# Cannot delete weirdly named branch 4 messages from 2012-07-23 to 2012-07-30. Participants: abhisekpan@gmail.com, Junio C Hamano, Michael Haggerty. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/31076 ## abhisekpan@gmail.com, 2012-07-23 18:32 Subject: Cannot delete weirdly named branch Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAGhmpEGEZchXc4DqZ21BAKxf6_mHRp%3DTOUH8s%3DGG0vPscz1kfg%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` Hi, I am a new user to git and I found an interesting behavior in git. I am not sure if this is a bug, but I thought I would report this anyway! So I can create a local branch called "--tracking" like this: git checkout -b --tracking origin/somebranch I messed up the syntax while trying to create a tracking branch, but this resulted in a local branch called "--tracking". Now I cannot delete this branch. Running: git branch -d --tracking gives an error: unknown option `tracking' Using quotes around the name does not help. Is there another command I can use to delete this branch? Thank you! -- Abhisek Live Long and Prosper ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2012-07-23 18:42 Subject: Re: Cannot delete weirdly named branch Message-ID: <7vsjcil3o5.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vsjcil3o5.fsf%40alter.siamese.dyndns.org In-Reply-To: ``` "abhisekpan@gmail.com" writes: > Now I cannot delete this branch. Running: > git branch -d --tracking > gives an error: unknown option `tracking' I do not think this is supposed to work, but it does by accident. $ git branch -d -- --tracking Deleted branch --tracking (was 8670e20). A more recent git would not let you create such a branch to begin with. Perhaps time to upgrade? ``` ## Michael Haggerty, 2012-07-30 17:22 Subject: Re: Cannot delete weirdly named branch Message-ID: <5016C2C9.5050904@alum.mit.edu> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/5016C2C9.5050904%40alum.mit.edu In-Reply-To: <7vsjcil3o5.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> ``` On 07/23/2012 08:42 PM, Junio C Hamano wrote: > "abhisekpan@gmail.com" writes: > >> Now I cannot delete this branch. Running: >> git branch -d --tracking >> gives an error: unknown option `tracking' > > I do not think this is supposed to work, but it does by accident. > > $ git branch -d -- --tracking > Deleted branch --tracking (was 8670e20). The plumbing command "git update-ref -d refs/heads/--tracking" can also be used to delete such a branch. Michael -- Michael Haggerty mhagger@alum.mit.edu http://softwareswirl.blogspot.com/ ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2012-07-30 17:55 Subject: Re: Cannot delete weirdly named branch Message-ID: <7vk3xlqgl3.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vk3xlqgl3.fsf%40alter.siamese.dyndns.org In-Reply-To: <5016C2C9.5050904@alum.mit.edu> ``` Michael Haggerty writes: > On 07/23/2012 08:42 PM, Junio C Hamano wrote: >> "abhisekpan@gmail.com" writes: >> >>> Now I cannot delete this branch. Running: >>> git branch -d --tracking >>> gives an error: unknown option `tracking' >> >> I do not think this is supposed to work, but it does by accident. >> >> $ git branch -d -- --tracking >> Deleted branch --tracking (was 8670e20). > > The plumbing command "git update-ref -d refs/heads/--tracking" can > also be used to delete such a branch. Note that once you started using the plumbing you are assumed to know what you are doing. "update-ref -d" does not offer the "you will be losing these commits" safety, and it will not remove configuration items for "branch.--tracking.*" keys. You would want to remove them yourself if you want to emulate "git branch -d". ```