This error occurs when you try to push to a branch that doesn't exist locally, typically because no commits have been made yet or the branch name doesn't match between local and remote repositories.
The "src refspec main does not match any" error is Git's way of telling you that the branch you're trying to push doesn't exist in your local repository. A "refspec" is Git's internal reference specification that maps local branches to remote branches. When you run a command like `git push origin main`, Git looks for a local branch called "main" to push. If that branch doesn't exist locally - either because you haven't created any commits yet, or because your local branch has a different name (like "master") - Git cannot find a matching reference and throws this error. This is one of the most common Git errors, especially for developers setting up new repositories or those transitioning between the old "master" default branch name and the newer "main" convention adopted by GitHub in 2020.
First, verify whether you have made any commits. A branch doesn't technically exist until it has at least one commit:
git log --onelineIf this shows "fatal: your current branch 'main' does not have any commits yet" or similar, you need to create a commit first.
If you haven't committed yet, add your files and create an initial commit:
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"After committing, the branch will exist and you can push.
Check what branches exist locally and which one you're on:
git branchThe current branch is marked with an asterisk (*). If you see "master" but are trying to push "main", that's the problem.
If your local branch is named "master" but you want to push to "main", rename it:
git branch -M mainThe -M flag forces the rename even if the target branch name already exists locally.
Now push using the correct branch name:
git push -u origin mainThe -u flag sets up tracking so future pushes can be done with just git push.
If you're unsure of your branch name, you can push the current HEAD to a specific remote branch:
git push origin HEAD:mainThis explicitly pushes your current commit to the remote "main" branch regardless of your local branch name.
### Setting Default Branch Name Globally
To avoid this issue in future projects, configure Git to use "main" as the default branch name:
git config --global init.defaultBranch main### Understanding Refspecs
A refspec has the format <src>:<dst>. When you run git push origin main, Git interprets this as git push origin main:main - push local branch "main" to remote branch "main". The error occurs when the source (src) part doesn't match any local reference.
### Empty Repositories
When you create a new repository on GitHub/GitLab without initializing it (no README, .gitignore, or license), the remote repository is completely empty. Your first push creates the initial branch. Make sure you've committed locally before pushing.
### CI/CD Considerations
In CI/CD pipelines, this error often occurs when:
- The pipeline checks out a detached HEAD instead of a branch
- The branch name in the pipeline configuration doesn't match the actual branch
- The repository is shallow cloned without the branch reference
Use git push origin HEAD:refs/heads/main for more explicit control in CI environments.
warning: BOM detected in file, this may cause issues
UTF-8 Byte Order Mark (BOM) detected in file
fatal: Server does not support --shallow-exclude
Server does not support --shallow-exclude
warning: filtering out blobs larger than limit
Git partial clone filtering large blobs warning
fatal: Server does not support --shallow-since
Server does not support --shallow-since in Git
kex_exchange_identification: Connection closed by remote host
Connection closed by remote host when connecting to Git server