[JENKINS-71512] GitParameter not cleaning up stale ref branch

But I don't like manual work as this issue kept coming once in a while. I wonder if there is a way to tell gitParameter to prune the stale reference. Thanks!

Summary

I have issue with Git. This is the issue in my Jenkins server when using gitParameter parameter. I'm using git-parameter:0.9.18 plugin in my Pipeline input parameters where the pipeline user can choose the release branch they want to build and deploy. I'm using GitHub as my code repository as well.

@​Library("myCiCdLib")

properties([

    steps.parameters([

        gitParameter(

              branch: '',

              branchFilter: 'origin/(release/.*)',

              defaultValue: 'master',

              description: 'Git branch to deploy',

              name: 'BRANCH',

              quickFilterEnabled: false,

              selectedValue: 'NONE',

              sortMode: 'DESCENDING',

              type: 'PT_BRANCH'

            ),

    ])

])


pipeline {

  stages {

     stage("Build"){

make build

echo "Whatever steps ..."

     }

     # ... the rest of the pipeline

  }

}

The problem may or may not related to Jenkins or the git plugins. But what happen is we have a branch called feature-abc in origin a week ago and when the Pull Request from that branch got merged a week ago, GitHub automatically deleted the feature-abc branch in origin repository.

Jenkins might also have pulled this branch into its workspace and run the pipeline. Now we have two other  branches we had just today called

• feature-abc /navbar 


• feature-abc/menu .

Notice the name has same prefix with branch feature-abc .

The issue:

error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/menu': 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc' exists;

cannot create 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/navbar' From https://github.com/MyOrg/mywebapp



! [new branch] feature-abc/navbar -> origin/feature-abc/navbar (unable to update local ref) 

   error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/navbar': 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc' exists; 

   cannot create 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/navbar'


! [new branch] feature-abc/menubar -> origin/feature-abc/menubar (unable to update local ref)

   error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/menubar': 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc' exists; 

   cannot create 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/menubar'

 

The solution I know is by running the following in the jenkins master server node.

git fetch --prune origin

But I don't like manual work as this issue kept coming once in a while. I wonder if there is a way to tell gitParameter to prune the stale reference. Thanks!

---
Originally reported by danarbo, imported from: GitParameter not cleaning up stale ref branch

• status: Open
  
• priority: Major
  
• component(s): git-parameter-plugin
  
• label(s): git, jenkins, plugin, plugins
  
• resolution: Unresolved
  
• votes: 0
  
• watchers: 1
  
• imported: 20251216-182730
  

Raw content of original issue

But I don't like manual work as this issue kept coming once in a while. I wonder if there is a way to tell gitParameter to prune the stale reference. Thanks!

Summary


I have issue with Git. This is the issue in my Jenkins server when using gitParameter parameter. I'm using git-parameter:0.9.18 plugin in my Pipeline input parameters where the pipeline user can choose the release branch they want to build and deploy. I'm using GitHub as my code repository as well.



@Library("myCiCdLib")

properties([

    steps.parameters([

        gitParameter(

              branch: '',

              branchFilter: 'origin/(release/.*)',

              defaultValue: 'master',

              description: 'Git branch to deploy',

              name: 'BRANCH',

              quickFilterEnabled: false,

              selectedValue: 'NONE',

              sortMode: 'DESCENDING',

              type: 'PT_BRANCH'

            ),

    ])

])


pipeline {

  stages {

     stage("Build"){

        make build

        echo "Whatever steps ..."

     }

     # ... the rest of the pipeline

  }

}



The problem may or may not related to Jenkins or the git plugins. But what happen is we have a branch called feature-abc in origin a week ago and when the Pull Request from that branch got merged a week ago, GitHub automatically deleted the feature-abc branch in origin repository.


Jenkins might also have pulled this branch into its workspace and run the pipeline. Now we have two other  branches we had just today called



	
feature-abc /navbar 

	
feature-abc/menu .



Notice the name has same prefix with branch feature-abc .

The issue:



error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/menu': 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc' exists;

cannot create 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/navbar' From https://github.com/MyOrg/mywebapp



! [new branch] feature-abc/navbar -> origin/feature-abc/navbar (unable to update local ref) 

   error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/navbar': 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc' exists; 

   cannot create 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/navbar'


! [new branch] feature-abc/menubar -> origin/feature-abc/menubar (unable to update local ref)

   error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/menubar': 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc' exists; 

   cannot create 'refs/remotes/origin/feature-abc/menubar'



 


The solution I know is by running the following in the jenkins master server node.



git fetch --prune origin



But I don't like manual work as this issue kept coming once in a while. I wonder if there is a way to tell gitParameter to prune the stale reference. Thanks!

• environment: Docker Image: jenkins/jenkins:2.401.1-jdk11