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Object Does Not Exist

Smudge error: Object does not exist: [404] - smudge filter lfs failed - the LFS object never reached the server, and how to push it.

LFS Object Does Not Exist

Symptom

A clone downloads the repository, then fails to check out an LFS file (exit status 128):

Downloading asset.bin (66 KB)
Error downloading object: asset.bin (05ceb3c): Smudge error: Error downloading asset.bin (05ceb3c0…): [05ceb3c0…] Object does not exist: [404] Object does not exist
error: external filter 'git-lfs filter-process' failed
fatal: asset.bin: smudge filter lfs failed
warning: Clone succeeded, but checkout failed.

git lfs pull in an existing clone fails the same way:

Object does not exist: [404]
Failed to fetch some objects from 'https://<INSTANCE>.git.eu/<USERNAME>/<REPO>.git/info/lfs'

Cause

The commit holds the LFS pointer, but the LFS object never reached the server. git.eu accepts such a push: it does not check that the objects exist.

  • The push used git push --no-verify, which skips the git-lfs pre-push hook that uploads the objects.
  • The pre-push hook was missing on the machine that pushed (git-lfs installed after the clone without git lfs install, or the hook deleted).
  • The repository was imported from elsewhere without its LFS objects.

Diagnose

1. Clone without downloading LFS content, so the checkout works:

GIT_LFS_SKIP_SMUDGE=1 git clone https://<INSTANCE>.git.eu/<USERNAME>/<REPO>.git

2. List the LFS files of the clone:

git lfs ls-files

05ceb3c032 - asset.bin: the - means only the pointer is present. git lfs pull then reports Object does not exist: [404] for each object the server lacks.

3. On the machine that pushed the commit, run git lfs ls-files in its clone: * next to the file means that clone still holds the object.

Fix

Option A - Push the objects again (recommended)

From a clone that holds the objects (usually the one that made the commit), upload every LFS object its local refs point to:

git lfs push --all origin

Option B - Replace the file

No clone holds the object any more: add the file again from its original source, commit it with git-lfs installed, and push. Until then, GIT_LFS_SKIP_SMUDGE=1 (Diagnose step 1) gives a working clone with a pointer in place of the file.

Verify

git lfs pull
git lfs ls-files

git lfs pull ends without error and git lfs ls-files shows 05ceb3c032 * asset.bin (*: the object is now present). A fresh clone checks out with no error.

Prevent

  • Never push with git push --no-verify in a repository that uses Git LFS.
  • Run git lfs install once on every machine: it installs the pre-push hook that uploads the objects.
  • After an import, push the LFS objects with git lfs push --all origin.

Related