error: pathspec 'test-branch' did not match any file(s) known to git
GitGithubGit CheckoutGit ForkGit Problem Overview
I am a new user of Git. I have forked a repository called Spoon-Knife (available for practicing forking with Git). Then, I cloned it locally by running
git clone https://github.com/rohinichoudhary/Spoon-Knife.git
This repository contains three branches, i.e.
master
,test-branch
,change-the-title
.
When I run git branch
, it only shows *master
, not the remaining two branches. And when I run
git checkout test-branch
I get the following error:
> error: pathspec 'test-branch' did not match any file(s) known to git.
Why is this happening? How can I solve this problem?
Git Solutions
Solution 1 - Git
The modern Git should able to detect remote branches and create a local one on checkout.
However if you did a shallow clone (e.g. with --depth 1
), try the following commands to correct it:
git config remote.origin.fetch '+refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*'
git fetch --all
and try to checkout out the branch again.
Alternatively try to unshallow your clone, e.g. git fetch --unshallow
and try again.
See also: <https://stackoverflow.com/q/39957760/55075></sup>
Solution 2 - Git
> When I run git branch
, it only shows *master
, not the remaining two branches.
git branch
doesn't list test_branch
, because no such local branch exist in your local repo, yet. When cloning a repo, only one local branch (master
, here) is created and checked out in the resulting clone, irrespective of the number of branches that exist in the remote repo that you cloned from. At this stage, test_branch
only exist in your repo as a remote-tracking branch, not as a local branch.
> And when I run
> git checkout test-branch
> I get the following error [...]
You must be using an "old" version of Git. In more recent versions (from v1.7.0-rc0 onwards),
> If <branch>
is not found but there does exist a tracking branch in
> exactly one remote (call it <remote>
) with a matching name, treat [git checkout <branch>
] as
> equivalent to
>
> $ git checkout -b
Simply run
git checkout -b test_branch --track origin/test_branch
instead. Or update to a more recent version of Git.
Solution 3 - Git
My friend, you need to create those corresponding branches locally first, in order to check-out to those other two branches, using this line of code
git branch test-branch
and
git branch change-the-title
then only you will be able to do git checkout to those branches
Also after creating each branch, take latest changes of those particular branches by using git pull origin branch_name as shown in below code
git branch test-branch
git checkout test-branch
git pull origin test-branch
and for other branch named change-the-title run following code =>
git branch change-the-title
git checkout change-the-title
git pull origin change-the-title
Happy programming :)
Solution 4 - Git
You can also get this error with any version of git if the remote branch was created after your last clone/fetch and your local repo doesn't know about it yet. I solved it by doing a git fetch
first which "tells" your local repo about all the remote branches.
git fetch
git checkout test-branch
Solution 5 - Git
just follow three steps, git branch problem will be solved.
git remote update
git fetch
git checkout --track origin/test-branch
Solution 6 - Git
Solution:
To fix it you need to fetch first
$ git fetch origin
$ git rebase origin/master
Current branch master is up to date.
$ git checkout develop
Branch develop set up to track remote branch develop from origin.
Switched to a new branch ‘develop’
Solution 7 - Git
This error can also appear if your git branch is not correct even though case sensitive wise. In my case I was getting this error as actual branch name was "CORE-something" but I was taking pull like "core-something".
Solution 8 - Git
I got this error because the instruction on the Web was
git checkout https://github.com/veripool/verilog-mode
which I did in a directory where (on my own initiative) i had run git init
.
The correct Web instruction (for newbies like me) should have been
git clone https://github.com/veripool/verilog-mode
Solution 9 - Git
Following worked for me
git pull
Then checkout the required branch
Solution 10 - Git
git fetch && git checkout branch-name
Solution 11 - Git
Check first if any file is modified in you current branch using
git status
if any add or remove it then try
git checkout branchName
Solution 12 - Git
If it is a tag, you can do git fetch --all --tags
and then git checkout <TAG_NAME>
Solution 13 - Git
Try cloning before doing the checkout.
do git clone "whee to find it" then after cloning check out the branch