Cannot push - remote fatal error in commit_refs

[FenTaylor]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

Body

Git pushes to FenTaylor/stichprofi started failing on November 4, 2026.
The issue reproduces from two different computers.

Error:
remote: fatal error in commit_refs
! [remote rejected] main -> main (failure)
error: failed to push some refs to 'github.com:FenTaylor/stichprofi.git'

Diagnostics:

• SSH authentication succeeds as FenTaylor.
• Reading refs and fetching work.
• Local git fsck --connectivity-only reports no connectivity errors.
• Pushing a small README-only commit fails.
• Creating a new branch pointing to an existing remote commit,
  without uploading new objects, also fails with the same error.

The issue persists after today's Git Operations incident was marked resolved:
https://www.githubstatus.com/incidents/smtdswd1h2w4

---

Support ticket #4953811 was closed because my account is limited
to self-service support, without a technical resolution.

This blocks pushes from two separate computers. Even creating
a branch pointing to an existing remote commit fails with
"remote: fatal error in commit_refs".

Could a GitHub staff member help escalate this for investigation?

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[ZaneDaniel11]

Hi @FenTaylor fatal error in commit_refs is a server-side error. It comes from GitHub’s backend failing while it updates the refs, after it has already received your push. Your local repo is almost certainly fine. Your own tests back this up: authentication works, fetch works, fsck is clean, and pushing a new branch that points at a commit GitHub already has fails the same way even though no new objects are uploaded. That points to the copy of the repository on GitHub’s side being stuck or in a bad state, which is plausible after the Git Operations incident.

Some quick checks can narrow it down before you contact support:

1. Try a different transport

If HTTPS fails the same way as SSH, the connection protocol isn’t the problem.

2. Try writing a ref through the web UI
   Edit a file directly on github.com and commit it, or create a branch from the branch dropdown. If that also fails or hangs, every ref write to the repo is broken, not just pushes from your machines.

3. Test whether it’s the repo or your account
   Push to a brand-new test repository. If that works, the problem is specific to stichprofi. You can also fork the repo and push to the fork.

4. Rule out repo settings
   Check Settings → Rules → Rulesets and branch protection for anything recently added. Rule violations normally produce a clearer error message, but it’s quick to rule out.

5. Capture a trace for support

Remove any tokens before you share the log.

Next step
If the checks above show the problem is limited to this one repository, it most likely needs a GitHub staff member to repair the repository on their end. You can’t fix that from the client side. Open a ticket at https://support.github.com and include:

Repo: FenTaylor/stichprofi
The date it started (Nov 4, 2026) and the incident link
The exact error, plus your note that pushing a new branch to an existing commit also fails
Timestamps (with time zone) of a few failed pushes, so they can find them in their logs
Hope it gets sorted quickly!

[sumiEmpire001]

Based on the diagnostics you've provided, this looks more like a server-side GitHub ref-update failure than a typical local Git configuration problem.

The most significant detail is that creating a new branch pointing to an existing remote commit also fails. That operation doesn't require uploading new commit objects, which helps narrow down the problem.

I'd suggest the following checks:

1. Verify the remote and authentication

git remote -v
ssh -T git@github.com

Since SSH authentication already succeeds, this is mainly to confirm that the intended repository and account are being used.

2. Capture a trace of the failing push

On macOS or Linux:

GIT_TRACE=1 GIT_TRACE_PACKET=1 git push origin main 2>push-trace.log

Be careful to redact any credentials, sensitive repository information, or private URLs before sharing the log.

3. Test a new branch push

git push origin HEAD:refs/heads/diagnostic-push-test

If this produces the same "remote: fatal error in commit_refs", it strengthens the evidence that the failure isn't limited to updating "main".

4. Compare HTTPS and SSH

If you have permission to push using HTTPS, try:

git -c remote.pushDefault=origin push https://github.com/FenTaylor/stichprofi.git HEAD:refs/heads/diagnostic-push-test

If both transports fail with the same remote error, that provides additional evidence of a server-side problem.

5. Escalate with a reproducible case

Given that this began around the GitHub Operations incident and reproduces across two computers, I'd include the following in a new support request:

• Exact UTC timestamps of failed pushes
• Repository URL
• Relevant Git trace output, with sensitive data removed
• Confirmation that authentication and fetch work
• Confirmation that pushing an existing commit to a new branch also fails
• Previous support ticket number and the related incident URL

I would avoid force-pushing, rewriting history, or deleting repository references because the evidence doesn't indicate that those actions would resolve the issue.

Conclusion: I can't confirm the root cause without GitHub's server-side logs, but your existing tests make a GitHub-side ref-update failure a reasonable hypothesis. This deserves further investigation by GitHub Support or engineering.

One additional question: does the same failure occur when pushing to a completely new repository under your account, or only to "FenTaylor/stichprofi"? That comparison could help distinguish an account-wide issue from a repository-specific one.

[aliensynthesis]

FWIW I'm having the same problem with one of my own repos.

[aliensynthesis]

It appears my problem has cleared up now.

[torisetxd]

Having same issue here across all my repos. Can't push to any.