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If Git prints fatal: not a git repository, it cannot identify a repository for the command’s current working directory. Usually, the shell is simply outside the project folder. Check your location, move into the existing project, and rerun the command; the error alone does not mean your files or history are gone.

Check which directory your shell is in

Print the current directory and list its contents to see whether you are inside the intended project.

  • macOS or Linux: run pwd to print the current directory and ls -la to list its contents, including hidden files.
  • Windows Command Prompt: run cd to print the current directory and dir /a to list files, including hidden ones.
  • Windows PowerShell: run Get-Location to print the current directory and Get-ChildItem -Force to list files, including hidden ones.

Look for the project files and repository metadata. A typical clone has a top-level .git directory, which stores repository data and history. Some setups, including linked worktrees, may use a .git file instead. The Git Project’s Git User’s Manual describes a working tree and its repository data.

Enter the project directory and retry

If the shell is in a parent folder or somewhere else, change to the actual project directory, then run your original Git command again:

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cd /path/to/project
git status

Replace /path/to/project with the real path. On Windows, use that system’s path, for example cd C:UsersYourNameProjectsmy-project. Git searches parent directories for repository metadata, but by default does not cross filesystem boundaries. See the Git Project’s Git command documentation, version 2.36.0 for the directory-search behavior.

Run Git at a known path with -C

If you know the project’s path but do not want to change the shell’s current directory, pass it to Git with -C:

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git -C /path/to/project status

Replace status with the command you need. Git documents -C <path> as running as if it had been started in that path; see the Git command documentation, version 2.31.0.

Choose setup based on whether a copy already exists

Situation What to do Why
The repository already exists on your computer, but the shell is elsewhere Change into its directory or use git -C /path/to/project <command>. Git runs in the intended repository context.
The project exists remotely, but you have no local copy Run git clone <repository-url>, then change into the directory it creates. clone obtains the existing repository and creates a local working directory. The Git Project’s Git User’s Manual says, “The clone command creates a new directory named after the project (git or linux in the examples above).”
This is a new project with no existing history to retrieve Change into its intended directory and run git init. init creates a new repository; it does not recover an existing repository or connect the directory to a remote project’s history. See the Git User’s Manual.
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If the directory is right but the error remains

Check whether the command is actually running from a different location or whether Git has been directed to use a different repository or working tree.

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  • Check how the command is launched. A shell script, IDE task, or other launcher may use a different working directory than your interactive terminal.
  • Inspect Git environment variables. An unexpected GIT_DIR or GIT_WORK_TREE can affect which repository or working tree Git uses. Avoid changing values until you know why they are set.
  • Account for special layouts. Linked worktrees and submodules do not always have the simple top-level .git directory layout.
  • Check the exact command and options. Git supports options such as --work-tree=<path> that affect working-tree selection. The Git command documentation, version 2.31.0 covers these options; git-rev-parse documentation, version 2.10.5 describes repository detection.

Do not delete or recreate .git as an initial fix. First establish which directory the command is using and how the repository is laid out; changing metadata blindly can make an existing setup harder to diagnose.

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