{"id":367,"date":"2026-10-13T22:41:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T22:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/tutorials\/2014\/08\/18\/git-troubleshooting\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T22:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T22:41:09","slug":"git-troubleshooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/git-troubleshooting\/","title":{"rendered":"Git Troubleshooting for Slow or Hanging Commands: Tracing, Verbose Logs, and Safer Diagnostics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Originally published on 2014-08-18; fully revised and updated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Git commands like clone<\/code> or push<\/code> seem slow, stuck, or silent, enabling Git\u2019s built-in tracing is often the fastest way to see what is happening. This guide is for developers and DevOps engineers who need a repeatable way to collect useful diagnostics and narrow down whether the issue is local config, network transport, or remote server behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Git<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quick triage workflow for hanging Git commands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Use this sequence when a Git operation appears hung. It helps you capture diagnostics first, then make targeted changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nflowchart TD\n    A[Git command is slow or appears stuck] --> B[Re run with trace enabled]\n    B --> C[If HTTP or HTTPS remote add curl verbose]\n    C --> D[Capture output to a log file]\n    D --> E[Check remote URL auth and Git config]\n    E --> F{Issue resolved}\n    F -- Yes --> G[Run normally and remove debug vars]\n    F -- No --> H[Check network server and repo factors]\n    H --> I[Share logs with Git or platform admin]\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Debug options and what each one is for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Option or command<\/th>Best for<\/th>How to use it<\/th>What you get<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
GIT_TRACE=1<\/code><\/td>General command tracing<\/td>Prefix any Git command<\/td>Internal execution trace from Git<\/td><\/tr>
GIT_CURL_VERBOSE=1<\/code><\/td>HTTP or HTTPS transport issues<\/td>Prefix network commands like push<\/code> or clone<\/code><\/td>Verbose libcurl request and response details<\/td><\/tr>
-v<\/code> or --verbose<\/code><\/td>Command-level verbosity<\/td>Add as a Git command flag<\/td>More command output, usually less detailed than full trace<\/td><\/tr>
git config --list<\/code><\/td>Configuration inspection<\/td>Run directly in repo or shell<\/td>Effective configuration values in scope<\/td><\/tr>
git config --global --get http.postBuffer<\/code><\/td>Check if http.postBuffer<\/code> is set globally<\/td>Run directly in shell<\/td>Current configured value if present<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Practical command patterns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The original post listed several useful snippets. The examples below normalize them into copy-paste-safe commands with standard double-dash flags.<\/p>\n\n\n
# One-off trace for a clone<\/span>\nGIT_TRACE=1<\/span> git clone<\/span> <repository-url>\n\n# Verbose push with HTTP diagnostics<\/span>\nGIT_CURL_VERBOSE=1<\/span> git push -u origin --all --verbose\n\n# Capture detailed push output to a file<\/span>\nGIT_TRACE=1<\/span> GIT_CURL_VERBOSE=1<\/span> git push --verbose 2<\/span>>&1<\/span> | tee git-debug.log<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n
# Set for current shell session<\/span>\nexport GIT_CURL_VERBOSE=1<\/span>\ngit push\n\n# Remove when done<\/span>\nunset<\/span> GIT_CURL_VERBOSE<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n
# Inspect active Git configuration<\/span>\ngit config --list<\/span>\n\n# Check whether this global key is set<\/span>\ngit config --global<\/span> --get http.postBuffer<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
What to check before changing Git settings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n