How to fix We are not bisecting in Git

GitBEGINNERLOWUpdated Dec 6, 2025· 107 views

The 'We are not bisecting' error appears when you run a git bisect command like 'git bisect good' or 'git bisect reset' without an active bisect session. This typically occurs when bisect was never started, already ended, or its state files were corrupted.

Quick fix

Fixes We are not bisecting

# Start the bisect session
git bisect start

# Mark the current (buggy) commit as bad
git bisect bad

# Mark a known good commit
git bisect good <known-good-commit>
  1. Start a new bisect session
  2. Verify you're in the correct repository
  3. Check for corrupted bisect state
  4. Clean up corrupted bisect state (Git 2.44+)
git — error
# Start the bisect session
git bisect start
# Mark the current (buggy) commit as bad
git bisect bad
# Mark a known good commit
git bisect good <known-good-commit>
We are not bisecting

What this error means

The "We are not bisecting" error in Git occurs when you attempt to run a bisect subcommand (like `git bisect good`, `git bisect bad`, or `git bisect reset`) but Git cannot find an active bisect session. Git bisect is a binary search tool that helps you find the commit that introduced a bug. When you start a bisect session with `git bisect start`, Git creates state files in the `.git` directory (specifically `BISECT_START`, `BISECT_LOG`, and refs under `refs/bisect/`) to track your progress through the commit history. If these state files don't exist or are corrupted, Git doesn't recognize that a bisect session is active and returns this error. This can happen if you never started a bisect session, if you already reset it, if you switched to a different repository, or if a system crash or manual deletion removed the bisect state files.

Typical symptoms

  • Running 'git bisect good' or 'git bisect bad' returns 'We are not bisecting'
  • Attempting 'git bisect reset' shows the error but you expected to be in a bisect session
  • Shell prompt or IDE shows bisect indicators but bisect commands don't work
  • Git status doesn't show bisect in progress even though you thought you started one
  • Leftover refs/bisect/ references appear in for-each-ref output

Common causes

  1. No bisect session was started - 'git bisect start' was never run
  2. The bisect session was already reset or completed
  3. Working in a different repository or directory than where bisect was started
  4. The .git/BISECT_START file was accidentally deleted or corrupted
  5. A system crash or forced termination interrupted the bisect state
  6. Git worktree has separate bisect state that doesn't exist in the current worktree

How to fix "We are not bisecting"

1Start a new bisect session

If you haven't started a bisect session yet, begin one properly:

bash
# Start the bisect session
git bisect start

# Mark the current (buggy) commit as bad
git bisect bad

# Mark a known good commit
git bisect good <known-good-commit>

You can also combine these in a single command:

bash
# Start with bad and good commits in one command
git bisect start HEAD <known-good-commit>

Once you've marked both a bad and good commit, Git will begin the binary search process.

2Verify you're in the correct repository

Make sure you're in the same repository where you started the bisect:

bash
# Check current directory
pwd

# Check if this is a git repository
git rev-parse --git-dir

# See if there are any bisect state files
ls -la .git/BISECT_* 2>/dev/null || echo "No bisect files found"

If you're in a different directory or repository, navigate to the correct one.

3Check for corrupted bisect state

Sometimes the BISECT_START file is missing but other bisect files remain. Check for leftover state:

bash
# Check for any bisect-related files
ls -la .git/BISECT_*

# Check for bisect refs
git for-each-ref refs/bisect/

If you see refs/bisect/ entries but no BISECT_START file, you have a corrupted state that needs cleanup.

4Clean up corrupted bisect state (Git 2.44+)

If you're on Git 2.44 or newer, git bisect reset can clean up orphaned bisect state:

bash
# Check your Git version
git --version

# Try reset with a specific ref to force cleanup
git bisect reset HEAD

The trick is that git bisect reset <ref> skips the BISECT_START check and performs cleanup anyway.

