Why “Something went wrong…” Always Appears on GitHub Mobile (And Why You Can Ignore It)

Introduction

When navigating folder structures in the GitHub Mobile app (iOS / Android), you might encounter this error message almost every time:

Something went wrong while executing your query. This may be the result of a timeout, or it could be a GitHub bug. Please include 'XXXX:XXXX…' when reporting this issue.

Despite the alarming message, the content usually appears normally after a split second or a quick reload.

You might wonder, "Is my internet connection bad?" or "Is the repository broken?" The short answer is: No. This is a known bug (or quirk) in the GitHub app, and you can safely ignore it.

The Cause: GraphQL Timeouts and Optimistic UI

The root cause lies in how the GitHub Mobile app fetches data.

1. Heavy Queries: When you open a folder, the app sends a complex "GraphQL query" to fetch everything at once: the file list (tree), latest commit info, permissions, etc.
2. The 10-Second Limit: GitHub's API has a strict limit where queries taking longer than 10 seconds are timed out. Deep folder structures or repositories with many files often hit this limit.
3. Premature Error Display: The app immediately reports the initial failure to the user, resulting in the red error banner.
4. Silent Success: In the background, the app retries or fetches the data in chunks. This second attempt usually succeeds, which is why the files suddenly appear despite the error message.

A Known Issue Since 2022

This behavior has been reported in the GitHub Community since at least 2022.

Something went wrong while executing your query. This may be the result of a timeout #24631

GitHub Support has acknowledged that this is due to query timeouts and the need to break down requests. However, because the data is not corrupted and the content eventually loads, it remains a low-priority issue that hasn't been fixed.

Solution: Just Ignore It

The best solution is to ignore it.

• ❌ Reinstalling the app won't fix it.
• ❌ Switching to better Wi-Fi won't fix it.
• ❌ Changing repository settings won't fix it.

This error does not mean your repository is broken or that you lack permissions. Just think of it as the app being a bit too impatient. Give it a second, and your files will be there.

Summary

• The error when navigating folders in GitHub Mobile is a known bug/quirk.
• It's caused by API timeouts and the app's UI timing.
• The data loads correctly in the background, so you can ignore the error.

It's annoying, but harmless.