git: lfs is not a git command. see git --help.

Guri Bee

2 min read

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20-10-2024

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Git LFS: Understanding the Error "lfs is not a Git command"

Have you ever encountered the frustrating error "lfs is not a Git command"? This message often pops up when you try to utilize Git Large File Storage (LFS) within your Git repository. While it might seem confusing at first, understanding the nature of Git LFS and its interaction with Git itself can help you solve this issue.

What is Git LFS?

Git LFS is a tool designed to manage large files effectively within Git repositories. Unlike standard Git, which stores the entire file within the repository, LFS stores large files (like audio, video, or images) separately. This allows for:

• Reduced repository size: By storing large files outside the main Git repository, you significantly reduce the repository size, leading to faster cloning and checkout operations.
• Efficient collaboration: Team members only download the files they need, leading to faster clone and pull operations.
• Improved performance: Git LFS optimizes handling of large files, resulting in better performance during operations like pushing and pulling.

Why is "lfs" not a Git command?

Git LFS is a separate tool, not a core part of the Git command line interface. It's installed as a standalone program and integrates with Git through configuration and hooks.

Therefore, you cannot directly use the "lfs" command within Git. Instead, you need to interact with Git LFS through its dedicated commands:

• git lfs install: Installs the Git LFS client and configures it to work with your Git repository.
• git lfs track: Tells Git LFS which types of files to manage (e.g., *.mp3, *.jpg).
• git lfs push: Pushes the LFS files to the remote server.
• git lfs pull: Downloads the LFS files to your local machine.

Troubleshooting the "lfs is not a Git command" error:

1. Check if Git LFS is installed: Ensure you have Git LFS installed and configured correctly by running git lfs install.
2. Verify Git LFS tracking: Make sure the file types you are trying to manage are correctly tracked by Git LFS using git lfs track.
3. Install Git LFS: If you haven't already, install Git LFS using the instructions found on the Git LFS website (https://git-lfs.github.com).
4. Configure Git LFS: You might need to configure your Git repository to use LFS by following the instructions on the Git LFS website.

Example:

# Install Git LFS
git lfs install

# Track files with extension .mp3
git lfs track "*.mp3"

# Commit and push changes
git add .
git commit -m "Added music files"
git push

Additional Information:

• Git LFS requires a remote server to store the large files. This can be a service like GitHub, GitLab, or a self-hosted server.
• You can use the git lfs help command to get help with Git LFS commands.
• If you are having trouble with Git LFS, you can find helpful resources on the Git LFS website and the Git LFS documentation.

By understanding the relationship between Git and Git LFS, and by properly installing and configuring Git LFS, you can effectively manage large files in your Git repositories and avoid the dreaded "lfs is not a Git command" error.