5Manually remove bisect files (older Git versions)

For older Git versions or stubborn cases, manually remove the bisect state files:

bash
# Remove all bisect state files
rm -v .git/BISECT_*

# If in a worktree, files might be in a different location
# Check: .git/worktrees/<name>/BISECT_*

After removing these files, Git will no longer think a bisect is (or should be) in progress.

6Clean up leftover bisect refs

If there are stray refs under refs/bisect/, remove them:

bash
# List bisect refs
git for-each-ref --format='%(refname)' refs/bisect/

# Delete each one
git for-each-ref --format='%(refname)' refs/bisect/ | xargs -r -n1 git update-ref -d

Alternatively, you can remove them directly from the filesystem:

bash
rm -rf .git/refs/bisect/
7Handle worktree-specific bisect state

If you're using Git worktrees, bisect state is stored per-worktree:

bash
# List your worktrees
git worktree list

# For a worktree, bisect files are in:
# .git/worktrees/<worktree-name>/BISECT_*

Make sure you're running bisect commands in the correct worktree, or clean up the worktree-specific bisect state.

8Start fresh with a clean bisect session

Once you've cleaned up any stale state, start a fresh bisect session:

bash
# Ensure clean state
git bisect reset 2>/dev/null || true

# Start new bisect
git bisect start

# Now mark your commits
git bisect bad HEAD
git bisect good v1.0.0  # or whatever known-good commit/tag

Git will automatically check out a commit in the middle for you to test.

Advanced notes

### Understanding Bisect Session Lifecycle

A git bisect session involves several state files in the .git directory:

- BISECT_START: Records the branch/commit where bisect was initiated
- BISECT_LOG: Contains the log of good/bad markings for replay
- BISECT_EXPECTED_REV: Tracks the expected revision during bisect
- BISECT_ANCESTORS_OK: Optimization flag for ancestry checking
- refs/bisect/: Contains refs for good/bad boundary commits

The git bisect reset command checks for BISECT_START to determine if a session is active. If this file is missing but other files exist (due to crash, manual deletion, or bug), you get a confusing state where the prompt may show "bisecting" but commands fail.

### Git 2.44 Fix (December 2023)

Prior to Git 2.44, git bisect reset would refuse to clean up if BISECT_START was missing, leaving users stuck with no easy cleanup path. Commit daaa03e (December 2023) fixed this by teaching git bisect reset to clean up orphaned state files and refs even when BISECT_START is gone.

### Automated Bisect with git bisect run

For repeatable bug hunting, use automated bisect:

bash
git bisect start HEAD v1.0.0
git bisect run ./test-script.sh

The script should exit 0 for "good" commits and 1-127 (except 125) for "bad" commits. Exit code 125 means "skip this commit" (useful for commits that don't compile).

### Alternative Terms

If you're finding a commit that fixed a bug (reverse bisect), use the newer terminology:

bash
git bisect start --term-old broken --term-new fixed
git bisect broken HEAD
git bisect fixed v1.0.0

This avoids confusion about what "good" and "bad" mean in different contexts.

Frequently asked questions

What does "We are not bisecting" mean?
The "We are not bisecting" error in Git occurs when you attempt to run a bisect subcommand (like git bisect good, git bisect bad, or git bisect reset) but Git cannot find an active bisect session. Git bisect is a binary search tool that helps you find the commit that introduced a bug. git directory (specifically BISECT_START, BISECT_LOG, and refs under refs/bisect/) to track your progress through the commit history.
How do I fix "We are not bisecting"?
The 'We are not bisecting' error appears when you run a git bisect command like 'git bisect good' or 'git bisect reset' without an active bisect session. This typically occurs when bisect was never started, already ended, or its state files were corrupted.
What causes "We are not bisecting"?
No bisect session was started - 'git bisect start' was never run The bisect session was already reset or completed Working in a different repository or directory than where bisect was started
Is the "We are not bisecting" error serious?
It is a low-severity error — more of a blocker than a risk. The steps above resolve it.

Official resources & further reading