How to fix error: key does not contain a section in Git

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This error occurs when a Git configuration key is missing its required section prefix. Git config keys must follow the section.key format (e.g., user.name), and this error indicates an invalid or malformed key.

What this error means

Git stores configuration values in a hierarchical structure where every setting must belong to a section. The configuration format uses an INI-style syntax where section names appear in square brackets (like `[user]` or `[core]`), and variables are defined within these sections. When you see "error: key does not contain a section", Git is telling you that the configuration key you provided doesn't follow the required `section.key` format. For example, `user.name` is valid (section is "user", key is "name"), but just `name` by itself is invalid because Git doesn't know which section it belongs to. This error commonly occurs when users are new to Git and misunderstand that `user.name` is not a placeholder to be replaced, but rather the literal key name with "user" as the section. It can also occur when a config file is corrupted or edited incorrectly, removing section headers that variables depend on.

How to fix "error: key does not contain a section"

1Understand the correct key format

Git configuration keys must always follow the section.key format. The section comes before the dot, and the key name comes after.

Common valid keys:

bash

user.name        # section: user, key: name
user.email       # section: user, key: email
core.editor      # section: core, key: editor
push.default     # section: push, key: default

Invalid keys (will cause the error):

bash

name             # Missing section
email            # Missing section
global           # Probably meant --global flag

2Check your command syntax

Make sure you're using the correct syntax with double dashes for options:

Correct syntax:

bash

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

Incorrect syntax (causes the error):

bash

# Missing double dash before global
git config global user.name "Your Name"

# Missing section prefix
git config --global name "Your Name"

# Trying to replace user.name as a placeholder
git config --global "Your Name" "Your Email"

3Set your Git identity correctly

If you're setting up Git for the first time, use these exact commands:

bash

# Set your name (replace with your actual name, keep quotes)
git config --global user.name "John Doe"

# Set your email (replace with your actual email, keep quotes)
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

Verify the settings:

bash

git config --global user.name
git config --global user.email

4Inspect your config file for corruption

If you've edited your config file manually, it may have become corrupted. Open it in an editor:

bash

# Open global config
git config --global --edit

# Or view it directly
cat ~/.gitconfig

A properly formatted config file looks like this:

ini

[user]
    name = John Doe
    email = [email protected]
[core]
    editor = vim
    autocrlf = input
[push]
    default = current

Make sure:
- Every variable is under a section header in square brackets
- Section headers like [user] appear on their own line
- No orphaned variables exist outside of sections

5Fix a corrupted config file

If your config file is missing section headers, add them back:

Before (broken):

ini

name = John Doe
email = [email protected]

After (fixed):

ini

[user]
    name = John Doe
    email = [email protected]

You can also reset and reconfigure:

bash

# Backup current config
cp ~/.gitconfig ~/.gitconfig.bak

# Remove corrupted config
rm ~/.gitconfig

# Set values fresh
git config --global user.name "John Doe"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

6Check local repository config

The error might be in your local repository's config. Check and fix it:

bash

# View local config
cat .git/config

# Edit local config
git config --local --edit

Ensure the local config follows the same format with proper sections:

ini

[core]
    repositoryformatversion = 0
    filemode = true
    bare = false
[remote "origin"]
    url = [email protected]:user/repo.git
    fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*
[branch "main"]
    remote = origin
    merge = refs/heads/main

7Use git config --list to verify

After making changes, verify all your configurations are set correctly:

bash

# List all config (global + local)
git config --list

# List global config only
git config --global --list

# List local config only
git config --local --list

# Show where each value comes from
git config --list --show-origin

This helps confirm that your settings are properly stored and identifies which config file each value comes from.

How to fix error: key does not contain a section in Git

What this error means

Typical symptoms

Common causes

How to fix "error: key does not contain a section"

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