Git object-file-is-empty A loose object file exists on disk but holds zero bytes, breaking reads.
Reviewed for reference consistency: August 11, 2026
Code is Safe
SECUREGit has paused the operation to protect your code. No data has been lost or corrupted.
What To Know
Where Did It Fail?
Commands That Trigger This
Technical Background
The error line names the specific file, and it usually travels with the follow-up 'fatal: loose object ... is corrupt' once Git tries to use it. The distinction is diagnostic: an empty file says the write never happened, while corruption says bytes exist but disagree with their checksum.
The lost object is usually recoverable from elsewhere: the same content exists in any clone that fetched it, on a remote that received the push, or inside packfiles written before the incident. `git fsck --full` enumerates the damaged set before any repair.
Underlying Causes
Frequently Asked Questions
An empty file proves the write never completed, while a corrupt file carries bytes that fail validation; both are unusable, but their causes and recoveries differ.
Sometimes — from packfiles, from identical content under other refs, or from a fetch of the same commit on a remote that holds a healthy copy.
Related Git States
Git's internal object database is missing or corrupted.
Git detected corruption inside one of its compressed data bundles (packfiles).
An uncompressed file in Git's internal database has an invalid checksum or zero bytes.
Git could not write a new object file because the object database denied the write.