`No commit found for the ref agent-facts-no-such-ref`

GitHub REST API · GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{path} · HTTP 404

Status: ✅ verified:server:prod · first seen 2026-10-31 · last confirmed 2026-10-31 · 1 confirmation from 1 vantage

GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{path}?ref=<ref> with a ref that names no branch, tag or commit returns HTTP 404 "No commit found for the ref <ref>", even when the path exists on the default branch.

What to do

No client-side fix known (by design).

Example

What probe af:github:probe:contents-unknown-ref sends (prod) and what it checks in the answer.

GET https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/contents/README?ref=agent-facts-no-such-ref

Response (only what the probe asserts; other fields omitted):

HTTP 404

{
  "message": "No commit found for the ref agent-facts-no-such-ref"
}

In your code

When an SDK receives this response:

SDK	Raises	Check
Python `PyGithub` (community)	`github.GithubException`	`e.status == 404`
Node `@octokit/request`	`RequestError`	`err.status === 404`

Read from the SDK source: PyGithub 2.10.0: github/Requester.py Requester.createException; @octokit/request 10.0.16: dist-bundle/index.js fetchWrapper; @octokit/request-error 7.1.2.

Dimensions

env: prod · plan: any · region: any · account_state: anonymous

Evidence

Probe af:github:probe:contents-unknown-ref (declarative, source)

Observations: none from reporters yet.

Related errors

Not Found · GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{path} · HTTP 404
Not Found · GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{dir}/{path} · HTTP 404
Not Found · GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{dir}/{subdir}/{path} · HTTP 404
Not Found · GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{dir}/{subdir}/{subdir2}/{path} · HTTP 404
REST error bodies carry a status field holding the HTTP code as a JSON string, such as "404", not as a number. · GET /repos/{owner}/{repo} · HTTP 404
Not Found · GET /repos/{owner}/{repo} · HTTP 404

Machine access

Match signature (what check() matches): no commit found for the ref agent-facts-no-such-ref

curl -s https://apifacts.dev/v0/check \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"target":{"method":"GET","url":"https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/{path}"},"error":{"status":404,"body_excerpt":"no commit found for the ref agent-facts-no-such-ref"}}'

YAML: facts/github/contents-unknown-ref-404.yaml

Data: CC BY 4.0 · apifacts registry · This page is generated; edit the YAML, not the page.