Big (git?) trouble installing Homebrew - keep doing a detached HEAD and git-lfs warning #32

Norfeldt · 2020-10-07T06:55:40Z

Norfeldt
Oct 7, 2020

I rely heavily on the awesomeness of Homebrew and it's a fantastic job that the dev community is doing!

The last couple of days has been quite frustrating for me - I would really appreciate some help

$ /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install.sh)"
Password:
==> This script will install:
/usr/local/bin/brew
/usr/local/share/doc/homebrew
/usr/local/share/man/man1/brew.1
/usr/local/share/zsh/site-functions/_brew
/usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/brew
/usr/local/Homebrew

Press RETURN to continue or any other key to abort
==> Downloading and installing Homebrew...
remote: Enumerating objects: 8, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (8/8), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (2/2), done.
remote: Total 8 (delta 5), reused 8 (delta 5), pack-reused 0
Unpacking objects: 100% (8/8), 878 bytes | 35.00 KiB/s, done.
From https://github.com/Homebrew/brew
 * [new branch]          sorbet-files-update -> origin/sorbet-files-update
HEAD is now at 569ce08d9 Merge pull request #8871 from issyl0/sorbet-more-typechecked-files

This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.


This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.

==> Tapping homebrew/core
Cloning into '/usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 71, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (71/71), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (51/51), done.
remote: Total 801101 (delta 46), reused 33 (delta 20), pack-reused 801030
Receiving objects: 100% (801101/801101), 321.28 MiB | 6.62 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (536953/536953), done.
Updating files: 100% (5540/5540), done.

This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.

Error: Failure while executing; `git clone https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core /usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core` exited with 2.
Error: Failure while executing; `/usr/local/bin/brew tap homebrew/core` exited with 1.
Failed during: /usr/local/bin/brew update --force

There clearly seem to be some sort of git issue going on:

HEAD is now at 569ce08d9 Merge pull request #8871 from issyl0/sorbet-more-typechecked-files

This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.

Here is what I have tried

☑️ installing git via binary installer instead of brew

$ git --version
git version 2.27.0

☑️ installing git-lfs via download

$ git-lfs --version
git-lfs/2.12.0 (GitHub; darwin amd64; go 1.15; git dad7b9e6)

$ sudo git-lfs install --system
Password:
Git LFS initialized.

☑️ installed xcode from binary from (developer.apple.com/download/more) and lastly from App Store (again)

$ xcode-select --install
xcode-select: error: command line tools are already installed, use "Software Update" to install updates

$ xcode-select --version
xcode-select version 2373.

$ xcode-select -p
/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools

$ /usr/bin/xcodebuild -version
xcode-select: error: tool 'xcodebuild' requires Xcode, but active developer directory '/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools' is a command line tools instance

$  xcodebuild -version
xcode-select: error: tool 'xcodebuild' requires Xcode, but active developer directory '/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools' is a command line tools instance

$ gcc --version
Configured with: --prefix=/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr --with-gxx-include-dir=/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX.sdk/usr/include/c++/4.2.1
Apple clang version 12.0.0 (clang-1200.0.32.2)
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin19.6.0
Thread model: posix
InstalledDir: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin

I might have done more that I don't recall - tried a LOT of things.

I also read a LOT of Homebrew Community Discussions - like for example:

Need help with homebrew install

Unable to install Homebrew itself, maybe breaks at deleted git branch

$ ls -al /usr/local/bin/brew
lrwxr-xr-x  1 norfeldt  admin  28 Oct  7 08:39 /usr/local/bin/brew -> /usr/local/Homebrew/bin/brew

$ brew config
HOMEBREW_VERSION: 2.5.3
ORIGIN: https://github.com/Homebrew/brew
HEAD: 23e24c6710fc02b844cf31a2c4f3e5d5d0ce2155
Last commit: 2 days ago
Core tap: N/A
HOMEBREW_PREFIX: /usr/local
HOMEBREW_CASK_OPTS: []
HOMEBREW_EDITOR: /usr/bin/nano
HOMEBREW_MAKE_JOBS: 8
Homebrew Ruby: 2.6.3 => /System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/bin/ruby
CPU: octa-core 64-bit haswell
Clang: 12.0 build 1200
Git: 2.27.0 => /usr/local/bin/git
Curl: 7.64.1 => /usr/bin/curl
Java: 11.0.8, 1.8.0_144, 1.8.0_131
macOS: 10.15.7-x86_64
CLT: 12.0.0.0.1.1599194153
Xcode: 12.0.1

$ brew doctor
==> Tapping homebrew/core
Cloning into '/usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 71, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (71/71), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (51/51), done.
remote: Total 801101 (delta 46), reused 33 (delta 20), pack-reused 801030
Receiving objects: 100% (801101/801101), 321.28 MiB | 4.81 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (536953/536953), done.
Updating files: 100% (5540/5540), done.

