git-lfs Is Not Installed

Symptom

Any git lfs command fails:

git: 'lfs' is not a git command. See 'git --help'.

A clone of a repository that uses Git LFS stops at checkout:

git-lfs filter-process: 1: git-lfs: not found
fatal: the remote end hung up unexpectedly
warning: Clone succeeded, but checkout failed.

A push from a repository with the Git LFS pre-push hook is refused locally:

This repository is configured for Git LFS but 'git-lfs' was not found on your path. If you no longer wish to use Git LFS, remove this hook by deleting the 'pre-push' file in the hooks directory (set by 'core.hookspath'; usually '.git/hooks').

Cause

• The git-lfs program is not installed on this machine.
• It is installed, but not on the PATH of the process that runs git (a GUI client, an IDE, a CI job).
• The clone and push errors also need a leftover setup: a git config (from an earlier git lfs install) or a repository hook still calls git-lfs.

Diagnose

1. Ask git-lfs for its version:

git lfs version

A version string means git-lfs is found. 'lfs' is not a git command means it is not.

2. Look for the program on the PATH (Linux and macOS: command -v, Windows: where):

command -v git-lfs

3. See which git config calls git-lfs:

git config --show-origin --get-regexp "^filter\.lfs\."

Fix

Option A - Install git-lfs (recommended)

Git finds the git-lfs executable on your PATH and runs it as git lfs.

brew install git-lfs

sudo apt install git-lfs

Verify with git lfs version - it should print a version string.

Then turn it on once per machine:

git lfs install

Delete the clone that failed and clone again. A refused push can simply be run again: the hook now uploads the LFS objects.

Option B - Stop using Git LFS in this repository

Only when no file of the repository is stored in Git LFS: delete .git/hooks/pre-push, as the message says. If LFS files exist, pushing without the hook leaves the server without their objects - see LFS Object Does Not Exist.

Verify

git lfs version

It prints a version string, and a new clone checks out with no error.

Prevent

• Install git-lfs on every machine and CI image that works with the repository, then run git lfs install.
• Start GUI clients and IDEs from an environment where git lfs version works.

Related

• Files That Should Have Been Pointers
• LFS Object Does Not Exist
• Git LFS guide
• Knowledge Base - Git LFS