Git Push Failing? Fix ‘pack-objects Died of Signal 9’ with These Proven Solutions

Have you ever tried pushing your code to GitHub and encountered a frustrating error message like this? error: pack-objects died of signal 9 error: remote unpack failed: index-pack failed If so, you're not alone. This common Git error occurs when pushing large repositories and can be quite confusing if you don't understand what's happening. In this guide, I'll explain these errors in simple terms and provide practical solutions to get your code safely to GitHub. What's Actually Happening? When you see an error message containing pack-objects died of signal 9, your Git push operation was terminated by the operating system because it was consuming too much memory. Let's break down the error message: signal 9 refers to SIGKILL - a signal sent by the operating system to forcibly terminate a process pack-objects is the Git process responsible for compressing and preparing your files for transfer The "remote unpack failed: index-pack failed" means the server couldn't properly receive and process your files In plain English: Your computer ran out of memory while trying to package up your files to send to GitHub. Common Scenarios That Cause This Error Large repositories - Repositories with many files or large binary files Limited RAM - Pushing from a server or computer with limited memory Many changes - Pushing a large number of changes at once Large binary files - Repositories containing large media files, datasets, or compiled binaries Concurrent memory-intensive processes - Running other memory-hungry applications while pushing Step-by-Step Solutions Let's explore various approaches to solve this problem, from simplest to more complex: Solution 1: Configure Git to Use Less Memory Git can be configured to use less memory during push operations. Open your terminal and run: git config --global pack.threads 1 git config --global pack.windowMemory 100m git config --global pack.packSizeLimit 100m git config --global pack.deltaCacheSize 100m These commands: Reduce the number of threads Git uses (less parallel processing means less memory) Limit the amount of memory used for various packing operations to 100MB each This approach often works well for medium-sized repositories when pushed from machines with limited memory. Solution 2: Disable Compression Temporarily Git compresses files when pushing, which requires additional memory. You can temporarily disable compression: git config --global core.compression 0 git push origin After your push completes, you might want to restore the default compression: git config --global core.compression -1 Solution 3: Increase Available Memory If you're working on a system where you can control resources: Add more RAM to your computer or server if possible Increase swap space (virtual memory) Close other applications consuming memory Adding Swap Space on Linux: # Create a 2GB swap file sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile sudo chmod 600 /swapfile sudo mkswap /swapfile sudo swapon /swapfile # Make it permanent (survive reboots) echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab Solution 4: Push in Smaller Chunks Break up your large push into smaller pieces: # Instead of pushing all commits at once: git push origin master # Push only your most recent commit: git push origin HEAD^:master # Or use shallow pushing (if your remote allows it): git push --depth=1 origin master Solution 5: Use Git LFS for Large Files If your repository contains large binary files (images, videos, datasets), consider using Git Large File Storage (LFS): Install Git LFS: git lfs install Track large file types: git lfs track ".psd" git lfs track ".zip" git lfs track "*.mp4" Add the .gitattributes file: git add .gitattributes Commit and push as normal: git add file.psd git commit -m "Add large design file" git push origin master Solution 6: Split Your Repository If your repository has become too large to manage effectively, consider: Breaking it into multiple repositories based on components or modules Using Git submodules or subtrees to manage multiple repositories together Removing large files from history using tools like BFG Repo-Cleaner Common Related Errors and Their Solutions Error: "fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly" This means the connection to the server was lost during the push. Possible causes: Network instability Server timeout due to large transfer Memory issues similar to our main topic Solutions: Try a more stable internet connection Increase Git buffer size: git config --global http.postBuffer 524288000 Error: "RPC failed; curl 55 SSL_write() returned SYSCALL, errno = 32" This indicates an SSL/network failure during the push process. Solutions: Increase Git buffer s

Apr 22, 2025 - 13:24

Git Push Failing? Fix ‘pack-objects Died of Signal 9’ with These Proven Solutions

Have you ever tried pushing your code to GitHub and encountered a frustrating error message like this?

error: pack-objects died of signal 9
error: remote unpack failed: index-pack failed

If so, you're not alone. This common Git error occurs when pushing large repositories and can be quite confusing if you don't understand what's happening. In this guide, I'll explain these errors in simple terms and provide practical solutions to get your code safely to GitHub.

What's Actually Happening?

