultBuildPluginManager.executeMojo(DefaultBuildPluginManager.java:101)     at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor.java:209)     ... 19 more Caused by: org.apache.maven.shared.release.ReleaseExecutionException: An error is occurred in the checkin process: Exception while executing SCM command.     at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.AbstractScmCommitPhase.checkin(AbstractScmCommitPhase.java:160)     at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.AbstractScmCommitPhase.performCheckins(AbstractScmCommitPhase.java:145)     at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.ScmCommitPreparationPhase.runLogic(ScmCommitPreparationPhase.java:76)     at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.AbstractScmCommitPhase.execute(AbstractScmCommitPhase.java:78)     at org.apache.maven.shared.release.DefaultReleaseManager.prepare(DefaultReleaseManager.java:234)     at org.apache.maven.shared.release.DefaultReleaseManager.prepare(DefaultReleaseManager.java:169)     at org.apache.maven.shared.release.DefaultReleaseManager.prepare(DefaultReleaseManager.java:146)     at org.apache.maven.shared.release.DefaultReleaseManager.prepare(DefaultReleaseManager.java:107)     at org.apache.maven.plugins.release.PrepareReleaseMojo.prepareRelease(PrepareReleaseMojo.java:277)     ... 22 more Caused by: org.apache.maven.scm.ScmException: Exception while executing SCM command.     at org.apache.maven.scm.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:63)     at org.apache.maven.scm.provider.git.AbstractGitScmProvider.executeCommand(AbstractGitScmProvider.java:291)     at org.apache.maven.scm.provider.git.AbstractGitScmProvider.checkin(AbstractGitScmProvider.java:217)     at org.apache.maven.scm.provider.AbstractScmProvider.checkIn(AbstractScmProvider.java:410)     at org.apache.maven.shared.release.phase.AbstractScmCommitPhase.checkin(AbstractScmCommitPhase.java:156)     ... 30 more Caused by: org.apache.maven.scm.ScmException: Detecting the current branch failed: fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref      at org.apache.maven.scm.provider.git.gitexe.command.branch.GitBranchCommand.getCurrentBranch(GitBranchCommand.java:147)     at org.apache.maven.scm.provider.git.gitexe.command.checkin.GitCheckInCommand.createPushCommandLine(GitCheckInCommand.java:192)     at org.apache.maven.scm.provider.git.gitexe.command.checkin.GitCheckInCommand.executeCheckInCommand(GitCheckInCommand.java:132)     at org.apache.maven.scm.command.checkin.AbstractCheckInCommand.executeCommand(AbstractCheckInCommand.java:54)     at org.apache.maven.scm.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:59)     ... 34 more [ERROR]  [ERROR]  [ERROR] For more information about the errors and possible solutions, please read the following articles: [ERROR] [Help 1] http://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/MojoExecutionException simple  02-Dec-2013 17:18:09    Failing task since return code of [/opt/dev/apache-maven/3.0.5//bin/mvn -Djava.io.tmpdir=/opt/atlassian/bamboo/5.2.1/temp/HPCMOM-RELEASE-JOB1 release:prepare --batch-mode -DignoreSnapshots=false -DreleaseVersion=1.1.2 -DdevelopmentVersion=1.2.0-SNAPSHOT -Dtag=v1.1.2 -X] was 1 while expected 0 

UPDATE:

Doing git ls-remote . on a local workspace clone produces:

azg@olympus:~/code/hpcmom$ git ls-remote . 7894eea08a0afecb99515d1339623be63a7539d4    HEAD 7894eea08a0afecb99515d1339623be63a7539d4    refs/heads/master 7894eea08a0afecb99515d1339623be63a7539d4    refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 7894eea08a0afecb99515d1339623be63a7539d4    refs/remotes/origin/master 6a7095b86cccdfd4b28e4dea633d0930809ae9ac    refs/tags/v1.0 1a53462b1ecf0abfea8245016304cda9c78b420d    refs/tags/v1.0^{} 5113a7cbcf35c47b680a9c36e15e5fa01ef1d2e6    refs/tags/v1.1 79a3073ecabe65d3c8051520f8007d9e49a65a06    refs/tags/v1.1^{} a00249209597ea1214d80ee38f228c40db7022c2    refs/tags/v1.1.0 e892bce8d25d87368ab557fee0d30810bef7e31e    refs/tags/v1.1.0^{} b491a312c39088533cb069e4ab1ae8a00d1f6bfe    refs/tags/v1.1.2 a3f7618dada7ed60d8190426152ffd90e0e40a86    refs/tags/v1.1.2^{} 

Doing git ls-remote . on the Bamboo clone produces:

azg@olympus:/var/atlassian/application-data/bamboo/xml-data/build-dir/HPCMOM-RELEASE-JOB1$ git ls-remote . 2422ce066ac35dae3c54f1435ef8dae5008a9a14    HEAD 57c08d581c0fd9e788049733fbdc9c22b9a6ae00    refs/heads/master 57c08d581c0fd9e788049733fbdc9c22b9a6ae00    refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 57c08d581c0fd9e788049733fbdc9c22b9a6ae00    refs/remotes/origin/master 7539f9700d78a1b766fca7ed9f409914f1ea9d08    refs/tags/vnull 6bfa8c3fdb1f8f56a385035f01b1b77b6e88da8b    refs/tags/vnull^{} 

and this is very weird why is the local development clone output so different from the Bamboo one?

Answer 1

I ran into the same error on Jenkins in combination with maven release plugin, we fixed it by going to Additional behaviours, Check out to specific local branch and enter 'master'

I realise this is not a solution but it might give you some direction in where to look.

Answer 2

For Jenkins and GIT add the additional behaviour check out to specific local branch and use the Workspace Cleanup Plugin to clean your workspace to the beginning of your CI job.