Git early-eof Git received an End-Of-File signal before it finished downloading the expected repository data.
dev@local: ~/project — git
dev@local~/project$git status
fatal: early eof
fatal: index-pack failed
Diagnostics Translation
Git received an End-Of-File signal before it finished downloading the expected repository data.
waiting for resolution...
MediumVersion Control System
Reviewed for reference consistency: April 11, 2026
Code is Safe
SECUREGit has paused the operation to protect your code. No data has been lost or corrupted.
What To Know
This state means a data stream ended before Git received the full pack or response body it expected.
Where Did It Fail?
Working Tree
Your local files
add
Staging Index
Prepared changes
commit
Local Repo
Commit history
push/fetch
Remote Server
GitHub/GitLab
The error occurred during a network exchange. Your local files are untouched, but Git cannot reach the remote server.
Commands That Trigger This
Cloning an enormous repository over a slow or fluctuating Wi-Fi connection
The remote Git server running out of CPU/Memory while compressing the packfile
Technical Background
01
This error is almost always paired with 'index-pack failed' or 'remote end hung up unexpectedly'.
02
It simply confirms that the data received is incomplete and corrupted, forcing Git to abort the clone or fetch.
Underlying Causes
Network connection dropped mid-download
The remote server killed the process because generating the packfile took too long
A proxy server timed out the connection during a slow `git clone`
Frequently Asked Questions
Standard `git clone` cannot be resumed. However, you can do a 'shallow clone' (`--depth 1`) to fetch less data and bypass the timeout.
Related Git States
out-of-memory-malloc-failedHigh
The operating system denied Git's request for more RAM during a heavy operation.
remote-end-hung-up-unexpectedlyMedium
The connection to the server was closed abruptly before Git finished transferring data.
rpc-failed-curlMedium
The underlying HTTP client (cURL) failed to complete the network request.