[JENKINS-47350] "git rev-parse" fails on Linux v2.6.11 tag

Version 3.3 of the git plugin added a step that runs "git rev-parse" on all tags (see also https://issues.jenkins-ci.org/browse/JENKINS-45447 ).

This change breaks building the Linux kernel. The reason is interesting: the v2.6.11  tag ( https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tag/?h=v2.6.11 ) does not have a backing commit: 

> git rev-parse refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit} # timeout=10

FATAL: Command "git rev-parse refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}" returned status code 128:

stdout: refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}

stderr: error: refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}: expected commit type, but the object dereferences to tree type

error: refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}: expected commit type, but the object dereferences to tree type

fatal: ambiguous argument 'refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}': unknown revision or path not in the working tree.

Use '--' to separate paths from revisions, like this:

'git  [...] -- [...]'

This tag is strange special case (which also noted in the tag's commit message). However, the Linux kernel is a very widely used project and building it using Jenkins should work. 

---
Originally reported by jakob_tsd, imported from: "git rev-parse" fails on Linux v2.6.11 tag

• status: Open
  
• priority: Minor
  
• component(s): git-plugin
  
• resolution: Unresolved
  
• votes: 2
  
• watchers: 2
  
• imported: 2025-12-02
  

Raw content of original issue

Version 3.3 of the git plugin added a step that runs "git rev-parse" on all tags (see also https://issues.jenkins-ci.org/browse/JENKINS-45447 ).


This change breaks building the Linux kernel. The reason is interesting: the v2.6.11  tag ( https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tag/?h=v2.6.11 ) does not have a backing commit: 



> git rev-parse refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit} # timeout=10

FATAL: Command "git rev-parse refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}" returned status code 128:

stdout: refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}

stderr: error: refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}: expected commit type, but the object dereferences to tree type

error: refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}: expected commit type, but the object dereferences to tree type

fatal: ambiguous argument 'refs/tags/v2.6.11^{commit}': unknown revision or path not in the working tree.

Use '--' to separate paths from revisions, like this:

'git <command> [<revision>...] -- [<file>...]'





This tag is strange special case (which also noted in the tag's commit message). However, the Linux kernel is a very widely used project and building it using Jenkins should work.