From: Octavio Alvarez Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:32:59 GMT Subject: Re: master^ is not a local branch -- huh?!? Message-ID: In-Reply-To: On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:20:46 -0800, Ron1 wrote: > [ron@mickey]$ git checkout master > Already on 'master' > [ron@mickey]$ git checkout master^ > Note: moving to 'master^' which isn't a local branch > If you want to create a new branch from this checkout, you may do so > (now or later) by using -b with the checkout command again. Example: > git checkout -b > HEAD is now at 7be05e0... test > [ron@mickey]$ git branch > * (no branch) > master > [ron@mickey]$ > > Huh?!? > > This is a test repository which has never been pulled from nor pushed to > anywhere. So how is it possible that I have a non-local branch? "Is a non-local branch" is not the same as "is not a local branch". Think "branches" as tags that advance when you commit over them. If you do gitk --all, only those commits with a green tag are "branches". It means that if you switch to master^ and commit, your commit will be applied but not tracked (since there is not any branch to advance). You would need to do git checkout -b 'new_branch', and then commit. Now, new_branch will advance with your new commit.