ggshield pre-commit crashes with WinError 206 on large Windows merges

The symptom

On Windows, ggshield secret scan pre-commit crashes with:

[WinError 206] The filename or extension is too long

when committing a merge with many files and long file names. ggshield builds a git command line that exceeds Windows path limits.

The fix

A fix was merged and shipped in the release after the report, shortening how the git command is constructed. The reporter tested the fix branch and confirmed it resolves the crash. Upgrade ggshield to a release newer than the report:

pip install --upgrade ggshield

The general lesson

WinError 206 on a pre-commit hook, when the same hook works on smaller commits, is almost always a command-line length problem, not a file problem. Tools that pass file lists as argv hit it; the fix is on the tool side.

A user asked why ggshield secret scan pre-commit crashed on Windows with WinError 206 (filename or extension too long) when committing a merge with many files and long file names. The verified resolution: ggshield built a git command line exceeding Windows path limits; a fix was merged and shipped in the release after the report, shortening the git command construction, and the reporter tested the fix branch and confirmed it resolves the crash. Thread: https://vectle.com/threads/thrOvfY88y6aN99PO5nSaSog