Merge branch 'mh/ref-remove-empty-directory'

Deletion of a branch "foo/bar" could remove .git/refs/heads/foo
once there no longer is any other branch whose name begins with
"foo/", but we didn't do so so far.  Now we do.

* mh/ref-remove-empty-directory: (23 commits)
  files_transaction_commit(): clean up empty directories
  try_remove_empty_parents(): teach to remove parents of reflogs, too
  try_remove_empty_parents(): don't trash argument contents
  try_remove_empty_parents(): rename parameter "name" -> "refname"
  delete_ref_loose(): inline function
  delete_ref_loose(): derive loose reference path from lock
  log_ref_write_1(): inline function
  log_ref_setup(): manage the name of the reflog file internally
  log_ref_write_1(): don't depend on logfile argument
  log_ref_setup(): pass the open file descriptor back to the caller
  log_ref_setup(): improve robustness against races
  log_ref_setup(): separate code for create vs non-create
  log_ref_write(): inline function
  rename_tmp_log(): improve error reporting
  rename_tmp_log(): use raceproof_create_file()
  lock_ref_sha1_basic(): use raceproof_create_file()
  lock_ref_sha1_basic(): inline constant
  raceproof_create_file(): new function
  safe_create_leading_directories(): set errno on SCLD_EXISTS
  safe_create_leading_directories_const(): preserve errno
  ...

6 files changed, 351 insertions, 195 deletions

diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 61fc86e..80b6372 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -1072,8 +1072,9 @@ int adjust_shared_perm(const char *path);
 
 /*
  * Create the directory containing the named path, using care to be
- * somewhat safe against races.  Return one of the scld_error values
- * to indicate success/failure.
+ * somewhat safe against races. Return one of the scld_error values to
+ * indicate success/failure. On error, set errno to describe the
+ * problem.
  *
  * SCLD_VANISHED indicates that one of the ancestor directories of the
  * path existed at one point during the function call and then
@@ -1097,6 +1098,49 @@ enum scld_error {
 enum scld_error safe_create_leading_directories(char *path);
 enum scld_error safe_create_leading_directories_const(const char *path);
 
+/*
+ * Callback function for raceproof_create_file(). This function is
+ * expected to do something that makes dirname(path) permanent despite
+ * the fact that other processes might be cleaning up empty
+ * directories at the same time. Usually it will create a file named
+ * path, but alternatively it could create another file in that
+ * directory, or even chdir() into that directory. The function should
+ * return 0 if the action was completed successfully. On error, it
+ * should return a nonzero result and set errno.
+ * raceproof_create_file() treats two errno values specially:
+ *
+ * - ENOENT -- dirname(path) does not exist. In this case,
+ *             raceproof_create_file() tries creating dirname(path)
+ *             (and any parent directories, if necessary) and calls
+ *             the function again.
+ *
+ * - EISDIR -- the file already exists and is a directory. In this
+ *             case, raceproof_create_file() removes the directory if
+ *             it is empty (and recursively any empty directories that
+ *             it contains) and calls the function again.
+ *
+ * Any other errno causes raceproof_create_file() to fail with the
+ * callback's return value and errno.
+ *
+ * Obviously, this function should be OK with being called again if it
+ * fails with ENOENT or EISDIR. In other scenarios it will not be
+ * called again.
+ */
+typedef int create_file_fn(const char *path, void *cb);
+
+/*
+ * Create a file in dirname(path) by calling fn, creating leading
+ * directories if necessary. Retry a few times in case we are racing
+ * with another process that is trying to clean up the directory that
+ * contains path. See the documentation for create_file_fn for more
+ * details.
+ *
+ * Return the value and set the errno that resulted from the most
+ * recent call of fn. fn is always called at least once, and will be
+ * called more than once if it returns ENOENT or EISDIR.
+ */
+int raceproof_create_file(const char *path, create_file_fn fn, void *cb);
+
 int mkdir_in_gitdir(const char *path);
 extern char *expand_user_path(const char *path);
 const char *enter_repo(const char *path, int strict);
diff --git a/refs/files-backend.c b/refs/files-backend.c
index c041d4b..21e116d 100644
--- a/refs/files-backend.c
+++ b/refs/files-backend.c
@@ -1985,6 +1985,13 @@ static int remove_empty_directories(struct strbuf *path)
 	return remove_dir_recursively(path, REMOVE_DIR_EMPTY_ONLY);
 }
 
