Git Status Not Refreshing Automatically in NetBeans 26 After File Changes

[codenlogn]

Apache NetBeans version

Apache NetBeans 26

What happened

In NetBeans version 26, the Git integration is no longer automatically detecting file changes. When I edit a file, it doesn’t immediately show as modified (with the usual color or status indicator) in the Projects or Files window. The status only updates after I click the Commit button or perform a manual Git action like Diff.

This issue did not exist in previous versions — Git status updates used to reflect in real-time upon saving changes. I rely on this behavior heavily while working on large PHP projects, and the lack of automatic updates makes it difficult to track modifications, increasing the risk of missing files during commits.

To clarify:

I am using NetBeans for large PHP projects in Windows 11, JDK 24.

Git is properly initialized and working.

Files are being saved correctly.

The issue is consistent across different projects.

File system monitoring seems functional otherwise.

This appears to be a regression in version 26. Please look into whether Git file status change detection has been altered or broken in this release.

Language / Project Type / NetBeans Component

PHP project

How to reproduce

• Open NetBeans 26.
• Open an existing PHP project that is already initialized with Git.
• Open any tracked file in the editor (e.g., a .php, .js, or .html file).
• Make some changes and save the file.

Observe that:
The file does not show any visual indication of being modified (no blue color or Git badge).
The Git status in the Projects, Files, or Versioning window remains unchanged.
Now, click on Git → Commit or Git → Diff from the menu.

After this manual action, the Git status is refreshed, and the file appears as modified.

This behavior can be reproduced with any Git-tracked file and persists across multiple large PHP projects. It used to work correctly in earlier versions of NetBeans.

Did this work correctly in an earlier version?

Apache NetBeans 24

Operating System

Windows 11

JDK

24

Apache NetBeans packaging

Apache NetBeans provided installer

Anything else

No response

Are you willing to submit a pull request?

No

[johntor]

I use Git all day and I have never seen something like this. I use java but for testing I cloned a php project and made the tests you describe. Everything is working as expected on my setup. I have Windows 11 and NB 27-rc2.

I would recommend clearing you cache to see if it helps.

C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Local\NetBeans\Cache

[codenlogn]

Yes, I’ve already tried clearing the cache and even did a complete reinstall. I also waited over 3 hours to let it finish background scanning of the projects. What size of project did you test on? I have around 10 large projects, and the one where I’m noticing the issue is about 1 GB in size with over 18,000 files.

[johntor]

Hello again my working projects are smaller than yours (about 500MB) and the php project I tested was no more than 30 files.
Why don't close the half of you projects to see if the problem remains? This way you can help developers to know the problem better if there is a limit. Also I would use two installations of NB to see how it goes. I know it is not perfect but it will help...

[codenlogn]

Yes, that trick seems to have worked! I’ve closed all other projects, and now only have one large project and one small one (with about 10–15 files) open. Git file status updates are now working correctly.

[johntor]

Good to hear that you can work again! You can try adding projects until the problem appears again so we can have an estimate and also you can try loading different projects in case there is something wrong with a specific project causing NB to stop working correctly.

[mbien]

since you mentioned that it worked for you on NB 24, did you test on NB 25 too?

NB 26 doesn't wait for the code scan anymore before the versioning info is refreshed (#8202).
Old behavior can be restored with -J-Dversioning.delayscan=true.

other than that not much else should have changed beside the jgit update https://github.com/apache/netbeans/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aclosed+label%3Agit+milestone%3ANB26

[codenlogn]

Thank you for looking into it. I’ve been neck-deep in my own work lately and haven’t had the time to dig in and identify the root cause. Just as an FYI, I had to switch back to NetBeans 25, close all other projects, and clear the cache—after that, things started running smoothly again and I’m back on the fast lane. Anyway, I really appreciate your help!