Drop git history on read-only repository

[Krzysiek Zehoss]

Hi,

I have a repository that exceeds the 1 GB limit. I'd like to drop the history to reduce the size, but the remote rejects my changes because the repository is read-only. How can I overcome this issue?

[Ben · Accepted solution]

Hi @Krzysiek Zehoss 

I have attempted to reduce the size of your largest repositories by executing a garbage collection, but it has not reduced the size much (70mb), and your workspace is still > 1GB.

You have a couple of options to resolve this:

Option 1 - Delete & recreate the repositories
This is the fastest way to solve the problem, but loses metadata such as PRs, Pipelines, Permissions, etc.

1. Perform a clone of those repositories for backup purposes

2. Delete those repositories from your workspace to free up space and allow you to push. NOTE: This will permanently remove metadata such as PR's/pipelines/user permissions etc.

3. Identify the largest files in your repositories by executing the following command:
   git rev-list --objects --all \
   | git cat-file --batch-check='%(objecttype) %(objectname) %(objectsize) %(rest)' \| awk '/^blob/ {print substr($0,6)}' \
   | sort -r --numeric-sort --key=2 \
   | numfmt --field=2 --to=iec-i --suffix=B --padding=7 --round=nearest

4. Perform cleanup operations locally to reduce the size

5. Once complete, push those repositories back to your workspace by creating a blank repository with the same name of the deleted repository, then mirror pushing the contents of the cleaned repository:

HTTPS
git push --mirror https://<username>@bitbucket.org/<WorkspaceID>/<RepoName>.git
SSH
git push --mirror git@bitbucket.org:<WorkspaceID>/<RepoName>.git

NOTE: This will remove metadata such as PR's/pipelines/permissions etc but will keep your commit history and binary files intact.

Option 2 - Temporarily upgrade

1. Upgrade to a paid plan and utilise our 30-day trial period to restore functionality and provide more time to reduce your repository directly without deletion. You can choose to continue or cease your trial before the end of the 30-day period.

2. If you encounter any issues during this period - you may raise a ticket directly with our support team using your workspace URL: Atlassian Support  

Please let me know how this goes.

Cheers!

- Ben (Bitbucket Cloud Support)