Hey there, let's work through this frustrating error together. This is one of the most common hiccups with GitHub Desktop, and it almost always ties back to a small, easy-to-fix issue. Here are the steps to diagnose and resolve it:

1. Check your commit message #

GitHub won't let you make an empty commit, and some special characters (like rare emojis or system-unrecognizable symbols) can break the process.

• Open the commit box in GitHub Desktop, make sure you've entered a clear, non-empty message (e.g., Initial commit: Add core project files).
• Remove any odd characters or symbols from the message, then try committing again.

2. Verify local repository folder permissions #

If your system user doesn't have read/write access to the repository folder, GitHub Desktop can't save the commit.

• On Windows: Right-click your repo folder → Properties → Security tab → Ensure your user account has "Read & Write" permissions.
• On Mac: Right-click the repo folder → Get Info → Scroll to "Sharing & Permissions" → Make sure your user has "Read & Write" access.
• Restart GitHub Desktop after adjusting permissions, then retry the commit.

3. Fix Git configuration mismatches or corrupted repo state #

Sometimes your local Git config is out of sync with your GitHub account, or the repo's internal state is corrupted. Grab a terminal (Git Bash for Windows, Terminal for Mac) and run these commands from your repo directory:

• First, navigate to your repo: cd /path/to/your/local/repository
• Set your Git username to match GitHub: git config --global user.name "YourGitHubUsername"
• Set your Git email to match GitHub: git config --global user.email "your-github-email@example.com"
• If that doesn't work, reset the repo's tracked files:
  • git rm -r --cached . (clears the Git cache)
  • git add . (re-adds all files to tracking)
• Now go back to GitHub Desktop and try committing again.

4. Check for oversized files #

GitHub blocks individual files larger than 100MB (unless you use Git LFS). If you have a big file in your repo, it'll cause this error silently.

• Run this terminal command in your repo to find the largest files: git ls-files --size | sort -n -r | head -5
• If you spot a file over 100MB:
  • Either move it outside the repo and delete it from Git tracking, or
  • Set up Git LFS to manage the large file, then retry the commit.

5. Clear GitHub Desktop's cache #

Occasionally, the app's cached data gets corrupted. Here's how to fix it:

• Close GitHub Desktop completely.
• Navigate to the cache folder:
  • Windows: C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\GitHub Desktop
  • Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/GitHub Desktop
• Delete the Cache and Cookies folders (leave config.json and other important config files untouched).
• Restart GitHub Desktop and attempt the commit again.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Rahul Raj