When you see an error message containing pack-objects died of signal 9, your Git push operation was terminated by the operating system because it was consuming too much memory. Let's break down the error message:

signal 9 refers to SIGKILL - a signal sent by the operating system to forcibly terminate a process
pack-objects is the Git process responsible for compressing and preparing your files for transfer
The "remote unpack failed: index-pack failed" means the server couldn't properly receive and process your files

In plain English: Your computer ran out of memory while trying to package up your files to send to GitHub.

Common Scenarios That Cause This Error

Large repositories - Repositories with many files or large binary files
Limited RAM - Pushing from a server or computer with limited memory
Many changes - Pushing a large number of changes at once
Large binary files - Repositories containing large media files, datasets, or compiled binaries
Concurrent memory-intensive processes - Running other memory-hungry applications while pushing

Step-by-Step Solutions

Let's explore various approaches to solve this problem, from simplest to more complex:

Solution 1: Configure Git to Use Less Memory

Git can be configured to use less memory during push operations. Open your terminal and run:

git config --global pack.threads 1
git config --global pack.windowMemory 100m
git config --global pack.packSizeLimit 100m
git config --global pack.deltaCacheSize 100m

These commands:

Reduce the number of threads Git uses (less parallel processing means less memory)
Limit the amount of memory used for various packing operations to 100MB each

This approach often works well for medium-sized repositories when pushed from machines with limited memory.

Solution 2: Disable Compression Temporarily

Git compresses files when pushing, which requires additional memory. You can temporarily disable compression:

git config --global core.compression 0
git push origin

After your push completes, you might want to restore the default compression:

git config --global core.compression -1

Solution 3: Increase Available Memory

If you're working on a system where you can control resources:

Add more RAM to your computer or server if possible
Increase swap space (virtual memory)
Close other applications consuming memory

Adding Swap Space on Linux:

# Create a 2GB swap file
sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile

# Make it permanent (survive reboots)
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

Solution 4: Push in Smaller Chunks

Break up your large push into smaller pieces:

# Instead of pushing all commits at once:
git push origin master

# Push only your most recent commit:
git push origin HEAD^:master

# Or use shallow pushing (if your remote allows it):
git push --depth=1 origin master

Solution 5: Use Git LFS for Large Files

If your repository contains large binary files (images, videos, datasets), consider using Git Large File Storage (LFS):

Install Git LFS:

   git lfs install

Track large file types:

   git lfs track "*.psd"
   git lfs track "*.zip"
   git lfs track "*.mp4"

Add the .gitattributes file:

   git add .gitattributes

Commit and push as normal:

   git add file.psd
   git commit -m "Add large design file"
   git push origin master

Solution 6: Split Your Repository

If your repository has become too large to manage effectively, consider:

Breaking it into multiple repositories based on components or modules
Using Git submodules or subtrees to manage multiple repositories together
Removing large files from history using tools like BFG Repo-Cleaner

Common Related Errors and Their Solutions

Error: "fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly"

This means the connection to the server was lost during the push. Possible causes:

Network instability
Server timeout due to large transfer
Memory issues similar to our main topic

Solutions:

Try a more stable internet connection
Increase Git buffer size:

  git config --global http.postBuffer 524288000

Error: "RPC failed; curl 55 SSL_write() returned SYSCALL, errno = 32"

This indicates an SSL/network failure during the push process.

Solutions:

Increase Git buffer size and timeout:

  git config --global http.postBuffer 524288000
  git config --global http.lowSpeedLimit 0
  git config --global http.lowSpeedTime 999999

Error: "fatal: pack exceeds maximum allowed size"

Some Git servers limit the maximum pack size they accept.

Solutions:

Push in smaller chunks
Contact your Git server administrator about size limits
Use Git LFS for large files

Error: "gzip: stdout: No space left on device"

Your system's temporary directory ran out of disk space during the Git operation.

Solutions:

Free up disk space
Specify an alternative temporary directory:

  GIT_TMPDIR=/path/with/space git push origin master

Prevention: Best Practices for Repository Management

Commit frequently but push strategically - More small pushes are better than infrequent large ones
Use .gitignore properly - Exclude build artifacts, dependencies, and other unnecessary files
Don't store large binary files in Git - Use Git LFS or external storage solutions
Clean your repository periodically - Remove outdated branches and unnecessary files
Monitor repository size - Use git count-objects -v to check repository size regularly

Conclusion

Git "pack-objects died of signal 9" errors are frustrating but solvable. By understanding what causes these memory issues and applying the appropriate solutions, you can successfully push even large repositories to GitHub.

Remember that Git was primarily designed for source code, not large binary files. Following best practices for repository management can help you avoid these issues in the future.

Happy Coding!