+static int create_reflock(const char *path, void *cb)
+{
+	struct lock_file *lk = cb;
+
+	return hold_lock_file_for_update(lk, path, LOCK_NO_DEREF) < 0 ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
 /*
  * Locks a ref returning the lock on success and NULL on failure.
  * On failure errno is set to something meaningful.
@@ -2000,10 +2007,8 @@ static struct ref_lock *lock_ref_sha1_basic(struct files_ref_store *refs,
 	struct strbuf ref_file = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct ref_lock *lock;
 	int last_errno = 0;
-	int lflags = LOCK_NO_DEREF;
 	int mustexist = (old_sha1 && !is_null_sha1(old_sha1));
 	int resolve_flags = RESOLVE_REF_NO_RECURSE;
-	int attempts_remaining = 3;
 	int resolved;
 
 	assert_main_repository(&refs->base, "lock_ref_sha1_basic");
@@ -2068,35 +2073,12 @@ static struct ref_lock *lock_ref_sha1_basic(struct files_ref_store *refs,
 
 	lock->ref_name = xstrdup(refname);
 
- retry:
-	switch (safe_create_leading_directories_const(ref_file.buf)) {
-	case SCLD_OK:
-		break; /* success */
-	case SCLD_VANISHED:
-		if (--attempts_remaining > 0)
-			goto retry;
-		/* fall through */
-	default:
+	if (raceproof_create_file(ref_file.buf, create_reflock, lock->lk)) {
 		last_errno = errno;
-		strbuf_addf(err, "unable to create directory for '%s'",
-			    ref_file.buf);
+		unable_to_lock_message(ref_file.buf, errno, err);
 		goto error_return;
 	}
 
-	if (hold_lock_file_for_update(lock->lk, ref_file.buf, lflags) < 0) {
-		last_errno = errno;
-		if (errno == ENOENT && --attempts_remaining > 0)
-			/*
-			 * Maybe somebody just deleted one of the
-			 * directories leading to ref_file.  Try
-			 * again:
-			 */
-			goto retry;
-		else {
-			unable_to_lock_message(ref_file.buf, errno, err);
-			goto error_return;
-		}
-	}
 	if (verify_lock(lock, old_sha1, mustexist, err)) {
 		last_errno = errno;
 		goto error_return;
@@ -2298,15 +2280,25 @@ static int pack_if_possible_fn(struct ref_entry *entry, void *cb_data)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+enum {
+	REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REF = 0x01,
+	REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REFLOG = 0x02
+};
+
 /*
- * Remove empty parents, but spare refs/ and immediate subdirs.
- * Note: munges *name.
+ * Remove empty parent directories associated with the specified
+ * reference and/or its reflog, but spare [logs/]refs/ and immediate
+ * subdirs. flags is a combination of REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REF and/or
+ * REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REFLOG.
  */
-static void try_remove_empty_parents(char *name)
+static void try_remove_empty_parents(const char *refname, unsigned int flags)
 {
+	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
 	char *p, *q;
 	int i;
-	p = name;
+
+	strbuf_addstr(&buf, refname);
+	p = buf.buf;
 	for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) { /* refs/{heads,tags,...}/ */
 		while (*p && *p != '/')
 			p++;
@@ -2314,19 +2306,23 @@ static void try_remove_empty_parents(char *name)
 		while (*p == '/')
 			p++;
 	}
-	for (q = p; *q; q++)
-		;
-	while (1) {
+	q = buf.buf + buf.len;
+	while (flags & (REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REF | REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REFLOG)) {
 		while (q > p && *q != '/')
 			q--;
 		while (q > p && *(q-1) == '/')
 			q--;
 		if (q == p)
 			break;
-		*q = '\0';
-		if (rmdir(git_path("%s", name)))
-			break;
+		strbuf_setlen(&buf, q - buf.buf);
+		if ((flags & REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REF) &&
+		    rmdir(git_path("%s", buf.buf)))
+			flags &= ~REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REF;
+		if ((flags & REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REFLOG) &&
+		    rmdir(git_path("logs/%s", buf.buf)))
+			flags &= ~REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REFLOG;
 	}
+	strbuf_release(&buf);
 }
 
