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I am using Git Bash on Windows 10. I have cloned a repository to my PC, added files to it and made commits.

When I try the command:

git push origin master

I get this error:

fatal: couldn't find remote ref master

But if I try a simple git push, there is no error and the changes are reflected in my remote repo. The same is true with the pull command. What's going wrong and how do I fix this?

Edit: Based on the comments and the answers, I am adding this info.

When I do a git branch -avv I get the following output:

* main                f42878d [origin/main] Added some more Week 1 problems
  remotes/origin/HEAD -> origin/main
  remotes/origin/main f42878d Added some more Week 1 problems

So, I tried what one of the answers suggested, which is to try git push origin main instead of git push origin master. This is my output:

warning: setting remote service path not supported by protocol
Logon failed, use ctrl+c to cancel basic credential prompt.
warning: setting remote service path not supported by protocol
Everything up-to-date

It does seem to work, but there are warnings before that. I googled the warning and found this Stackoverflow answer. Based on the accepted answer, I ran GitBash as administrator, but the warning persists. What happens is that the authentication happens twice: once normally through a GitHub Login dialog box where I put my username and password. This fails, then an OpenSSH dialog box where I provide my username and password. This works.

I am new to Git Bash, so I have no idea where to go from here.

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    What's the tracking branch on the remote for your current branch? Are you on master locally, even? Commented Apr 20, 2021 at 12:29
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    Can we see the result of git branch -avv ? Commented Apr 20, 2021 at 13:29
  • I have edited the question with the updated information. Commented Apr 20, 2021 at 16:58
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    You indeed don't have a remote master, so that error shouldn't be surprising. It's not really clear why, if you can just git push (i.e. the correct tracking branch is set), it's a problem that you can't git push <remote> <branch>). Commented Apr 20, 2021 at 17:24
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    This looks like a Windows ssh issue, rather than anything to do with Git itself. (Git for Windows tends to come with a version of ssh—just like it comes with a version of bash, which Windows people call "git bash" but it's really just bash-for-Windows—because the standard Windows tools were, for so many decades, so poor. Modern Windows has better tools now, apparently, but I don't actually use Windows so I don't have the whole answer for you.) Commented Apr 21, 2021 at 0:53

1 Answer 1

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Try using git push origin main This is because in GitHub master is addressed as main.

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3 Comments

It's not guaranteed that the remote will have a main branch, either, or that if it exists it matches what you're on locally. "master is addressed as main" is simply not true; the default branch for newly-created repos is now named main, there isn't a branch named master by default.
@jonrsharpe this answer did seem to work though, although I received warnings before that. I have made edits to the question accordingly.
@justauser it will work if there's a main branch on the remote and if it is the correct branch for the local branch you're trying to push to it. But it's not a general solution and contains false information. Also that's the point of setting a tracking branch, so you don't have to specify every time.

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