Error map

couldn't find remote ref fatal: couldn't find remote ref main

Git · layer 7, Build & delivery

Open the full error page →

Centre: this error. First ring: errors it is linked with (12). Outer ring: what those are linked with. Colours show the layer of a request each error belongs to. Click any dot to re-centre the map on it; hover to follow its connections. The centre dot opens the error page.

couldn't find remote ref — fatal: couldn't find remote ref main (Git)couldn't fi…origin not a repository — fatal: 'origin' does not appear to be a git repository (Git)origin not a reposi…non-fast-forward — Git: ! [rejected] … (fetch first) — error: failed to push some refs (Git)non-fast-forwardpathspec did not match — error: pathspec 'x' did not match any file(s) known to git (Git)pathspec did not ma…Repository not found — remote: Repository not found. fatal: repository 'https://github.com/x/y.git/' not found (Git)Repository not foundcannot lock ref — error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/x': is at … but expected … / unable to update local ref (Git)cannot lock refnon-bare push — ! [remote rejected] main -> main (branch is currently checked out) (Git)non-bare pushno upstream branch — fatal: The current branch x has no upstream branch. (Git)no upstream branchbranch exists — fatal: a branch named 'x' already exists (Git)branch existsnot a valid object name — fatal: Not a valid object name: 'main'. (Git)not a valid object …broken ref — warning: ignoring broken ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD (Git)broken refdetached HEAD — You are in 'detached HEAD' state. (Git)detached HEADsrc refspec — error: src refspec main does not match any (Git)src refspecremote origin exists — error: remote origin already exists. (Git)remote origin existsCONFLICT — Git: CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file — Automatic merge failed (Git)CONFLICTpublickey — Git: Permission denied (publickey). fatal: Could not read from remote repository. (Git)publickeyunrelated histories — Git: fatal: refusing to merge unrelated histories (Git)unrelated historiesFilename too long — error: unable to create file x: Filename too long (Windows) (Git)Filename too longENOENT — npm ERR! enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/path/package.json' (npm)ENOENTAuthentication failed — fatal: Authentication failed for 'https://github.com/x/y.git/' (Git)Authentication fail…password auth removed — remote: Support for password authentication was removed on August 13, 2021. Please use a personal access token instead. (Git)password auth remov…Host key verification failed — Host key verification failed. fatal: Could not read from remote repository. (Git)Host key verificati…untracked files overwritten — error: The following untracked working tree files would be overwritten by checkout/merge (Git)untracked files ove…submodule url — fatal: No url found for submodule path 'x' in .gitmodules (Git)submodule urlunknown revision HEAD — fatal: ambiguous argument 'HEAD': unknown revision or path not in the working tree. (Git)unknown revision HE…GH001 large files — remote: error: GH001: Large files detected. File x is 120 MB; this exceeds GitHub's file size limit of 100.00 MB (Git)GH001 large filesprotected branch — remote: error: GH006: Protected branch update failed / pre-receive hook declined (Git)protected branchshallow update not allowed — ! [remote rejected] main -> main (shallow update not allowed) (Git)shallow update not …RPC failed — error: RPC failed; HTTP 400 curl 22 / curl 92 HTTP/2 stream was not closed cleanly — the remote end hung up unexpectedly (Git)RPC failedoverwritten by checkout — error: Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by checkout (Git)overwritten by chec…denied — denied: requested access to the resource is denied (docker push) (Docker)deniednot possible to fast-forward — fatal: Not possible to fast-forward, aborting. (Git)not possible to fas…index.lock exists — fatal: Unable to create '.git/index.lock': File exists. Another git process seems to be running in this repository (Git)index.lock existscannot rebase — error: cannot pull with rebase: You have unstaged changes. Please commit or stash them. (Git)cannot rebasemerge commit revert — error: commit x is a merge but no -m option was given. (Git)merge commit revertrefs on function components — Warning: Function components cannot be given refs. Attempts to access this ref will fail. Did you mean to use React.forwardRef()? (React)refs on function co…

Directly related (12)

origin not a repositoryGit

fatal: 'origin' does not appear to be a git repository

No remote named origin is configured (or it points nowhere valid).

non-fast-forwardGit

Git: ! [rejected] … (fetch first) — error: failed to push some refs

The remote branch has commits you don’t have locally, so Git refuses to overwrite them. Pull (merge or rebase) first, then push.

pathspec did not matchGit

error: pathspec 'x' did not match any file(s) known to git

Git couldn’t find the file or branch name you referenced.

