How do I change a Git remote HEAD to point to something besides "master"

Posted by jhs on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by jhs
Published on 2009-09-28T05:42:57Z Indexed on 2010/06/03 1:14 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 340

Filed under:

git

|

github

|

unfuddle

Short version: How do I set a Git remote's HEAD ref to point to something besides "master"?

My project has a policy not to use a "master" branch (all branches are to have meaningful names). Furthermore, the canonical master repository is only accessible via ssh://, with no shell access (like GitHub or Unfuddle).

My problem is that the remote repository still has a HEAD reference to refs/heads/master, but I need it to point to a different branch. This is causing two problems:

When cloning the repo, there this, warning: remote HEAD refers to nonexistent ref, unable to checkout. That's confusing and inconvenient.
The web-based code browser depends on HEAD as a basis for browsing the tree. I need HEAD to point to a valid branch, then.

© Stack Overflow or respective owner

Related posts about git

git pull gives error: 401 Authorization Required while accessing https://git.foo.com/bar.git

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
My macbook pro is able to clone/push/pull from the company git server. My cent 6.3 vm gets a 401 error git clone https://git.acme.com/git/torque-setup "error: The requested URL returned error: 401 Authorization Required while accessing https://git.acme.com/git/torque-setup/info/refs As a work… >>> More
Can't install git on Ubuntu 12.10

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I'm following these instructions to install git on my laptop: http://git-scm.com/download/linux When I do: $ sudo apt-get install git-core This is what my terinal shows: Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done The following packages… >>> More
Git apache : unable to push via http

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I have to setup a server which can allow http vcs management (such as git and svn). svn support works well, but I have some trouble with git. Actual configuration: CentOS 5 Apache 2.2.8 Git 1.7.4.1 The /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf content: ServerTokens OS ServerRoot "/etc/httpd" PidFile run/httpd… >>> More
git on HTTP with gitolite and nginx

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I am trying to setup a server where my git repo would be accessible with HTTP(S). I am using gitolite and nginx (and gitlab for web interface but I doubt it makes any difference). I have searched the whole afternoon and I think I'm stuck. I have think I have understood that nginx needs fcgiwrap… >>> More
Redmine git integration - issue in accessing git from redmine but not from external git client

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I have setup redmine integration with apache as described in the redmine documentation. I have a /git path accessible with auth and /git-private accessible only to redmine. When I clone the repository through /git path, I get the up-to-date repo. But when I try to view it in redmine repo viewer, I… >>> More

Related posts about github

Installing GitHub for Mac - "Github cannot be opened because of a probem"

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I'm trying to get started using Git for Mac, but I receive an error when I try to run the program. I'm new to GitHub and relatively new to Mac. First, I installed Git using the downloadable .dmg file named "git-1.7.12.3-intel-universal-snow-leopard". I ran the .pkg file contained therein and the… >>> More
update github project wiki through the github api

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Is there a way a developer can automatically upload documentation for his project hosted on github through their API? I didn't find anything on develop.github.com related to this. It would be nice if one could just scp the files or something. >>> More
Connecting git to github on windows 7 without bash

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I'm setting up git on my new Windows 7 machine and I'm hitting a roadblock when it comes to getting github to acknowledge my ssh key. I am doing things a little different from the standard script in that I would rather not use cygwin and prefer to use my powershell prompt. The following is what I… >>> More
Heroku and Github integration (how to structure the project)

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I'm creating a webservice and I want to store the source on github and run the app on heroku. I haven't seen my exact scenario addressed anywhere on the 'net so far, so I'll ask it here: I want to have the following directory structure: /project .git README <-- project readme file TODO… >>> More
Best practice: git, github, lighthouse and 2 developers

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I'm setting up a new project and plan on using git and github for sourcecontroll and hosting of repo and lighthouse for bugtracking. I've been working with git for some while now, but only been using it for more of a backup solution than collaborate coding solution. Also, I've noticed that in github… >>> More