What steps will reproduce the problem?

+    ```~/``` is tracked by git and git annex
+    ```~/text/books/foo``` is annexed
+    ```~/books``` is a symlink to ```text/books```
+    from ```~/``` execute: ```git annex unlock books/foo```
+    which returns immediately with zero exit code and does not unlock foo.

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

+    I expect ```~/text/books/foo`` to be unlocked

+    I think ```git annex unlock``` should resolve the symlinks and realize that this is a tracked file.

What version of git-annex are you using? On what operating system?

+    3.20121112 in debian unstable

Please provide any additional information below.

+    I can unlock foo if I provide the full path, eg:
from ```~/``` execute: ```git annex unlock text/books/foo```

+    Interestingly, the following _does_ successfully unlock the file: ```cd ~/books && git annex unlock foo```

     So it seems that symlinks in $PWD are being resolved, but not those in file paths passed as arguments.

Thank you, thank you!

      - Jason

jason@jasonwoof.com

> I'm afraid this is not a bug. Here's why: If you run "git mv books/foo
> books/bar", git will complain:
>
>> fatal: not under version control, source=books/foo, destination=books/bar
>
> So git-annex is just following git's lead (indeed, it's just running
> `git ls-files` to find files to act on), and git doesn't
> recognise this path as a file that's in git. --[[Joey]] 

+    Also, I think ```git annex unlock``` should emit an error message if a file explicitly addressed on the commandline can not be acted upon.

> I'm beginning to think perhaps it should. Users seem to find the current
> behavior to be sometimes confusing.
> 
> However, it's actually a very difficult change to make. Several commands
> have multiple seek stages that act on different types of files, so
> any warning printed by an earlier stage may be premature if a later
> stage comes along and deals with a file. --[[Joey]]

>> Figured out a non-invasive way to add that warning. [[done]] --[[Joey]]