How to fix Encountered 1 file(s) that should have been pointers, but weren't in Git

First, identify which files are causing the issue:

git lfs status

This shows files that LFS is tracking and any that have issues. Also check what patterns are configured:

cat .gitattributes

Verify LFS is installed and configured:

git lfs version
git lfs env

The git lfs migrate import command converts files to LFS pointers. For files only in recent commits without rewriting history:

git lfs migrate import --no-rewrite "path/to/file.ext"

This creates a new commit moving the file to LFS. Verify it worked:

git lfs ls-files | grep "file.ext"

You should see the file listed in the output.

If you prefer more control, manually remove and re-add the files:

# Remove the file from Git's index (keeps the working copy)
git rm --cached path/to/file.ext

# Re-add the file (LFS filter will process it)
git add path/to/file.ext

# Commit the change
git commit -m "Convert file to Git LFS"

For multiple files matching a pattern:

git rm --cached "*.psd"
git add "*.psd"
git commit -m "Convert PSD files to Git LFS"

To re-evaluate all files against LFS filters:

# Remove all files from index
git rm -r --cached .

# Re-add all files (LFS filters will be applied)
git add .

# Commit the changes
git commit -m "Fix LFS pointer files"

Warning: This creates a large commit. Review with git status before committing.

If you need to remove the original large files from history entirely to reduce repository size:

git lfs migrate import --include="*.psd,*.zip,*.tar.gz" --everything

Warning: This rewrites Git history. All team members will need to re-clone or carefully rebase. Use with caution on shared repositories.

For a specific set of commits:

git lfs migrate import --include="*.psd" --include-ref=HEAD~10..HEAD

After fixing the pointer files, clean up to reclaim space:

# Expire old references
git reflog expire --expire-unreachable=now --all

# Run garbage collection
git gc --prune=now

# Verify LFS files are correct
git lfs fsck

Push your changes to the remote:

git push origin main

If you rewrote history, you'll need force push (coordinate with your team first):

git push --force-with-lease origin main

The --force-with-lease flag is safer than --force as it prevents overwriting others' work.

Ensure all team members have Git LFS installed:

git lfs install

Add a pre-commit hook to catch untracked files. Create .git/hooks/pre-commit:

#!/bin/sh
git lfs status --porcelain | grep "^?" && {
    echo "Error: Files not tracked by LFS that should be"
    exit 1
}

Make it executable:

chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit