[JENKINS-31244] Misconfiguration of submodules not clearly reported by git plugin

I'm trying to clone a git repository that is hosted on a Atlassian Stash instance.

The special case about the repository is that it has several submodules in it.

Here is what I did to get to the error:

1) I installed the latest git-plugin (2.4.0) / git-client-plugin (1.19.0) in Jenkins

2) setup a ssh rsa key in Stash

3) configured a Jenkins job to clone the repository from the Stash remote host (via ssh://)

4) configured the ssh key & credentials in the Jenkins job git-plugin settings

now when I run the build, Jenkins sucessfully clones the top-level git repository, but fails when trying to update the submodules (the error looks like Jenkins is trying to read username & password from a CLI, but only for the submodules)

Gestartet durch Benutzer anonymous

Baue in Arbeitsbereich C:\Program Files (x86)\Jenkins\jobs\test node\workspace

No JDK named 'null' found

No JDK named 'null' found

 > git.exe rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree # timeout=10

Fetching changes from the remote Git repository

 > git.exe config remote.origin.url ssh://git@​jenkinshost:7999/ipp/ipp-project.git # timeout=10

Fetching upstream changes from ssh://git@​jenkinshost:7999/ipp/ipp-project.git

 > git.exe --version # timeout=10

using GIT_SSH to set credentials 

 > git.exe -c core.askpass=true fetch --tags --progress ssh://git@​jenkinshost:7999/ipp/ipp-project.git +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*

 > git.exe rev-parse "refs/remotes/origin/master^{commit}" # timeout=10

 > git.exe rev-parse "refs/remotes/origin/origin/master^{commit}" # timeout=10

Checking out Revision a27c48024088c36e6eff3420c699ea1d1977e5cd (refs/remotes/origin/master)

No JDK named 'null' found

 > git.exe config core.sparsecheckout # timeout=10

 > git.exe checkout -f a27c48024088c36e6eff3420c699ea1d1977e5cd

 > git.exe rev-list a27c48024088c36e6eff3420c699ea1d1977e5cd # timeout=10

 > git.exe remote # timeout=10

 > git.exe submodule init # timeout=10

 > git.exe submodule sync # timeout=10

 > git.exe config --get remote.origin.url # timeout=10

 > git.exe submodule update

FATAL: Command "git.exe submodule update" returned status code 1:

stdout: 

stderr: Cloning into 'apps/ipp-app'...

error: cannot spawn echo : No such file or directory

bash: /dev/tty: No such device or address

error: failed to execute prompt script (exit code 1)

fatal: could not read Username for 'http://jenkinshost:7990': No error

Clone of 'http://jenkinshost:7990/scm/ipp/ipp-app.git' into submodule path 'apps/ipp-app' failed



hudson.plugins.git.GitException: Command "git.exe submodule update" returned status code 1:

stdout: 

stderr: Cloning into 'apps/ipp-app'...

error: cannot spawn echo : No such file or directory

bash: /dev/tty: No such device or address

error: failed to execute prompt script (exit code 1)

fatal: could not read Username for 'http://jenkinshost:7990': No error

Clone of 'http://jenkinshost:7990/scm/ipp/ipp-app.git' into submodule path 'apps/ipp-app' failed



	at org.jenkinsci.plugins.gitclient.CliGitAPIImpl.launchCommandIn(CliGitAPIImpl.java:1640)

	at org.jenkinsci.plugins.gitclient.CliGitAPIImpl.access$500(CliGitAPIImpl.java:62)

	at org.jenkinsci.plugins.gitclient.CliGitAPIImpl$6.execute(CliGitAPIImpl.java:904)

	at hudson.plugins.git.extensions.impl.SubmoduleOption.onCheckoutCompleted(SubmoduleOption.java:83)

	at hudson.plugins.git.GitSCM.checkout(GitSCM.java:1074)

	at hudson.scm.SCM.checkout(SCM.java:485)

	at hudson.model.AbstractProject.checkout(AbstractProject.java:1275)

	at hudson.model.AbstractBuild$AbstractBuildExecution.defaultCheckout(AbstractBuild.java:610)

	at jenkins.scm.SCMCheckoutStrategy.checkout(SCMCheckoutStrategy.java:86)

	at hudson.model.AbstractBuild$AbstractBuildExecution.run(AbstractBuild.java:532)

	at hudson.model.Run.execute(Run.java:1741)

	at hudson.model.FreeStyleBuild.run(FreeStyleBuild.java:43)

	at hudson.model.ResourceController.execute(ResourceController.java:98)

	at hudson.model.Executor.run(Executor.java:410)

Finished: FAILURE

---
Originally reported by drywolf, imported from: Misconfiguration of submodules not clearly reported by git plugin

• status: Open
  
• priority: Minor
  
• component(s): git-plugin
  
• label(s): credentials, git, git-plugin, password, plugin, ssh, username
  
• resolution: Unresolved
  
• votes: 0
  
• watchers: 1
  
• imported: 2025-12-02
  

Raw content of original issue

I'm trying to clone a git repository that is hosted on a Atlassian Stash instance.

