The error message “error: src refspec main does not match any” is usually encountered when you are trying to push changes to a git branch that does not exist.
Understanding the meaning of the error message
If you are a Git user then encountering the error message “error: src refspec main does not match any” while committing the changes is a common thing. This represents that git is unable to find the specified branch in your local repository. Here “main” represents the default branch in git repository in the current version of Git. Previously, Git commonly used “master” as the default branch name in older version.
In short, the meaning of the error states that the reference specification (‘src refspec’) for the default branch (‘main’ in this case) does not match any commits or references in the repository.
Causes of the Error
- The common reason for the error is that there might not be any committed changes in the current branch.
- Maybe the branch to which you are pushing the changes does not exist.
- There may be a problem with the branch name.
- You have recently created a new repository which is not committed yet and you are pushing changes to it.
- There is a possibility that the branch you have specified in the command was deleted.
How to Fix the “error: src refspec main does not match any” error?
To Fix the “error: src refspec main does not match any“ error you have to go through the following steps so you can figure out what causes the occurrence of the error.
Verify Branch Existence
Check the branch’s existence or create it if it does not exist using the following command.
git checkout -b branch_nameCommit your changes
If you have not made any commit for your changes, then use the following command before attempting to push.
git commit -m "commit message"Push the changes to remote branch
push the changes using the below command to set up the connection between local branch and the remote branch.
git push -u origin branch_nameBefore hitting the command, make sure you have specified the correct branch name. The branch name does not contain any typos or inconsistencies.