 /* make sure nobody touched the ref, and unlink */
@@ -2350,7 +2346,6 @@ static void prune_ref(struct ref_to_prune *r)
 	}
 	ref_transaction_free(transaction);
 	strbuf_release(&err);
-	try_remove_empty_parents(r->name);
 }
 
 static void prune_refs(struct ref_to_prune *r)
@@ -2439,24 +2434,6 @@ static int repack_without_refs(struct files_ref_store *refs,
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static int delete_ref_loose(struct ref_lock *lock, int flag, struct strbuf *err)
-{
-	assert(err);
-
-	if (!(flag & REF_ISPACKED) || flag & REF_ISSYMREF) {
-		/*
-		 * loose.  The loose file name is the same as the
-		 * lockfile name, minus ".lock":
-		 */
-		char *loose_filename = get_locked_file_path(lock->lk);
-		int res = unlink_or_msg(loose_filename, err);
-		free(loose_filename);
-		if (res)
-			return 1;
-	}
-	return 0;
-}
-
 static int files_delete_refs(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 			     struct string_list *refnames, unsigned int flags)
 {
@@ -2507,55 +2484,43 @@ out:
  */
 #define TMP_RENAMED_LOG  "logs/refs/.tmp-renamed-log"
 
-static int rename_tmp_log(const char *newrefname)
+static int rename_tmp_log_callback(const char *path, void *cb)
 {
-	int attempts_remaining = 4;
-	struct strbuf path = STRBUF_INIT;
-	int ret = -1;
+	int *true_errno = cb;
 
- retry:
-	strbuf_reset(&path);
-	strbuf_git_path(&path, "logs/%s", newrefname);
-	switch (safe_create_leading_directories_const(path.buf)) {
-	case SCLD_OK:
-		break; /* success */
-	case SCLD_VANISHED:
-		if (--attempts_remaining > 0)
-			goto retry;
-		/* fall through */
-	default:
-		error("unable to create directory for %s", newrefname);
-		goto out;
+	if (rename(git_path(TMP_RENAMED_LOG), path)) {
+		/*
+		 * rename(a, b) when b is an existing directory ought
+		 * to result in ISDIR, but Solaris 5.8 gives ENOTDIR.
+		 * Sheesh. Record the true errno for error reporting,
+		 * but report EISDIR to raceproof_create_file() so
+		 * that it knows to retry.
+		 */
+		*true_errno = errno;
+		if (errno == ENOTDIR)
+			errno = EISDIR;
+		return -1;
+	} else {
+		return 0;
 	}
+}
 
-	if (rename(git_path(TMP_RENAMED_LOG), path.buf)) {
-		if ((errno==EISDIR || errno==ENOTDIR) && --attempts_remaining > 0) {
-			/*
-			 * rename(a, b) when b is an existing
-			 * directory ought to result in ISDIR, but
-			 * Solaris 5.8 gives ENOTDIR.  Sheesh.
-			 */
-			if (remove_empty_directories(&path)) {
-				error("Directory not empty: logs/%s", newrefname);
-				goto out;
-			}
-			goto retry;
-		} else if (errno == ENOENT && --attempts_remaining > 0) {
-			/*
-			 * Maybe another process just deleted one of
-			 * the directories in the path to newrefname.
-			 * Try again from the beginning.
-			 */
-			goto retry;
-		} else {
-			error("unable to move logfile "TMP_RENAMED_LOG" to logs/%s: %s",
-				newrefname, strerror(errno));
-			goto out;
-		}
+static int rename_tmp_log(const char *newrefname)
+{
+	char *path = git_pathdup("logs/%s", newrefname);
+	int ret, true_errno;
+
+	ret = raceproof_create_file(path, rename_tmp_log_callback, &true_errno);
+	if (ret) {
+		if (errno == EISDIR)
+			error("directory not empty: %s", path);
+		else
+			error("unable to move logfile %s to %s: %s",
+			      git_path(TMP_RENAMED_LOG), path,
+			      strerror(true_errno));
 	}
-	ret = 0;
-out:
-	strbuf_release(&path);
+
+	free(path);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -2631,7 +2596,7 @@ static int files_rename_ref(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 	if (!read_ref_full(newrefname, RESOLVE_REF_READING | RESOLVE_REF_NO_RECURSE,
 			   sha1, NULL) &&
 	    delete_ref(newrefname, NULL, REF_NODEREF)) {
-		if (errno==EISDIR) {
+		if (errno == EISDIR) {
 			struct strbuf path = STRBUF_INIT;
 			int result;
 
