# `git log FETCH_HEAD` only logs whatever happens to be the first among the fetched refs (instead of all the fetched refs)

3 messages from 2024-09-05 to 2024-09-05. Participants: Han Jiang, Junio C Hamano.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/62058

## Han Jiang, 2024-09-05 04:25

Subject: `git log FETCH_HEAD` only logs whatever happens to be the first among the fetched refs (instead of all the fetched refs)
Message-ID: <CANrWfmSMbR+8oGsCzOygBA0sFSmMwUmCy=qQEsa16RWcztYaQA@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CANrWfmSMbR%2B8oGsCzOygBA0sFSmMwUmCy%3DqQEsa16RWcztYaQA%40mail.gmail.com

```
Thank you for filling out a Git bug report!
Please answer the following questions to help us understand your issue.

What did you do before the bug happened? (Steps to reproduce your issue)

cd '/'; cd '/'; rm --force --recursive -- './test_git2'; mkdir "$_"; cd "$_";
mkdir --parents -- './server' './client';

git -C './server' init --bare './repo.git'
branch_default_path="$(git -C './server/repo.git' symbolic-ref HEAD)"
branch_default_name="${branch_default_path#'refs/heads/'}"
git --git-dir='./server/repo.git' --work-tree='.' commit --allow-empty
-m "$((++number))"
git --git-dir='./server/repo.git' --work-tree='.' checkout -b branch1

git -C './client' init './repo'

git --git-dir='./server/repo.git' --work-tree='.' commit --allow-empty
-m "$((++number))"
git -C './client/repo' fetch 'file://'"$(realpath
'./server/repo.git')" "$branch_default_name" 'branch1'
cat './client/repo/.git/FETCH_HEAD'
git -C './client/repo' log --all
git -C './client/repo' log --all FETCH_HEAD
awk 'BEGIN { ORS = "\0"; } { print $1; }'
<'./client/repo/.git/FETCH_HEAD' | xargs --null git -C './client/repo'
log --all

git --git-dir='./server/repo.git' --work-tree='.' commit --allow-empty
-m "$((++number))"
git -C './client/repo' fetch 'file://'"$(realpath
'./server/repo.git')" 'branch1' "$branch_default_name"
cat './client/repo/.git/FETCH_HEAD'
git -C './client/repo' log --all
git -C './client/repo' log --all FETCH_HEAD
awk 'BEGIN { ORS = "\0"; } { print $1; }'
<'./client/repo/.git/FETCH_HEAD' | xargs --null git -C './client/repo'
log --all

What did you expect to happen? (Expected behavior)

`git -C './client/repo' log --all FETCH_HEAD` logs all commits.

What happened instead? (Actual behavior)

`git -C './client/repo' log --all FETCH_HEAD` logs $GIT_DEFAULT_BRANCH
when $GIT_DEFAULT_BRANCH is listed first in `git fetch`, logs branch1
when branch1 is listed first in `git fetch`.

What's different between what you expected and what actually happened?

Anything else you want to add:

Please review the rest of the bug report below.
You can delete any lines you don't wish to share.


[System Info]
git version:
git version 2.46.0.windows.1
cpu: x86_64
built from commit: 2e6a859ffc0471f60f79c1256f766042b0d5d17d
sizeof-long: 4
sizeof-size_t: 8
shell-path: D:/git-sdk-64-build-installers/usr/bin/sh
feature: fsmonitor--daemon
libcurl: 8.9.0
OpenSSL: OpenSSL 3.2.2 4 Jun 2024
zlib: 1.3.1
uname: Windows 10.0 22631
compiler info: gnuc: 14.1
libc info: no libc information available
$SHELL (typically, interactive shell): C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\bash.exe


[Enabled Hooks]
not run from a git repository - no hooks to show

```

## Junio C Hamano, 2024-09-05 15:01

Subject: Re: `git log FETCH_HEAD` only logs whatever happens to be the first among the fetched refs (instead of all the fetched refs)
Message-ID: <xmqqplpi5em7.fsf@gitster.g>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqqplpi5em7.fsf%40gitster.g
In-Reply-To: <CANrWfmSMbR+8oGsCzOygBA0sFSmMwUmCy=qQEsa16RWcztYaQA@mail.gmail.com>

```
This is totally expected.  FETCH_HEAD is only special to "git
merge".  When FETCH_HEAD is used as if it were a ref, everybody else
uses only the first entry.


```

## Han Jiang, 2024-09-05 22:17

Subject: Re: `git log FETCH_HEAD` only logs whatever happens to be the first among the fetched refs (instead of all the fetched refs)
Message-ID: <CANrWfmRmELO3ZxOZs2i5LvekK+fe3N2zfMebJosmzvkkdrG+AQ@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CANrWfmRmELO3ZxOZs2i5LvekK%2Bfe3N2zfMebJosmzvkkdrG%2BAQ%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <xmqqplpi5em7.fsf@gitster.g>

```
Got it, Thanks! I clearly remembered that "using first line" stuff was
mentioned in the documentation/progit, but can only find the `git
merge` part now. False memory😰.

On Fri, Sep 6, 2024 at 3:01 AM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>
> This is totally expected.  FETCH_HEAD is only special to "git
> merge".  When FETCH_HEAD is used as if it were a ref, everybody else
> uses only the first entry.
>

```