[JENKINS-54612] Reference repo not used for Git clones on Windows SSH agents

We use a reference repo on all our agents to speed up our clones. This seems to work on all agents we have except for our Windows nodes. I first noticed that the fetch times were slower on the Windows nodes. I then confirmed by checking the size of the .git folder on each machine after the clone. All non-windows nodes were 11MB whereas the .git folder on Windows was 1.9GB.

Our Windows agents are connected over ssh (Cygwin). The Remote Root is on C:\ (windows style path) and the reference repository is also on C:\. We use the Checkout/SCM pipeline step in order to take advantage of extra options not available using the Git step.

This is a simplified snippet of what we use I pulled from the Syntax generator.

checkout([

     $class: 'GitSCM',

     branches: [[name: '$BRANCH']],

     doGenerateSubmoduleConfigurations: false,

     extensions: [[$class: 'CloneOption',

 depth: 0,

 noTags: false,

 reference: '$REFERENCE_REPO',

 shallow: false]],

     gitTool: 'Default',

     submoduleCfg: [],

     userRemoteConfigs: [[url: '$REPO']]])

The console output tries to convince me it's using the reference repo but it appears it isn't (3:20 to fetch).

00:41:39.279 Cloning the remote Git repository

00:41:39.355 Cloning repository https://github.com/***/***.git

00:41:39.368  > git init C:\Users\jenkins\workspace\Build # timeout=10

00:41:39.574 Using reference repository: C:\repo_cache

00:41:39.574 Fetching upstream changes from https://github.com/***/***.git

00:41:39.574  > git --version # timeout=10

00:41:39.606  > git fetch --tags --progress https://github.com/***/***.git +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/* # timeout=30

00:45:00.369  > git config remote.origin.url https://github.com/***/***.git # timeout=10

00:45:00.431  > git config --add remote.origin.fetch +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/* # timeout=10

00:45:00.603  > git config remote.origin.url https://github.com/***/***.git # timeout=10

00:45:00.775 Fetching upstream changes from https://github.com/***/***.git

00:45:00.776  > git fetch --tags --progress https://github.com/***/***.git +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/* # timeout=30

00:45:02.416  > git rev-parse "origin/master^{commit}" # timeout=10

00:45:02.448 Checking out Revision *** (origin/master)

00:45:02.588  > git config core.sparsecheckout # timeout=10

00:45:02.619  > git checkout -f *** # timeout=30

00:46:45.479 Commit message: "Merge pull request #63 from ***/***"

I've tried various things like using Windows Git to populate the reference repo, using a Jenkins git step to populate the repo, using cygwin style paths for both the ref repo location and/or the remote root dir for the agent. Not sure what else I can try but I assume its going to be something related to windows vs cygwin vs path styles vs line-endings.

 

Edit: I can use an sh step to clone using the ref repo successfully.

---
Originally reported by broussar, imported from: Reference repo not used for Git clones on Windows SSH agents

• status: Open
  
• priority: Critical
  
• component(s): git-plugin
  
• label(s): git, windows
  
• resolution: Unresolved
  
• votes: 6
  
• watchers: 12
  
• imported: 2025-12-02
  

Raw content of original issue

We use a reference repo on all our agents to speed up our clones. This seems to work on all agents we have except for our Windows nodes. I first noticed that the fetch times were slower on the Windows nodes. I then confirmed by checking the size of the .git folder on each machine after the clone. All non-windows nodes were 11MB whereas the .git folder on Windows was 1.9GB.


Our Windows agents are connected over ssh (Cygwin). The Remote Root is on C:\ (windows style path) and the reference repository is also on C:\. We use the Checkout/SCM pipeline step in order to take advantage of extra options not available using the Git step.


This is a simplified snippet of what we use I pulled from the Syntax generator.



checkout([

     $class: 'GitSCM',

     branches: [[name: '$BRANCH']],

     doGenerateSubmoduleConfigurations: false,

     extensions: [[$class: 'CloneOption',

         depth: 0,

         noTags: false,

         reference: '$REFERENCE_REPO',

         shallow: false]],

     gitTool: 'Default',

     submoduleCfg: [],

     userRemoteConfigs: [[url: '$REPO']]])





The console output tries to convince me it's using the reference repo but it appears it isn't (3:20 to fetch).



00:41:39.279 Cloning the remote Git repository

00:41:39.355 Cloning repository https://github.com/***/***.git

00:41:39.368  > git init C:\Users\jenkins\workspace\Build # timeout=10

00:41:39.574 Using reference repository: C:\repo_cache

00:41:39.574 Fetching upstream changes from https://github.com/***/***.git

00:41:39.574  > git --version # timeout=10

00:41:39.606  > git fetch --tags --progress https://github.com/***/***.git +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/* # timeout=30

00:45:00.369  > git config remote.origin.url https://github.com/***/***.git # timeout=10

00:45:00.431  > git config --add remote.origin.fetch +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/* # timeout=10

00:45:00.603  > git config remote.origin.url https://github.com/***/***.git # timeout=10

00:45:00.775 Fetching upstream changes from https://github.com/***/***.git

00:45:00.776  > git fetch --tags --progress https://github.com/***/***.git +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/* # timeout=30

00:45:02.416  > git rev-parse "origin/master^{commit}" # timeout=10

00:45:02.448 Checking out Revision *** (origin/master)

00:45:02.588  > git config core.sparsecheckout # timeout=10

00:45:02.619  > git checkout -f *** # timeout=30

00:46:45.479 Commit message: "Merge pull request #63 from ***/***"





I've tried various things like using Windows Git to populate the reference repo, using a Jenkins git step to populate the repo, using cygwin style paths for both the ref repo location and/or the remote root dir for the agent. Not sure what else I can try but I assume its going to be something related to windows vs cygwin vs path styles vs line-endings.


 


Edit: I can use an sh step to clone using the ref repo successfully.

environment

```
Jenkins 2.138.2

Git Plugin 3.9.1

Windows 2012r2

Cygwin Git 2.17.0
```