Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-29

How to Fix: git add . fails with Gradle fileContent.lock failed to insert into database

Git add . fails with Gradle fileContent.lock failed to insert into database and permission denied

Quick Answer: Run the command with administrator privileges or change the ownership of the .gradle-user directory to your user account.

The issue you're facing, 'git add .' failing with Gradle fileContent.lock failed to insert into database and permission denied', can be resolved by understanding the role of Gradle's fileContent.lock in your Android project. This lock file is used for dependency management and caching.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • Gradle's fileContent.lock is often located in a directory that the Git user account doesn't have write permissions to.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Method 1: Git Configuration

  1. Step 1: Open your terminal and run the command `git config --global user.name 'your_username'` to set your username.

Method 2: Change Permissions

  1. Step 1: Navigate to the .gradle directory using `cd .gradle-user/caches/9.3.1/` and run `icacls fileContent.lock /inheritance:r` to change the permissions of the fileContent.lock.

✨ Wrapping Up

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'git add .' failure and successfully commit changes in your Android project.

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