The special case about the repository is that it has several submodules in it.


Here is what I did to get to the error:

1) I installed the latest git-plugin (2.4.0) / git-client-plugin (1.19.0) in Jenkins

2) setup a ssh rsa key in Stash

3) configured a Jenkins job to clone the repository from the Stash remote host (via ssh://)

4) configured the ssh key & credentials in the Jenkins job git-plugin settings


now when I run the build, Jenkins sucessfully clones the top-level git repository, but fails when trying to update the submodules (the error looks like Jenkins is trying to read username & password from a CLI, but only for the submodules)




Gestartet durch Benutzer anonymous

Baue in Arbeitsbereich C:\Program Files (x86)\Jenkins\jobs\test node\workspace

No JDK named 'null' found

No JDK named 'null' found

 > git.exe rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree # timeout=10

Fetching changes from the remote Git repository

 > git.exe config remote.origin.url ssh://git@jenkinshost:7999/ipp/ipp-project.git # timeout=10

Fetching upstream changes from ssh://git@jenkinshost:7999/ipp/ipp-project.git

 > git.exe --version # timeout=10

using GIT_SSH to set credentials 

 > git.exe -c core.askpass=true fetch --tags --progress ssh://git@jenkinshost:7999/ipp/ipp-project.git +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*

 > git.exe rev-parse "refs/remotes/origin/master^{commit}" # timeout=10

 > git.exe rev-parse "refs/remotes/origin/origin/master^{commit}" # timeout=10

Checking out Revision a27c48024088c36e6eff3420c699ea1d1977e5cd (refs/remotes/origin/master)

No JDK named 'null' found

 > git.exe config core.sparsecheckout # timeout=10

 > git.exe checkout -f a27c48024088c36e6eff3420c699ea1d1977e5cd

 > git.exe rev-list a27c48024088c36e6eff3420c699ea1d1977e5cd # timeout=10

 > git.exe remote # timeout=10

 > git.exe submodule init # timeout=10

 > git.exe submodule sync # timeout=10

 > git.exe config --get remote.origin.url # timeout=10

 > git.exe submodule update

FATAL: Command "git.exe submodule update" returned status code 1:

stdout: 

stderr: Cloning into 'apps/ipp-app'...

error: cannot spawn echo : No such file or directory

bash: /dev/tty: No such device or address

error: failed to execute prompt script (exit code 1)

fatal: could not read Username for 'http://jenkinshost:7990': No error

Clone of 'http://jenkinshost:7990/scm/ipp/ipp-app.git' into submodule path 'apps/ipp-app' failed



hudson.plugins.git.GitException: Command "git.exe submodule update" returned status code 1:

stdout: 

stderr: Cloning into 'apps/ipp-app'...

error: cannot spawn echo : No such file or directory

bash: /dev/tty: No such device or address

error: failed to execute prompt script (exit code 1)

fatal: could not read Username for 'http://jenkinshost:7990': No error

Clone of 'http://jenkinshost:7990/scm/ipp/ipp-app.git' into submodule path 'apps/ipp-app' failed



	at org.jenkinsci.plugins.gitclient.CliGitAPIImpl.launchCommandIn(CliGitAPIImpl.java:1640)

	at org.jenkinsci.plugins.gitclient.CliGitAPIImpl.access$500(CliGitAPIImpl.java:62)

	at org.jenkinsci.plugins.gitclient.CliGitAPIImpl$6.execute(CliGitAPIImpl.java:904)

	at hudson.plugins.git.extensions.impl.SubmoduleOption.onCheckoutCompleted(SubmoduleOption.java:83)

	at hudson.plugins.git.GitSCM.checkout(GitSCM.java:1074)

	at hudson.scm.SCM.checkout(SCM.java:485)

	at hudson.model.AbstractProject.checkout(AbstractProject.java:1275)

	at hudson.model.AbstractBuild$AbstractBuildExecution.defaultCheckout(AbstractBuild.java:610)

	at jenkins.scm.SCMCheckoutStrategy.checkout(SCMCheckoutStrategy.java:86)

	at hudson.model.AbstractBuild$AbstractBuildExecution.run(AbstractBuild.java:532)

	at hudson.model.Run.execute(Run.java:1741)

	at hudson.model.FreeStyleBuild.run(FreeStyleBuild.java:43)

	at hudson.model.ResourceController.execute(ResourceController.java:98)

	at hudson.model.Executor.run(Executor.java:410)

Finished: FAILURE

environment

```
Windows 10 x64

Jenkins 1.635
```