Support cygwin git

[rcarmo]

• VSCode Version: 1.2.1
• OS Version: Windows 10 Build 14367

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Install Cygwin
2. Edit .vscode/settings.json to set git.path to point to "\\cygwin64\\bin\\git.exe
3. VS Code throws up an error message of ENOENT: no such file or directory, lstat 'C:\cygdrive', as described here

This is, of course, because Cygwin namespaces the filesystem differently. However, doing this (which usually fixes things in other tools):

        "git.path": "\\cygwin64\\bin\\bash.exe git",

...then results in further confusion as Code apparently does not have a way to correctly set the environment for the git process, which then defaults to the wrong PATH:

git fetch
git show HEAD:.vscode/settings.json
git show HEAD:.vscode/settings.json
Could not create directory '/c/cygwin64/home/USERNAME/.ssh'.
ssh_askpass: exec(/usr/local/bin/win-ssh-askpass.exe): No such file or directory
Host key verification failed.
fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

Please make sure you have the correct access rights
and the repository exists.
git fetch
Could not create directory '/c/cygwin64/home/USERNAME/.ssh'.
ssh_askpass: exec(/usr/local/bin/win-ssh-askpass.exe): No such file or directory
Host key verification failed.
fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

Please make sure you have the correct access rights
and the repository exists.

Trying to set PATH, HOME, etc. inline in the bash command line above fails for some reason I cannot yet fathom, but I would suggest a configuration setting git.env be created so that the environment external Git tools can be pre-configured (this would also benefit the Linux and OSX ports).

As to why this is necessary and why I can't use other Git binaries on Windows, the reason is simple:

Cygwin does Git over SSH "right", with completely identical setup in terms of SSH keys, options, CR/LF encoding, etc. Current Git for Windows simply does not work for my use case (I've tried), and, obviously, the Linux Subsystem doesn't help with this either.

[AnrDaemon]

Vscode could have Git auto-detection for Windows from different sources:

• Program Files\Git
• Visual Studio Git
• Cygwin git could be auto-detected by its exe file location

It may be hardcoded preference or highest version preferred.

Yet again - this is not about git.exe location, it is about Cygwin paths support.

[ohhmm]

Yes, I got it @AnrDaemon Could you try to run Cygwin's git from cmd by its Windows path, please?

[AnrDaemon]

Yes, you could. That's not the problem. The problem starts when Cygwin Git return Cygwin paths which VS Code don't know how to interpret. Or when VS Code provide Windows paths that means nothing to Cygwin Git.

It requires some extra care inside VS Code itself, and even then not fully fool proof, as other extensions may run Git directly by themselves.

[DanKaplanSES]

@AnrDaemon Yep. it's not just the difference in slashes, absolute paths and cygwin start with /cygdrive/<drive letter> and in Windows, start with <drive letter>:\\. The last paragraph in your comment is especially tricky.

Here's my workaround, and I didn't come up with it on my own. In fact, I may be summarizing something already in this thread.

1. I added this line to settings.json: "git.path": "C:\\cygwin64\\home\\<user>\\vscode_git_compatibility\\cygpath-git-vscode.bat",.

2. $ cat cygpath-git-vscode.bat:

   
   @echo off
   
   REM wrapper to convert linux paths to windows
   REM so vscode git integration will work with cygwin
   REM "git.path"="C:\\this\\file.bat" in settings.json
   
   setlocal
   set PATH=C:\cygwin64\bin;%PATH%
   
   if "%1" equ "rev-parse" goto rev_parse
   git %*
   goto :eof
   :rev_parse
   for /f %%1 in ('git %*') do cygpath -w %%1

3. I don't know why, and I don't know if it's actually used (running ag -l 'cygpath-git-editor.sh' in my home directory finds nothing), but I have another file in C:\\cygwin64\\home\\<user>\\vscode_git_compatibility\\ named cygpath-git-editor.sh. $ cat cygpath-git-editor.sh:

   #!/bin/bash
   
   # wrapper to convert linux paths to windows
   # so vscode will work as a git editor with cygwin
   # editor="/home/this/file.sh" in .gitconfig
   
   # extract last argument (the file path)
   for last; do true; done
   
   # get all the initial command arguments
   all="${@:1:$(($#-1))}"
   
   # launch editor with windows path
   code $all $(cygpath -w $last)

I'm kind of in a rush so I don't have the time to verify if these are the only steps, but it is what I currently use. I hope this can be of help to someone. I want to reiterate that @AnrDaemon 's last paragraph still applies.

[AnrDaemon]

The workaround is to install Git-For-Windows in a separate directory and point VS Code to it.

[DanKaplanSES]

The workaround is to install Git-For-Windows in a separate directory and point VS Code to it.

Are providing an alternative workaround or explaining mine?

[AnrDaemon]

Restating the obvious.

[DanKaplanSES]

Restating the obvious.

Not obvious enough, it seems. It looks like you said this back in 2022, but I hadn't noticed until now. The next reply provides a different workaround that may have buried yours.

If you use the git-for-windows work around, can you still use cygwin's git in the same project, or do they step on each other's toes? I use the git command line 95% of the time; I only need VS Code to understand enough to mark my files as modified.

[AnrDaemon]

I do.

Cygwin is my go-to *NIX tools, I only install native ports/equivalent tools when one of the following statements is true:

1. The application provides exclusively network functionality or otherwise not restricted by path mangling (webservers, tools that talk to STDIO exclusively). Native tools usually more performant because they are not using POSIX API conversion layer.
2. An external native application wants to pass paths to the tool, and I can not control what exactly is passed. (VS Code talking to Git, Subversion, Meld etc.)