Summary
rift create aborts on any tree containing a file that is both mode 444 and carries an extended attribute. git creates loose objects and pack files read-only, and macOS tags files with com.apple.provenance. Any repo that has run git gc, or that vendors a git repo, e.g. under .terraform/modules/, will hit it.
The workspace is rolled back on failure, so nothing is left behind to inspect.
Reproduction
mkdir -p src && cd src
git init -q && echo hi > a.txt
xattr -w com.apple.test 1 a.txt
chmod 444 a.txt
rift init && rift create --name probe
# Permission denied (os error 13)
Remove either condition and it succeeds — chmod u+w a.txt, or xattr -c a.txt.
Cause
The per-file copy order is: write contents → apply source mode → copy xattrs. Once the mode is 444, setxattr on the destination returns EACCES for non-root, because setting an xattr requires the write bit.
sudo fs_usage -w -f filesys rift, errno in brackets:
setxattr [ 13] .../workspace/.../objects/pack/pack-<sha>.rev
unlinkat ... # recursive rollback begins
exit [ 1]
sudo rift create succeeds, since root bypasses the permission check.
Suggested fix
Copy xattrs before applying the mode, or apply the mode last. Either is a reordering and preserves fidelity. Alternatively, treat EACCES from setxattr as a warning rather than fatal.
Smaller thing: error context
The error comes through as a bare Permission denied (os error 13) and has no path or operation attached, and RiftError.path is undefined via the FFI, so I ended up reaching for a syscall trace to find which file it was.
Including the path and operation (something like setxattr /path/to/file: Permission denied (os error 13)) would probably save some time. Or a --verbose flag would do the job just as well. Happy to send a PR if it'd be useful!
Environment
rift-snapshot 0.0.10 — CLI and bun FFI fail identically- macOS 26 (Darwin 25.5.0), arm64, APFS
Summary
rift createaborts on any tree containing a file that is both mode444and carries an extended attribute.gitcreates loose objects and pack files read-only, and macOS tags files withcom.apple.provenance. Any repo that has rungit gc, or that vendors a git repo, e.g. under.terraform/modules/, will hit it.The workspace is rolled back on failure, so nothing is left behind to inspect.
Reproduction
Remove either condition and it succeeds —
chmod u+w a.txt, orxattr -c a.txt.Cause
The per-file copy order is: write contents → apply source mode → copy xattrs. Once the mode is
444,setxattron the destination returnsEACCESfor non-root, because setting an xattr requires the write bit.sudo fs_usage -w -f filesys rift, errno in brackets:sudo rift createsucceeds, since root bypasses the permission check.Suggested fix
Copy xattrs before applying the mode, or apply the mode last. Either is a reordering and preserves fidelity. Alternatively, treat
EACCESfromsetxattras a warning rather than fatal.Smaller thing: error context
The error comes through as a bare
Permission denied (os error 13)and has no path or operation attached, andRiftError.pathisundefinedvia the FFI, so I ended up reaching for a syscall trace to find which file it was.Including the path and operation (something like
setxattr /path/to/file: Permission denied (os error 13)) would probably save some time. Or a--verboseflag would do the job just as well. Happy to send a PR if it'd be useful!Environment
rift-snapshot0.0.10 — CLI and bun FFI fail identically