@@ -2740,66 +2705,89 @@ static int commit_ref(struct ref_lock *lock)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int open_or_create_logfile(const char *path, void *cb)
+{
+	int *fd = cb;
+
+	*fd = open(path, O_APPEND | O_WRONLY | O_CREAT, 0666);
+	return (*fd < 0) ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
 /*
- * Create a reflog for a ref.  If force_create = 0, the reflog will
- * only be created for certain refs (those for which
- * should_autocreate_reflog returns non-zero.  Otherwise, create it
- * regardless of the ref name.  Fill in *err and return -1 on failure.
+ * Create a reflog for a ref. If force_create = 0, only create the
+ * reflog for certain refs (those for which should_autocreate_reflog
+ * returns non-zero). Otherwise, create it regardless of the reference
+ * name. If the logfile already existed or was created, return 0 and
+ * set *logfd to the file descriptor opened for appending to the file.
+ * If no logfile exists and we decided not to create one, return 0 and
+ * set *logfd to -1. On failure, fill in *err, set *logfd to -1, and
+ * return -1.
  */
-static int log_ref_setup(const char *refname, struct strbuf *logfile, struct strbuf *err, int force_create)
+static int log_ref_setup(const char *refname, int force_create,
+			 int *logfd, struct strbuf *err)
 {
-	int logfd, oflags = O_APPEND | O_WRONLY;
+	char *logfile = git_pathdup("logs/%s", refname);
 
-	strbuf_git_path(logfile, "logs/%s", refname);
 	if (force_create || should_autocreate_reflog(refname)) {
-		if (safe_create_leading_directories(logfile->buf) < 0) {
-			strbuf_addf(err, "unable to create directory for '%s': "
-				    "%s", logfile->buf, strerror(errno));
-			return -1;
-		}
-		oflags |= O_CREAT;
-	}
-
-	logfd = open(logfile->buf, oflags, 0666);
-	if (logfd < 0) {
-		if (!(oflags & O_CREAT) && (errno == ENOENT || errno == EISDIR))
-			return 0;
+		if (raceproof_create_file(logfile, open_or_create_logfile, logfd)) {
+			if (errno == ENOENT)
+				strbuf_addf(err, "unable to create directory for '%s': "
+					    "%s", logfile, strerror(errno));
+			else if (errno == EISDIR)
+				strbuf_addf(err, "there are still logs under '%s'",
+					    logfile);
+			else
+				strbuf_addf(err, "unable to append to '%s': %s",
+					    logfile, strerror(errno));
 
-		if (errno == EISDIR) {
-			if (remove_empty_directories(logfile)) {
-				strbuf_addf(err, "there are still logs under "
-					    "'%s'", logfile->buf);
-				return -1;
-			}
-			logfd = open(logfile->buf, oflags, 0666);
+			goto error;
 		}
-
-		if (logfd < 0) {
-			strbuf_addf(err, "unable to append to '%s': %s",
-				    logfile->buf, strerror(errno));
-			return -1;
+	} else {
+		*logfd = open(logfile, O_APPEND | O_WRONLY, 0666);
+		if (*logfd < 0) {
+			if (errno == ENOENT || errno == EISDIR) {
+				/*
+				 * The logfile doesn't already exist,
+				 * but that is not an error; it only
+				 * means that we won't write log
+				 * entries to it.
+				 */
+				;
+			} else {
+				strbuf_addf(err, "unable to append to '%s': %s",
+					    logfile, strerror(errno));
+				goto error;
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
-	adjust_shared_perm(logfile->buf);
-	close(logfd);
+	if (*logfd >= 0)
+		adjust_shared_perm(logfile);
+
+	free(logfile);
 	return 0;
-}
 
