broken ref 🌿 Git

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.

Seen on: Git

Meaning

Harmless but noisy. Re-point origin/HEAD to the current default branch.

Common causes

  • Remote default branch renamed (master → main)
  • Corrupted/empty ref file

⚡ Quick fix

  1. git remote set-head origin --auto
  2. Delete the broken ref file if needed

Detailed fix by platform

Git

  1. git remote set-head origin --auto

How to diagnose

  1. Ref — Which ref is broken?
  2. Recent change — Did it start after a deploy, upgrade, or configuration change? Compare with the last working version.

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