ActionView::Template::Error: failed to inflate loose object

/var/log/gitlab/gitlab-rails/production_json.log <==
{"method":"GET","path":"/","format":"html","controller":"RootController","action":"index","status":500,"error":"ActionView::Template::Error: failed to inflate loose object","duration":71.58,"view":0.0,"db":5.78,"time":"2020-03-24T06:29:38.882Z","params":{},"remote_ip":"10.18.25.146","user_id":,"username":""}

==> /var/log/gitlab/gitlab-rails/production.log <==

ActionView::Template::Error (failed to inflate loose object):
17: - if project.creator && use_creator_avatar
18: = image_tag avatar_icon(project.creator.email, 40), class: "avatar s40", alt:''
19: - else
20: = project_icon(project, alt: '', class: 'avatar project-avatar s40')
21: .project-details
22: %h3.prepend-top-0.append-bottom-0
23: = link_to project_path(project), class: dom_class(project) do
lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:930:in target' lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:930:in block in branches_filter'
lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:928:in each' lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:928:in each'
lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:928:in map' lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:928:in branches_filter'
lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:122:in block in branches' lib/gitlab/gitaly_client.rb:115:in block in migrate'
lib/gitlab/metrics/influx_db.rb:92:in measure' lib/gitlab/gitaly_client.rb:114:in migrate'
lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:917:in gitaly_migrate' lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:118:in branches'
lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:111:in block in branch_names' lib/gitlab/gitaly_client.rb:115:in block in migrate'
lib/gitlab/metrics/influx_db.rb:92:in measure' lib/gitlab/gitaly_client.rb:114:in migrate'
lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:917:in gitaly_migrate' lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:107:in branch_names'
lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:281:in discover_default_branch' lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:87:in block in root_ref'
lib/gitlab/gitaly_client.rb:115:in block in migrate' lib/gitlab/metrics/influx_db.rb:92:in measure'
lib/gitlab/gitaly_client.rb:114:in migrate' lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:917:in gitaly_migrate'
lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb:83:in root_ref' app/models/repository.rb:479:in root_ref'
app/models/repository.rb:63:in block (2 levels) in cache_method' lib/repository_cache.rb:20:in fetch'
app/models/repository.rb:1085:in cache_method_output' app/models/repository.rb:62:in block in cache_method'
app/models/repository.rb:598:in head_commit' app/models/repository.rb:609:in tree'
app/models/repository.rb:1101:in file_on_head' app/models/repository.rb:536:in avatar'
app/models/repository.rb:63:in block (2 levels) in cache_method' lib/repository_cache.rb:20:in fetch'
app/models/repository.rb:1085:in cache_method_output' app/models/repository.rb:62:in block in cache_method'
app/models/project.rb:908:in avatar_in_git' app/models/project.rb:914:in avatar_url'
app/helpers/application_helper.rb:43:in project_icon' app/views/shared/projects/_project.html.haml:20:in block (2 levels) in _app_views_shared_projects__project_html_haml___3380901616528475470_70075450445960'
app/views/shared/projects/_project.html.haml:16:in block in _app_views_shared_projects__project_html_haml___3380901616528475470_70075450445960' app/views/shared/projects/_project.html.haml:13:in _app_views_shared_projects__project_html_haml___3380901616528475470_70075450445960'
app/views/shared/projects/_list.html.haml:17:in block in _app_views_shared_projects__list_html_haml___2303246079902970044_70075452777120' app/views/shared/projects/_list.html.haml:15:in _app_views_shared_projects__list_html_haml___2303246079902970044_70075452777120'
app/views/dashboard/projects/_projects.html.haml:1:in _app_views_dashboard_projects__projects_html_haml___2598724004961472965_70075452453540' app/views/dashboard/projects/index.html.haml:15:in _app_views_dashboard_projects_index_html_haml__685893027682825794_70075461927020'
app/controllers/dashboard/projects_controller.rb:10:in index' app/controllers/root_controller.rb:16:in index'
lib/gitlab/i18n.rb:46:in with_locale' lib/gitlab/i18n.rb:52:in with_user_locale'
app/controllers/application_controller.rb:326:in set_locale' lib/gitlab/middleware/multipart.rb:93:in call'
lib/gitlab/request_profiler/middleware.rb:14:in call' lib/gitlab/middleware/go.rb:17:in call'
lib/gitlab/etag_caching/middleware.rb:11:in call' lib/gitlab/request_context.rb:18:in call'
lib/gitlab/metrics/requests_rack_middleware.rb:27:in `call'

Start with the production logs and the failing path in lib/gitlab/git/repository.rb, especially branches_filter and gitaly_migrate. Follow the calls through app/models/repository.rb to app/models/project.rb and the project view entry point in app/views/shared/projects/_project.html.haml. Done means identifying why loose-object inflation fails and preventing the dashboard request from returning this error.