lazy/manage/lock.lua:29: commit is nil

[Patterner]

requirements met, followed the Starter documentation: renamed files, git checkout, etc.
first start of nvim:

Error detected while processing /home/test/.config/nvim/init.lua:
E5113: Error while calling lua chunk: ...local/share/nvim/lazy/lazy.nvim/lua/lazy/manage/lock.lua:29: commit is nil
stack traceback:
[C]: in function 'assert'
...local/share/nvim/lazy/lazy.nvim/lua/lazy/manage/lock.lua:29: in function 'update'
...local/share/nvim/lazy/lazy.nvim/lua/lazy/manage/init.lua:102: in function 'cb'
...cal/share/nvim/lazy/lazy.nvim/lua/lazy/manage/runner.lua:187: in function 'install'
...local/share/nvim/lazy/lazy.nvim/lua/lazy/core/loader.lua:84: in function 'install_missing'
...local/share/nvim/lazy/lazy.nvim/lua/lazy/core/loader.lua:44: in function 'setup'
...e/test/.local/share/nvim/lazy/lazy.nvim/lua/lazy/init.lua:102: in function 'setup'
/home/test/.config/nvim/lua/config/lazy.lua:17: in main chunk
[C]: in function 'require'
/home/test/.config/nvim/init.lua:2: in main chunk

so, lazy is not installed e.g. :lazyhealth not found.
there are no files read from the filesystem outside the previous empty directory. latest stable nvim is in /usr/local and used here.

what am i doing wrong?