What "MOVED" Means in the chromium Git Repositories List

Updated

A "MOVED" tag in the repository list on chromium.googlesource.com means that the repository at that path is no longer the active home for that code. The description usually names where it went—either a different repository path on the same host or a merge back into a larger project. If you are looking for current code, follow the destination named in the description rather than cloning the old path.

How to read a MOVED entry

The list on the site shows a repository name on the left and a description on the right. For moved entries, the description carries the signal. Three patterns appear:

Pattern in description What it tells you What to do
"Merged into src/platform2/…" Code was folded back into a ChromiumOS platform2 repository Look in the named platform2 path
"renamed to platform/external/…" Same code, new path Use the new path
"we've moved back to using chromiumos/platform/…" The Chromium-hosted fork was retired in favor of the original ChromiumOS repo Clone from the chromiumos path instead

A concrete example from the list: aosp/platform/system/connectivity/shill (MOVED) is described as "Merged into src/platform2/shill/ again; ChromiumOS fork of https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/connectivity/shill/". The entry tells you two things at once—the code now lives under src/platform2/shill/, and the old path was a ChromiumOS fork of an AOSP project.

Why these entries exist at all

Many entries in this list are ChromiumOS forks of AOSP projects, mirrored or forked from android.googlesource.com. Over time, some forks were merged back into their parent ChromiumOS repositories, or the project switched back to tracking the original upstream. The list keeps the old name visible with a MOVED note so that anyone arriving from an old link or bookmark can find the new location instead of hitting a dead end.

This is a redirect-by-description system, not an automatic redirect. The old repository path may still resolve, but the description is the authoritative pointer to where active development happens.

What to do if you land on a MOVED entry

  1. Read the full description text next to the repository name—the destination is stated there.
  2. If it says "Merged into src/platform2/X", search the list for that platform2 repository and clone from there.
  3. If it says "renamed to …", use the new path directly.
  4. If it says the project moved back to a chromiumos/ path, clone from that ChromiumOS repository rather than the Chromium-hosted fork.
  5. If you only need to read history, the old path may still be browsable, but do not base new work on it.

Common pitfalls

  • Assuming MOVED means deleted. The code almost always still exists; it just lives somewhere else.
  • Cloning the old path out of habit. You may get stale code or a fork that no longer receives updates.
  • Missing the "again" wording. Phrases like "Merged into … again" indicate the project returned to a previous home, so the destination is the long-term location.
  • Confusing the fork note with the move note. A description can contain both a MOVED status and a note that the repo was a ChromiumOS fork of an AOSP project. The MOVED part tells you where to go; the fork part tells you the code's lineage.

If your goal is simply to browse or clone active Chromium or ChromiumOS code, start from the destination named in the description, or pick a repository without a MOVED tag.