From 8ba358543666bd6f01e531a33aac92fefb002f0b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: kozabaa <kozabaa@proton.me>
Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:14:37 +1000
Subject: [PATCH] fix(diff): remove stale git sentinel after failed attach
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# fix(diff): remove stale git sentinel after failed attach

## Problem

Opening a buffer in a directory that is **not yet a git repository** permanently
blocks `mini.diff` from ever attaching to that buffer, even after `git init` is
run later in the same session.

Symptoms:
- Gutter signs never appear after `git init` + commit
- `MiniDiff.get_buf_data()` always returns `nil`
- `MiniDiff.enable()` called manually has no effect
- No errors are logged anywhere

## Root cause

In `H.git_start_watching_index`, when the initial `git rev-parse --git-dir`
returns a non-zero exit code, `on_not_in_git` fires:

```lua
-- lua/mini/diff.lua  ~line 1696
local on_not_in_git = vim.schedule_wrap(function()
  if not vim.api.nvim_buf_is_valid(buf_id) then
    H.cache[buf_id] = nil
    return
  end
  MiniDiff.fail_attach(buf_id)
  H.git_cache[buf_id] = {}    -- ← stale sentinel
end)
```

The call chain is:

```
fail_attach(buf_id)
  → disable(buf_id)
      → source.detach(buf_id)
          → H.git_cache[buf_id] = nil   ✓  invariant restored
      → H.cache[buf_id] = nil           ✓  buffer marked as not attached
  ← returns
H.git_cache[buf_id] = {}               ✗  invariant violated
```

After `detach` correctly clears the entry to `nil`, `on_not_in_git` immediately
overwrites it with an empty table `{}`. The `attach` guard then blocks every
future re-attachment attempt for that buffer ID:

```lua
local attach = function(buf_id)
  if H.git_cache[buf_id] ~= nil then return false end  -- {} ~= nil → returns false
  ...
end
```

Because `attach` returns `false`, `enable` calls `fail_attach` again, which
calls `disable`, which clears `H.cache[buf_id]`. As a result,
`get_buf_data()` always returns `nil` and the buffer is permanently wedged
for the rest of the Neovim session under that buffer ID.

## Fix

Remove the one line that re-poisons the cache after `detach` has already
cleaned it up:

```diff
   local on_not_in_git = vim.schedule_wrap(function()
     if not vim.api.nvim_buf_is_valid(buf_id) then
       H.cache[buf_id] = nil
       return
     end
     MiniDiff.fail_attach(buf_id)
-    H.git_cache[buf_id] = {}
   end)
```

## Why this is safe

The sentinel's apparent purpose is to prevent re-attach storms after a failed
attempt. That concern is already handled elsewhere:

1. **`detach` already cleaned up.** `fail_attach → disable → source.detach`
   sets `H.git_cache[buf_id] = nil` before the removed line ever ran. The
   extra assignment was redundant on top of being harmful.

2. **No re-attach loop is possible.** `auto_enable` is gated on
   `H.is_buf_enabled(buf_id)` and fires only on `BufEnter`. After
   `fail_attach`, `H.cache[buf_id]` is `nil` (buffer disabled); nothing
   schedules another enable until the user switches to the buffer again —
   which is exactly when a retry is wanted (the user may have just run
   `git init`).

3. **The in-flight guard is unaffected.** The `attach` function sets
   `H.git_cache[buf_id] = {}` *synchronously* before launching the async
   `git rev-parse` job (line 663). That assignment is what prevents a second
   concurrent attach during a live job. Removing the post-failure assignment
   does not touch this path.

## Reproduction

```
# 1. Open Neovim in a non-git directory
cd /tmp/testdir && nvim hello.md

# 2. In another pane, while Neovim stays open:
git init /tmp/testdir
git -C /tmp/testdir add .
git -C /tmp/testdir commit -m "init"

# 3. Edit hello.md, then in Neovim:
:lua print(vim.inspect(MiniDiff.get_buf_data()))
-- Before fix: nil
-- After fix:  table with config/hunks/summary
```

## Tested on

- Neovim 0.12.1
- Debian trixie-slim (Docker container, `HOME=/tmp`)
- mini.nvim `main` (confirmed by reading the source)
---
 lua/mini/diff.lua | 1 -
 1 file changed, 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/lua/mini/diff.lua b/lua/mini/diff.lua
index 726a58765..4f710e13f 100644
--- a/lua/mini/diff.lua
+++ b/lua/mini/diff.lua
@@ -1699,7 +1699,6 @@ H.git_start_watching_index = function(buf_id, path)
       return
     end
     MiniDiff.fail_attach(buf_id)
-    H.git_cache[buf_id] = {}
   end)
 
   local process, stdout_feed = nil, {}