+error:
+	free(logfile);
+	return -1;
+}
 
 static int files_create_reflog(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 			       const char *refname, int force_create,
 			       struct strbuf *err)
 {
-	int ret;
-	struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
+	int fd;
 
 	/* Check validity (but we don't need the result): */
 	files_downcast(ref_store, 0, "create_reflog");
 
-	ret = log_ref_setup(refname, &sb, err, force_create);
-	strbuf_release(&sb);
-	return ret;
+	if (log_ref_setup(refname, force_create, &fd, err))
+		return -1;
+
+	if (fd >= 0)
+		close(fd);
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static int log_ref_write_fd(int fd, const unsigned char *old_sha1,
@@ -2828,59 +2816,43 @@ static int log_ref_write_fd(int fd, const unsigned char *old_sha1,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int log_ref_write_1(const char *refname, const unsigned char *old_sha1,
-			   const unsigned char *new_sha1, const char *msg,
-			   struct strbuf *logfile, int flags,
-			   struct strbuf *err)
+int files_log_ref_write(const char *refname, const unsigned char *old_sha1,
+			const unsigned char *new_sha1, const char *msg,
+			int flags, struct strbuf *err)
 {
-	int logfd, result, oflags = O_APPEND | O_WRONLY;
+	int logfd, result;
 
 	if (log_all_ref_updates == LOG_REFS_UNSET)
 		log_all_ref_updates = is_bare_repository() ? LOG_REFS_NONE : LOG_REFS_NORMAL;
 
-	result = log_ref_setup(refname, logfile, err, flags & REF_FORCE_CREATE_REFLOG);
+	result = log_ref_setup(refname, flags & REF_FORCE_CREATE_REFLOG,
+			       &logfd, err);
 
 	if (result)
 		return result;
 
-	logfd = open(logfile->buf, oflags);
 	if (logfd < 0)
 		return 0;
 	result = log_ref_write_fd(logfd, old_sha1, new_sha1,
 				  git_committer_info(0), msg);
 	if (result) {
-		strbuf_addf(err, "unable to append to '%s': %s", logfile->buf,
-			    strerror(errno));
+		int save_errno = errno;
+
+		strbuf_addf(err, "unable to append to '%s': %s",
+			    git_path("logs/%s", refname), strerror(save_errno));
 		close(logfd);
 		return -1;
 	}
 	if (close(logfd)) {
-		strbuf_addf(err, "unable to append to '%s': %s", logfile->buf,
-			    strerror(errno));
+		int save_errno = errno;
+
+		strbuf_addf(err, "unable to append to '%s': %s",
+			    git_path("logs/%s", refname), strerror(save_errno));
 		return -1;
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int log_ref_write(const char *refname, const unsigned char *old_sha1,
-			 const unsigned char *new_sha1, const char *msg,
-			 int flags, struct strbuf *err)
-{
-	return files_log_ref_write(refname, old_sha1, new_sha1, msg, flags,
-				   err);
-}
-
-int files_log_ref_write(const char *refname, const unsigned char *old_sha1,
-			const unsigned char *new_sha1, const char *msg,
-			int flags, struct strbuf *err)
-{
-	struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
-	int ret = log_ref_write_1(refname, old_sha1, new_sha1, msg, &sb, flags,
-				  err);
-	strbuf_release(&sb);
-	return ret;
-}
-
 /*
  * Write sha1 into the open lockfile, then close the lockfile. On
  * errors, rollback the lockfile, fill in *err and
@@ -2933,7 +2905,8 @@ static int commit_ref_update(struct files_ref_store *refs,
 	assert_main_repository(&refs->base, "commit_ref_update");
 
