diff --git a/crates/fs/src/fs.rs b/crates/fs/src/fs.rs
index 6c7074d2139068d2ea581ea6343de4d4c1f09030..311992d20d9947d189ff5026a73620090a8579c4 100644
--- a/crates/fs/src/fs.rs
+++ b/crates/fs/src/fs.rs
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ pub trait Fs: Send + Sync {
         &self,
         abs_dot_git: &Path,
         system_git_binary_path: Option<&Path>,
-    ) -> Option<Arc<dyn GitRepository>>;
+    ) -> Result<Arc<dyn GitRepository>>;
     async fn git_init(&self, abs_work_directory: &Path, fallback_branch_name: String)
     -> Result<()>;
     async fn git_clone(&self, repo_url: &str, abs_work_directory: &Path) -> Result<()>;
@@ -1149,8 +1149,8 @@ impl Fs for RealFs {
         &self,
         dotgit_path: &Path,
         system_git_binary_path: Option<&Path>,
-    ) -> Option<Arc<dyn GitRepository>> {
-        Some(Arc::new(RealGitRepository::new(
+    ) -> Result<Arc<dyn GitRepository>> {
+        Ok(Arc::new(RealGitRepository::new(
             dotgit_path,
             self.bundled_git_binary_path.clone(),
             system_git_binary_path.map(|path| path.to_path_buf()),
@@ -2866,9 +2866,7 @@ impl Fs for FakeFs {
         &self,
         abs_dot_git: &Path,
         _system_git_binary: Option<&Path>,
-    ) -> Option<Arc<dyn GitRepository>> {
-        use util::ResultExt as _;
-
+    ) -> Result<Arc<dyn GitRepository>> {
         self.with_git_state_and_paths(
             abs_dot_git,
             false,
@@ -2884,7 +2882,6 @@ impl Fs for FakeFs {
                 }) as _
             },
         )
-        .log_err()
     }
 
     async fn git_init(
diff --git a/crates/git/src/commit.rs b/crates/git/src/commit.rs
index a9c9ee633b1892fa4b7fd8d80f3ede44178aa0b2..50b62fa506bc31c0f4e2b3bedefc46cef415143b 100644
--- a/crates/git/src/commit.rs
+++ b/crates/git/src/commit.rs
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ async fn get_messages_impl(git: &GitBinary, shas: &[Oid]) -> Result<Vec<String>>
     anyhow::ensure!(
         output.status.success(),
         "'git show' failed with error {:?}",
-        output.status
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr)
     );
     Ok(String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout)
         .trim()
diff --git a/crates/git/src/repository.rs b/crates/git/src/repository.rs
index 37523672e382d7b2bb6e1da25f1c40fc2d01c0b1..094e634c7ff9265ef60ad0a3b892ef1eebdbad4e 100644
--- a/crates/git/src/repository.rs
+++ b/crates/git/src/repository.rs
@@ -1000,11 +1000,18 @@ impl RealGitRepository {
         bundled_git_binary_path: Option<PathBuf>,
         system_git_binary_path: Option<PathBuf>,
         executor: BackgroundExecutor,
-    ) -> Option<Self> {
-        let any_git_binary_path = system_git_binary_path.clone().or(bundled_git_binary_path)?;
-        let workdir_root = dotgit_path.parent()?;
-        let repository = git2::Repository::open(workdir_root).log_err()?;
-        Some(Self {
+    ) -> Result<Self> {
+        let any_git_binary_path = system_git_binary_path
+            .clone()
+            .or(bundled_git_binary_path)
+            .context("no git binary available")?;
+        log::info!(
+            "opening git repository at {dotgit_path:?} using git binary {any_git_binary_path:?}"
+        );
+        let workdir_root = dotgit_path.parent().context(".git has no parent")?;
+        let repository =
+            git2::Repository::open(workdir_root).context("creating libgit2 repository")?;
+        Ok(Self {
             repository: Arc::new(Mutex::new(repository)),
             system_git_binary_path,
             any_git_binary_path,