This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.

Error: Failure while executing; `git clone https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core /usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core` exited with 2.
Error: Failure while executing; `/usr/local/bin/brew tap homebrew/core` exited with 1.

$ brew update

This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.


This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.

==> Homebrew has enabled anonymous aggregate formula and cask analytics.
Read the analytics documentation (and how to opt-out) here:
  https://docs.brew.sh/Analytics
No analytics have been recorded yet (or will be during this `brew` run).

==> Tapping homebrew/core
Cloning into '/usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 71, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (71/71), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (51/51), done.
remote: Total 801101 (delta 46), reused 33 (delta 20), pack-reused 801030
Receiving objects: 100% (801101/801101), 317.59 MiB | 5.41 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (536924/536924), done.
Updating files: 100% (5540/5540), done.

This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.

Error: Failure while executing; `git clone https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core /usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core` exited with 2.
Error: Failure while executing; `/usr/local/bin/brew tap homebrew/core` exited with 1.

When I do mkdir for folders like /usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core and then it does not throw the errors (but still the warnings).

$ mkdir /usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core
mkdir: /usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew: No such file or directory
$ mkdir /usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/
$ mkdir /usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core
$ brew update
Initialized empty Git repository in /usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core/.git/
remote: Enumerating objects: 5520, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (5520/5520), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (5276/5276), done.
remote: Total 5520 (delta 80), reused 349 (delta 32), pack-reused 0
Receiving objects: 100% (5520/5520), 4.66 MiB | 5.44 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (80/80), done.
From https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core
 * [new branch]      master     -> origin/master
HEAD is now at e0c09f5 yosys: update 0.9_3 bottle.

This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.


This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.

Already up-to-date.

$ cd $(brew --repo)/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core/
/usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core on master

$ cd $(brew --repo)/Library/Taps/homebrew/
/usr/local/Homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew on stable

$ cd $(brew --repo)/Library/Taps/homebrew/
$ git-lfs install --local
Updated git hooks.
Git LFS initialized.

$ cd $(brew --repo)/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core/
$ git-lfs install --local
Updated git hooks.
Git LFS initialized.

$ brew update

This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.


This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting .git/hooks/post-checkout.

Already up-to-date.

$ brew doctor
Your system is ready to brew.

I would really appreciate any help solving the issues. THANK YOU!

Norfeldt · 2020-10-07T07:07:22Z

Norfeldt
Oct 7, 2020
Author

I also tried to install git and git-lfs via brew again. Linked both of them

$ brew link git
Linking /usr/local/Cellar/git/2.28.0... 
Error: Could not symlink bin/git
Target /usr/local/bin/git
already exists. You may want to remove it:
  rm '/usr/local/bin/git'

To force the link and overwrite all conflicting files:
  brew link --overwrite git

To list all files that would be deleted:
  brew link --overwrite --dry-run git
$ rm '/usr/local/bin/git'
$ brew link --overwrite git
Linking /usr/local/Cellar/git/2.28.0... 208 symlinks created
$ git --version
git version 2.28.0

0 replies

SMillerDev · 2020-10-07T07:45:16Z

SMillerDev
Oct 7, 2020
Collaborator

Somehow you set up brew to use git-lfs, which is not needed. You can use rm $(brew --repo homebrew/core)/.git/hooks/post-checkout and rm $(brew --repo)/.git/hooks/post-checkout

6 replies

SMillerDev Oct 7, 2020
Collaborator

Can you try running https://helpmanual.io/man1/git-lfs-uninstall/ git-lfs uninstall in both repos?

Norfeldt Oct 7, 2020
Author

$ cd $(brew --repo)/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core/.git/hooks

$ git-lfs uninstall
Hooks for this repository have been removed.
Global Git LFS configuration has been removed.
$ cd $(brew --repo)/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core

$ git-lfs uninstall
WARNING: error running /usr/local/bin/git 'config' '--global' '--remove-section' 'filter.lfs': 'fatal: no such section: filter.lfs' 'exit status 128'
open /Users/norfeldt/Dropbox/Code/Git/hooks/pre-push: no such file or directory
Hooks for this repository have been removed.
Global Git LFS configuration has been removed.