 	clear_loose_ref_cache(refs);
-	if (log_ref_write(lock->ref_name, lock->old_oid.hash, sha1, logmsg, 0, err)) {
+	if (files_log_ref_write(lock->ref_name, lock->old_oid.hash, sha1,
+				logmsg, 0, err)) {
 		char *old_msg = strbuf_detach(err, NULL);
 		strbuf_addf(err, "cannot update the ref '%s': %s",
 			    lock->ref_name, old_msg);
@@ -2964,7 +2937,7 @@ static int commit_ref_update(struct files_ref_store *refs,
 		if (head_ref && (head_flag & REF_ISSYMREF) &&
 		    !strcmp(head_ref, lock->ref_name)) {
 			struct strbuf log_err = STRBUF_INIT;
-			if (log_ref_write("HEAD", lock->old_oid.hash, sha1,
+			if (files_log_ref_write("HEAD", lock->old_oid.hash, sha1,
 					  logmsg, 0, &log_err)) {
 				error("%s", log_err.buf);
 				strbuf_release(&log_err);
@@ -3003,7 +2976,8 @@ static void update_symref_reflog(struct ref_lock *lock, const char *refname,
 	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
 	unsigned char new_sha1[20];
 	if (logmsg && !read_ref(target, new_sha1) &&
-	    log_ref_write(refname, lock->old_oid.hash, new_sha1, logmsg, 0, &err)) {
+	    files_log_ref_write(refname, lock->old_oid.hash, new_sha1,
+				logmsg, 0, &err)) {
 		error("%s", err.buf);
 		strbuf_release(&err);
 	}
@@ -3778,9 +3752,11 @@ static int files_transaction_commit(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 
 		if (update->flags & REF_NEEDS_COMMIT ||
 		    update->flags & REF_LOG_ONLY) {
-			if (log_ref_write(lock->ref_name, lock->old_oid.hash,
-					  update->new_sha1,
-					  update->msg, update->flags, err)) {
+			if (files_log_ref_write(lock->ref_name,
+						lock->old_oid.hash,
+						update->new_sha1,
+						update->msg, update->flags,
+						err)) {
 				char *old_msg = strbuf_detach(err, NULL);
 
 				strbuf_addf(err, "cannot update the ref '%s': %s",
@@ -3810,9 +3786,14 @@ static int files_transaction_commit(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 
 		if (update->flags & REF_DELETING &&
 		    !(update->flags & REF_LOG_ONLY)) {
-			if (delete_ref_loose(lock, update->type, err)) {
-				ret = TRANSACTION_GENERIC_ERROR;
-				goto cleanup;
+			if (!(update->type & REF_ISPACKED) ||
+			    update->type & REF_ISSYMREF) {
+				/* It is a loose reference. */
+				if (unlink_or_msg(git_path("%s", lock->ref_name), err)) {
+					ret = TRANSACTION_GENERIC_ERROR;
+					goto cleanup;
+				}
+				update->flags |= REF_DELETED_LOOSE;
 			}
 
 			if (!(update->flags & REF_ISPRUNING))
@@ -3825,16 +3806,38 @@ static int files_transaction_commit(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 		ret = TRANSACTION_GENERIC_ERROR;
 		goto cleanup;
 	}
-	for_each_string_list_item(ref_to_delete, &refs_to_delete)
-		unlink_or_warn(git_path("logs/%s", ref_to_delete->string));
+
+	/* Delete the reflogs of any references that were deleted: */
+	for_each_string_list_item(ref_to_delete, &refs_to_delete) {
+		if (!unlink_or_warn(git_path("logs/%s", ref_to_delete->string)))
+			try_remove_empty_parents(ref_to_delete->string,
+						 REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REFLOG);
+	}
+
 	clear_loose_ref_cache(refs);
 
 cleanup:
 	transaction->state = REF_TRANSACTION_CLOSED;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < transaction->nr; i++)
-		if (transaction->updates[i]->backend_data)
-			unlock_ref(transaction->updates[i]->backend_data);
+	for (i = 0; i < transaction->nr; i++) {
+		struct ref_update *update = transaction->updates[i];
+		struct ref_lock *lock = update->backend_data;
+
+		if (lock)
+			unlock_ref(lock);
+
+		if (update->flags & REF_DELETED_LOOSE) {
+			/*
+			 * The loose reference was deleted. Delete any
+			 * empty parent directories. (Note that this
+			 * can only work because we have already
+			 * removed the lockfile.)
+			 */
+			try_remove_empty_parents(update->refname,
+						 REMOVE_EMPTY_PARENTS_REF);
+		}
+	}
+
 	string_list_clear(&refs_to_delete, 0);
 	free(head_ref);
 	string_list_clear(&affected_refnames, 0);
diff --git a/refs/refs-internal.h b/refs/refs-internal.h
index 25444cf..611ab5b 100644
--- a/refs/refs-internal.h
+++ b/refs/refs-internal.h
@@ -56,17 +56,24 @@
 #define REF_UPDATE_VIA_HEAD 0x100
 
