How to fix fatal: bad object HEAD in Git

GitINTERMEDIATEMEDIUM

The 'fatal: bad object HEAD' error indicates your Git repository's HEAD reference is corrupted or points to a missing commit object. This typically results from filesystem corruption, interrupted operations, or cloud sync conflicts. Recovery usually involves fetching from remote or restoring HEAD from backup.

What this error means

The "fatal: bad object HEAD" error means Git cannot find or read the commit object that HEAD is supposed to reference. In Git, HEAD is a special reference that points to the current commit (usually via a branch reference like refs/heads/main). When Git tries to resolve HEAD but finds that the underlying commit object is missing, corrupted, or unreadable, it reports this fatal error. Git stores all repository data as objects (commits, trees, blobs) in the .git/objects directory, with each object identified by a SHA-1 hash. HEAD typically contains either a symbolic reference (like "ref: refs/heads/main") or a direct commit hash. If the commit hash HEAD points to doesn't exist in the object database, or if the file is corrupted, Git cannot determine the repository state and refuses to operate. This error is particularly alarming because it affects the core repository reference. Without a valid HEAD, most Git operations fail immediately. However, the error usually doesn't mean your files or commit history are lost—just that Git's internal pointers need repair.

How to fix "fatal: bad object HEAD"

1Run git fsck to diagnose corruption

First, check the extent of repository corruption:

bash

# Check repository integrity
git fsck --full

# For more verbose output
git fsck --full --verbose

# Check for unreachable objects that might help recovery
git fsck --unreachable --no-reflogs

This will report missing objects, dangling commits, and other integrity issues. Note the error messages—they'll guide your recovery approach.

2Try fetching from remote

If you have a remote repository, fetching often resolves the issue by downloading missing objects:

bash

# Fetch all branches from origin
git fetch origin

# More thorough fetch that re-downloads pack files
git fetch --refetch

# If the above fails, try fetching a specific branch
git fetch origin main

After fetching, try git status again. This fix works in most cases where the corruption was caused by sync issues or interrupted operations.

3Reset HEAD to a known good commit

If fetching doesn't work, try resetting HEAD manually using the reflog:

bash

# View recent HEAD positions from the reflog
cat .git/logs/HEAD

# Find the last valid commit hash (40-character SHA)
# Then reset HEAD to that commit
git reset --hard <commit-hash>

# Alternative: view reflog if it's accessible
git reflog

The reflog at .git/logs/HEAD contains a history of HEAD positions. Look for a recent valid commit hash and use it to reset.

4Fix corrupted branch references

If a specific branch reference is corrupted, repair it manually:

bash

# Check what HEAD points to
cat .git/HEAD

# If it shows "ref: refs/heads/main", check that reference
cat .git/refs/heads/main

# If the branch file is empty or corrupted, replace it with a valid commit
# Find a valid commit from logs or remote
git ls-remote origin main

# Update the branch reference with the correct hash
echo "abc123def456..." > .git/refs/heads/main

Replace abc123def456... with the actual full 40-character commit hash from your remote.

5Auto-fix remote HEAD reference

If the issue is with remote tracking branches (common after branch renames):

bash

# Auto-detect and set the remote HEAD
git remote set-head origin --auto

# Clean up stale remote references
git remote prune origin

# Run garbage collection to clean up
git gc

This is especially useful when a repository's default branch was renamed (e.g., master to main) and local references became stale.

6Reinitialize Git and fetch

If the .git directory is severely corrupted but you have a remote:

bash

# Backup your current .git folder first
mv .git .git.backup

# Reinitialize the repository
git init

# Add your remote back
git remote add origin <your-remote-url>

# Fetch all data from remote
git fetch origin

# Checkout your branch
git checkout main

This preserves your working directory files while replacing corrupted Git metadata. Check for any uncommitted changes in .git.backup that may need recovery.

7Clone fresh and copy working directory

As a last resort, clone a fresh copy and migrate your changes:

bash

# Clone repository to a new location
git clone <your-remote-url> repo-fresh

# Copy your current working files (excluding .git)
# From your corrupted repo directory:
rsync -av --exclude='.git' ./ ../repo-fresh/

# Or on Windows:
xcopy /E /I /EXCLUDE:.git . ..\repo-fresh

# Switch to fresh clone and check status
cd ../repo-fresh
git status

This ensures you have a clean repository state while preserving any local file changes.

8Use git-repair for automated recovery

The git-repair tool can automate many recovery steps:

bash

# Install git-repair (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install git-repair

# Install on macOS
brew install git-repair

# Run automated repair
git-repair

# Force repair even if some data may be lost
git-repair --force

git-repair runs fsck and attempts various automated fixes. It's particularly useful for complex corruption scenarios.

How to fix fatal: bad object HEAD in Git

What this error means

Typical symptoms

Common causes

How to fix "fatal: bad object HEAD"

Advanced notes

Related errors

Official resources & further reading