$ brew update
Updated 1 tap (homebrew/core).
==> New Formulae
git-hound
==> Updated Formulae
fzf ✔                    contentful-cli           glow                     node@12
aws-iam-authenticator    diff-pdf                 k3d                      okteto
balena-cli               eigen                    mame                     pdftoipe
ceres-solver             eksctl                   mavsdk                   poppler
chronograf               exploitdb                metabase                 weechat
cmake                    gdal                     nlohmann-json            ykpers

$ brew doctor
Your system is ready to brew.

Now if I do

$ /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install.sh)"
Password:
==> This script will install:
/usr/local/bin/brew
/usr/local/share/doc/homebrew
/usr/local/share/man/man1/brew.1
/usr/local/share/zsh/site-functions/_brew
/usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/brew
/usr/local/Homebrew

Press RETURN to continue or any other key to abort
==> Downloading and installing Homebrew...
HEAD is now at 588f5f171 Merge pull request #8875 from reitermarkus/cask-install-taps
Already up-to-date.
==> Installation successful!

==> Homebrew has enabled anonymous aggregate formulae and cask analytics.
Read the analytics documentation (and how to opt-out) here:
  https://docs.brew.sh/Analytics
No analytics data has been sent yet (or will be during this `install` run).

==> Homebrew is run entirely by unpaid volunteers. Please consider donating:
  https://github.com/Homebrew/brew#donations

==> Next steps:
- Run `brew help` to get started
- Further documentation: 
    https://docs.brew.sh

Should it say HEAD is now at 588f5f171 Merge pull request #8875 from reitermarkus/cask-install-taps ???

SMillerDev Oct 7, 2020
Collaborator

Should it say HEAD is now at 588f5f171 Merge pull request #8875 from reitermarkus/cask-install-taps ???

Yeah, it reports the status of the brew repo so that isn't unlikely.

Norfeldt Oct 7, 2020
Author

Well then I guess that it's working. Not sure I totally understand what I did wrong with git lfs but I'm VERY VERY thankful for you time and help @SMillerDev 🙌

igorleonovich Oct 31, 2021

Excellent, big up for it 💪

epiercehoffman · 2025-05-16T19:10:48Z

epiercehoffman
May 16, 2025

I ran into this problem when trying to install homebrew on a new Mac that had been restored from a backup. I assume the restore messed up something with the configuration. I didn't have brew installed so I couldn't run $(brew --repo), but /opt/homebrew/.git/hooks/post-checkout didn't exist. I didn't have git lfs installed either, and couldn't install it without brew. Luckily, downloading and installing the homebrew .pkg from the latest git release did work! Wanted to share this in case others encounter this issue in the future.

0 replies

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

Homebrew

Big (git?) trouble installing Homebrew - keep doing a detached HEAD and git-lfs warning #32

Uh oh!

{{title}}

Uh oh!

Replies: 3 comments 6 replies

Uh oh!

{{title}}

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

{{title}}

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

{{title}}

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

{{title}}

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

{{title}}

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

{{title}}

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

{{title}}

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

{{title}}

Uh oh!

Select a reply

Uh oh!

Homebrew

Big (git?) trouble installing Homebrew - keep doing a detached HEAD and git-lfs warning #32

Uh oh!

Norfeldt Oct 7, 2020

Replies: 3 comments · 6 replies

Uh oh!

Norfeldt Oct 7, 2020 Author

Uh oh!

SMillerDev Oct 7, 2020 Collaborator

Uh oh!

SMillerDev Oct 7, 2020 Collaborator

Uh oh!

Norfeldt Oct 7, 2020 Author

Uh oh!

SMillerDev Oct 7, 2020 Collaborator

Uh oh!

Norfeldt Oct 7, 2020 Author

Uh oh!

igorleonovich Oct 31, 2021

Uh oh!

epiercehoffman May 16, 2025

Norfeldt
Oct 7, 2020

Replies: 3 comments 6 replies

Norfeldt
Oct 7, 2020
Author

SMillerDev
Oct 7, 2020
Collaborator

SMillerDev Oct 7, 2020
Collaborator

Norfeldt Oct 7, 2020
Author

SMillerDev Oct 7, 2020
Collaborator

Norfeldt Oct 7, 2020
Author

epiercehoffman
May 16, 2025