 /*
+ * Used as a flag in ref_update::flags when the loose reference has
+ * been deleted.
+ */
+#define REF_DELETED_LOOSE 0x200
+
+/*
  * Return true iff refname is minimally safe. "Safe" here means that
  * deleting a loose reference by this name will not do any damage, for
  * example by causing a file that is not a reference to be deleted.
  * This function does not check that the reference name is legal; for
  * that, use check_refname_format().
  *
- * We consider a refname that starts with "refs/" to be safe as long
- * as any ".." components that it might contain do not escape "refs/".
- * Names that do not start with "refs/" are considered safe iff they
- * consist entirely of upper case characters and '_' (like "HEAD" and
- * "MERGE_HEAD" but not "config" or "FOO/BAR").
+ * A refname that starts with "refs/" is considered safe iff it
+ * doesn't contain any "." or ".." components or consecutive '/'
+ * characters, end with '/', or (on Windows) contain any '\'
+ * characters. Names that do not start with "refs/" are considered
+ * safe iff they consist entirely of upper case characters and '_'
+ * (like "HEAD" and "MERGE_HEAD" but not "config" or "FOO/BAR").
  */
 int refname_is_safe(const char *refname);
 
@@ -155,8 +162,9 @@ struct ref_update {
 
 	/*
 	 * One or more of REF_HAVE_NEW, REF_HAVE_OLD, REF_NODEREF,
-	 * REF_DELETING, REF_ISPRUNING, REF_LOG_ONLY, and
-	 * REF_UPDATE_VIA_HEAD:
+	 * REF_DELETING, REF_ISPRUNING, REF_LOG_ONLY,
+	 * REF_UPDATE_VIA_HEAD, REF_NEEDS_COMMIT, and
+	 * REF_DELETED_LOOSE:
 	 */
 	unsigned int flags;
 
diff --git a/sha1_file.c b/sha1_file.c
index ec957db..6628f06 100644
--- a/sha1_file.c
+++ b/sha1_file.c
@@ -129,8 +129,10 @@ enum scld_error safe_create_leading_directories(char *path)
 		*slash = '\0';
 		if (!stat(path, &st)) {
 			/* path exists */
-			if (!S_ISDIR(st.st_mode))
+			if (!S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
+				errno = ENOTDIR;
 				ret = SCLD_EXISTS;
+			}
 		} else if (mkdir(path, 0777)) {
 			if (errno == EEXIST &&
 			    !stat(path, &st) && S_ISDIR(st.st_mode))
@@ -158,13 +160,85 @@ enum scld_error safe_create_leading_directories(char *path)
 
 enum scld_error safe_create_leading_directories_const(const char *path)
 {
+	int save_errno;
 	/* path points to cache entries, so xstrdup before messing with it */
 	char *buf = xstrdup(path);
 	enum scld_error result = safe_create_leading_directories(buf);
+
+	save_errno = errno;
 	free(buf);
+	errno = save_errno;
 	return result;
 }
 
