How to fix There is no tracking information for the current branch. Please specify which branch you want to merge with. in Git

First, see if your branch has any upstream tracking configured:

# Show current branch and its upstream (if any)
git branch -vv

# Example output:
#   main          abc1234 [origin/main] Latest commit
# * feature-branch def5678 No tracking info shown here

If you see [origin/branchname] next to your branch, it has tracking. If not, that's why you're getting this error.

You can also check with:

# Show the upstream for current branch
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref --symbolic-full-name @{upstream}
# If no tracking, this will fail with an error

If the remote branch already exists (e.g., someone else created it or you pushed it before), link your local branch to it:

# Set upstream to origin/branchname
git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/<branch_name>

# Example for a branch named 'feature-login'
git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/feature-login

# Now git pull works without arguments
git pull

The shorthand -u can also be used:

git branch -u origin/<branch_name>

After setting upstream, future git pull and git push commands will work without specifying the remote.

If your local branch is new and doesn't exist on the remote yet, push it and set up tracking simultaneously:

# Push current branch and set upstream
git push -u origin <branch_name>

# Or push current branch using HEAD shorthand
git push -u origin HEAD

The -u flag (short for --set-upstream) tells Git to:
1. Push your branch to the remote
2. Set up the tracking relationship

This is the most common way to publish a new feature branch. After this, regular git push and git pull will work.

Instead of setting up tracking, you can always specify the remote and branch directly:

# Pull from specific remote and branch
git pull origin main

# Push to specific remote and branch
git push origin feature-branch

This works as a one-off solution but doesn't set up tracking. You'll need to specify the remote and branch every time.

This approach is useful when:
- You're pulling from a different branch than your upstream
- You want a one-time sync without changing configuration
- You're working with multiple remotes

If you're using Git 2.38 or later, you can configure Git to automatically set up tracking on every push:

# Enable auto-setup of remote tracking
git config --global push.autoSetupRemote true

With this setting enabled:
- Every git push acts like git push --set-upstream
- New branches automatically track their remote counterparts
- You never see this error again for new branches

Check your Git version first:

git --version
# Need 2.38.0 or higher

This is highly recommended for modern Git workflows.

If the remote branch was deleted but your local branch remains, you'll see this error when trying to pull:

# Check if the remote branch still exists
git fetch origin
git branch -r | grep <branch_name>

# If the branch doesn't exist, you have options:

# Option 1: Recreate the remote branch
git push -u origin <branch_name>

# Option 2: Track a different branch
git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/main

# Option 3: Remove the stale tracking
git branch --unset-upstream

The --unset-upstream option removes the tracking without deleting your branch, useful if you want to keep working locally without a remote counterpart.