# Repairing fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref (git checkout of svn remote)

3 messages from 2008-10-06 to 2008-10-07. Participants: Jeff Kowalczyk, Shawn O. Pearce.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/15799

## Jeff Kowalczyk, 2008-10-06 14:00

Subject: Repairing fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref (git checkout of svn remote)
Message-ID: <pan.2008.10.06.14.00.57.104051@yahoo.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/pan.2008.10.06.14.00.57.104051%40yahoo.com

```
To test a particular upstream revision, on a git svn remote checkout (i.e.
branches/1.2, 76c7af2...), I checked out the equivalent of HEAD^^ (git
checkout 4a3d99c0c9).

Now back at the branch tip, I get fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref
on git svn rebase: 

(4a3d99c...) $ git checkout 76c7af2
HEAD is now at 76c7af2... Minor changes to CONTRIBUTORS
(76c7af2...) $ git svn rebase
fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref Current branch HEAD is up to date.
Segmentation fault

How can I manually correct ref HEAD?

Thanks.

(The segmentation fault is a separate issue)

```

## Shawn O. Pearce, 2008-10-06 14:02

Subject: Re: Repairing fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref (git checkout of svn remote)
Message-ID: <20081006140243.GB8203@spearce.org>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20081006140243.GB8203%40spearce.org
In-Reply-To: <pan.2008.10.06.14.00.57.104051@yahoo.com>

```
Jeff Kowalczyk <jtk@yahoo.com> wrote:
> To test a particular upstream revision, on a git svn remote checkout (i.e.
> branches/1.2, 76c7af2...), I checked out the equivalent of HEAD^^ (git
> checkout 4a3d99c0c9).
> 
> Now back at the branch tip, I get fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref
> on git svn rebase: 
> 
> (4a3d99c...) $ git checkout 76c7af2
> HEAD is now at 76c7af2... Minor changes to CONTRIBUTORS
> (76c7af2...) $ git svn rebase
> fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref Current branch HEAD is up to date.
> Segmentation fault
> 
> How can I manually correct ref HEAD?

git checkout whateverbranchyouwereonbefore
git svn rebase

-- 
Shawn.

```

## Jeff Kowalczyk, 2008-10-07 16:49

Subject: Re: Repairing fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref (git checkout of svn remote)
Message-ID: <pan.2008.10.07.16.49.29.153703@yahoo.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/pan.2008.10.07.16.49.29.153703%40yahoo.com
In-Reply-To: <20081006140243.GB8203@spearce.org>

```
On Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:02:43 -0700, Shawn O. Pearce wrote:

> Jeff Kowalczyk <jtk@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> To test a particular upstream revision, on a git svn remote checkout (i.e.
>> branches/1.2, 76c7af2...), I checked out the equivalent of HEAD^^ (git
>> checkout 4a3d99c0c9).
>> 
>> Now back at the branch tip, I get fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref
>> on git svn rebase: 
>> 
>> (4a3d99c...) $ git checkout 76c7af2
>> HEAD is now at 76c7af2... Minor changes to CONTRIBUTORS
>> (76c7af2...) $ git svn rebase
>> fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref Current branch HEAD is up to date.
>> Segmentation fault
>> 
>> How can I manually correct ref HEAD?
> 
> git checkout whateverbranchyouwereonbefore
> git svn rebase

Thanks, and the other svn remotes are working fine. I still have the
problem on the svn remote 'branches/1.2'. The following illustrates:

  (1.2_mybranch) $ git checkout 1.2
  Note: moving to "1.2" 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 <new_branch_name>
  HEAD is now at 76c7af2... Minor changes to CONTRIBUTORS

  (76c7af2...) $ git svn fetch
  	M	CONTRIBUTORS
  	M	LedgerSMB/AM.pm
  r2353 = ddd452af128f9b4698a1c1d6cc7fe2f23a0e6c90 (1.2)
  	M	LedgerSMB/AM.pm
  r2354 = fc6857004eeabf6963a9b2856f51db8842c00b70 (1.2)
  Segmentation fault

  (fc68570...) $ git checkout 1.2_print_pdf_default 
  Previous HEAD position was fc68570... (commit message snip)
  Switched to branch "1.2_print_pdf_default"

  (1.2_print_pdf_default) $ git svn rebase
  First, rewinding head to replay your work on top of it...
  Applying: naive replacement to option selected value="pdf" where PDF is format option,
  Segmentation fault

  (76c7af2...) $ git svn rebase
  fatal: ref HEAD is not a symbolic ref
  First, rewinding head to replay your work on top of it...
  Fast-forwarded HEAD to refs/remotes/1.2.
  Segmentation fault


This last git svn rebase on 'branches/1.2' (whether it's correct procedure
or not for a svn remote) used to work without the error until I issued
that one command (git checkout 4a3d99c0c9).

Thanks for any suggestions.

```