+int raceproof_create_file(const char *path, create_file_fn fn, void *cb)
+{
+	/*
+	 * The number of times we will try to remove empty directories
+	 * in the way of path. This is only 1 because if another
+	 * process is racily creating directories that conflict with
+	 * us, we don't want to fight against them.
+	 */
+	int remove_directories_remaining = 1;
+
+	/*
+	 * The number of times that we will try to create the
+	 * directories containing path. We are willing to attempt this
+	 * more than once, because another process could be trying to
+	 * clean up empty directories at the same time as we are
+	 * trying to create them.
+	 */
+	int create_directories_remaining = 3;
+
+	/* A scratch copy of path, filled lazily if we need it: */
+	struct strbuf path_copy = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+	int ret, save_errno;
+
+	/* Sanity check: */
+	assert(*path);
+
+retry_fn:
+	ret = fn(path, cb);
+	save_errno = errno;
+	if (!ret)
+		goto out;
+
+	if (errno == EISDIR && remove_directories_remaining-- > 0) {
+		/*
+		 * A directory is in the way. Maybe it is empty; try
+		 * to remove it:
+		 */
+		if (!path_copy.len)
+			strbuf_addstr(&path_copy, path);
+
+		if (!remove_dir_recursively(&path_copy, REMOVE_DIR_EMPTY_ONLY))
+			goto retry_fn;
+	} else if (errno == ENOENT && create_directories_remaining-- > 0) {
+		/*
+		 * Maybe the containing directory didn't exist, or
+		 * maybe it was just deleted by a process that is
+		 * racing with us to clean up empty directories. Try
+		 * to create it:
+		 */
+		enum scld_error scld_result;
+
+		if (!path_copy.len)
+			strbuf_addstr(&path_copy, path);
+
+		do {
+			scld_result = safe_create_leading_directories(path_copy.buf);
+			if (scld_result == SCLD_OK)
+				goto retry_fn;
+		} while (scld_result == SCLD_VANISHED && create_directories_remaining-- > 0);
+	}
+
+out:
+	strbuf_release(&path_copy);
+	errno = save_errno;
+	return ret;
+}
+
 static void fill_sha1_path(struct strbuf *buf, const unsigned char *sha1)
 {
 	int i;
diff --git a/t/t1400-update-ref.sh b/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
index b0ffc0b..e208009 100755
--- a/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
+++ b/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
@@ -256,6 +256,33 @@ test_expect_success \
 	 git update-ref HEAD'" $A &&
 	 test $A"' = $(cat .git/'"$m"')'
 
+test_expect_success "empty directory removal" '
+	git branch d1/d2/r1 HEAD &&
+	git branch d1/r2 HEAD &&
+	test -f .git/refs/heads/d1/d2/r1 &&
+	test -f .git/logs/refs/heads/d1/d2/r1 &&
+	git branch -d d1/d2/r1 &&
+	! test -e .git/refs/heads/d1/d2 &&
+	! test -e .git/logs/refs/heads/d1/d2 &&
+	test -f .git/refs/heads/d1/r2 &&
+	test -f .git/logs/refs/heads/d1/r2
+'
+
+test_expect_success "symref empty directory removal" '
+	git branch e1/e2/r1 HEAD &&
+	git branch e1/r2 HEAD &&
+	git checkout e1/e2/r1 &&
+	test_when_finished "git checkout master" &&
+	test -f .git/refs/heads/e1/e2/r1 &&
+	test -f .git/logs/refs/heads/e1/e2/r1 &&
+	git update-ref -d HEAD &&
+	! test -e .git/refs/heads/e1/e2 &&
+	! test -e .git/logs/refs/heads/e1/e2 &&
+	test -f .git/refs/heads/e1/r2 &&
+	test -f .git/logs/refs/heads/e1/r2 &&
+	test -f .git/logs/HEAD
+'
+
 cat >expect <<EOF
 $Z $A $GIT_COMMITTER_NAME <$GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL> 1117150200 +0000	Initial Creation
 $A $B $GIT_COMMITTER_NAME <$GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL> 1117150260 +0000	Switch
diff --git a/t/t5505-remote.sh b/t/t5505-remote.sh
index ba46e86..535d53f 100755
--- a/t/t5505-remote.sh
+++ b/t/t5505-remote.sh
@@ -725,7 +725,7 @@ test_expect_success 'rename a remote' '
 	(
 		cd four &&
 		git remote rename origin upstream &&
-		rmdir .git/refs/remotes/origin &&
+		test -z "$(git for-each-ref refs/remotes/origin)" &&
 		test "$(git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/upstream/HEAD)" = "refs/remotes/upstream/master" &&
 		test "$(git rev-parse upstream/master)" = "$(git rev-parse master)" &&
 		test "$(git config remote.upstream.fetch)" = "+refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/upstream/*" &&