Repository not foundGit

remote: Repository not found. fatal: repository 'https://github.com/x/y.git/' not found

GitHub/GitLab says the repository doesn’t exist — or you lack access to a private repo.

cannot lock refGit

error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/x': is at … but expected … / unable to update local ref

Git couldn’t update a reference — stale remote-tracking refs, case-only branch name clashes, or a leftover lock file.

non-bare pushGit

! [remote rejected] main -> main (branch is currently checked out)

You pushed to a non-bare repository whose working tree has that branch checked out.

no upstream branchGit

fatal: The current branch x has no upstream branch.

The local branch isn’t linked to a remote branch yet, so a bare git push doesn’t know where to go.

branch existsGit

fatal: a branch named 'x' already exists

You tried to create a branch whose name is already taken locally.

not a valid object nameGit

fatal: Not a valid object name: 'main'.

The branch or commit doesn’t exist yet — typically in a new repo before the first commit.

broken refGit

warning: ignoring broken ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD

A ref file is empty or points to a missing object — usually refs/remotes/origin/HEAD after the default branch changed.

detached HEADGit

You are in 'detached HEAD' state.

HEAD points at a commit instead of a branch, so new commits won’t belong to any branch.

src refspecGit

error: src refspec main does not match any

You pushed a branch name that doesn’t exist locally — usually no commits yet, or the branch is called master not main.

Two steps away (23)

remote origin existsGit

error: remote origin already exists.

A remote named origin is already configured.

CONFLICTGit

Git: CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file — Automatic merge failed

Both branches changed the same lines; Git needs you to choose the final content before completing the merge/rebase.

publickeyGit

Git: Permission denied (publickey). fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

SSH authentication to GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket failed — no key, wrong key, or the key isn’t added to your account.

unrelated historiesGit

Git: fatal: refusing to merge unrelated histories

The two branches have no common ancestor — typically a local repo and a remote that were both initialized separately.

Filename too longGit

error: unable to create file x: Filename too long (Windows)

Windows’ 260-character path limit blocked Git from creating a file.

ENOENTnpm

npm ERR! enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/path/package.json'

npm ran in a directory without a package.json.

Authentication failedGit

fatal: Authentication failed for 'https://github.com/x/y.git/'

HTTPS authentication to the Git host failed — wrong or expired credentials, or a password used where a token is required.

password auth removedGit

remote: Support for password authentication was removed on August 13, 2021. Please use a personal access token instead.

GitHub no longer accepts account passwords for Git over HTTPS.

Host key verification failedGit

Host key verification failed. fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

SSH doesn’t trust the server’s host key — first connection in a non-interactive environment, or the key changed.

untracked files overwrittenGit

error: The following untracked working tree files would be overwritten by checkout/merge

Untracked local files have the same paths as files coming from the other branch.

submodule urlGit

fatal: No url found for submodule path 'x' in .gitmodules

A submodule entry exists in the index but its URL is missing from .gitmodules.

unknown revision HEADGit

fatal: ambiguous argument 'HEAD': unknown revision or path not in the working tree.

The repository has no commits yet (or the ref doesn’t exist), so HEAD can’t be resolved.

GH001 large filesGit

remote: error: GH001: Large files detected. File x is 120 MB; this exceeds GitHub's file size limit of 100.00 MB

GitHub rejected the push because a file over 100 MB is in your commits — even if you deleted it later.

protected branchGit

remote: error: GH006: Protected branch update failed / pre-receive hook declined

The server rejected your push because of branch protection rules or a server-side hook.

shallow update not allowedGit

! [remote rejected] main -> main (shallow update not allowed)

You pushed from a shallow clone to a remote that doesn’t accept shallow history.

RPC failedGit

error: RPC failed; HTTP 400 curl 22 / curl 92 HTTP/2 stream was not closed cleanly — the remote end hung up unexpectedly

A large HTTPS push/clone broke mid-transfer — size limits, proxies or flaky HTTP/2.

overwritten by checkoutGit

error: Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by checkout

Switching branches would discard uncommitted changes in files that differ between branches.

deniedDocker

denied: requested access to the resource is denied (docker push)

You’re logged in, but not allowed to push to that repository — usually the image isn’t tagged with your own username/organisation.

not possible to fast-forwardGit

fatal: Not possible to fast-forward, aborting.

pull is configured to fast-forward only, but your branch and the remote have diverged.

index.lock existsGit

fatal: Unable to create '.git/index.lock': File exists. Another git process seems to be running in this repository

A lock file from another (or crashed) Git process blocks this command.

cannot rebaseGit

error: cannot pull with rebase: You have unstaged changes. Please commit or stash them.

A rebase (or pull --rebase) needs a clean working tree.

merge commit revertGit

error: commit x is a merge but no -m option was given.

git revert or cherry-pick on a merge commit needs to know which parent is the mainline.

refs on function componentsReact

Warning: Function components cannot be given refs. Attempts to access this ref will fail. Did you mean to use React.forwardRef()?

A ref was passed to a function component that doesn’t forward it.