# `git submodule update --single-branch` tracks HEAD instead of branch from .gitmodules 3 messages from 2025-11-17 to 2025-11-21. Participants: Uwe Kleine-König, D. Ben Knoble. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/64489 ## Uwe Kleine-König, 2025-11-17 09:20 Subject: `git submodule update --single-branch` tracks HEAD instead of branch from .gitmodules Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmkf25oq2vka2kipfqfybngkqffbljqygmtrtiujgsrao7g2wq%40k56wxix4oism ``` Hello, for a project I'm using several submodules, showing my issue with just one of them $ git ls-tree @:layers | grep poky 160000 commit b33a8abe77081a2bdda0d89c61736473b2f9bb8b poky $ cat .gitmodules ... [submodule "yocto_poky"] path = layers/poky url = https://git.yoctoproject.org/git/poky branch = scarthgap $ git submodule update --init --checkout --recursive --single-branch ... Cloning into '/home/uwe/work/sri/poet-server/layers/poky'... remote: Enumerating objects: 8775, done. remote: Counting objects: 100% (3119/3119), done. remote: Compressing objects: 100% (158/158), done. remote: Total 8775 (delta 2974), reused 2961 (delta 2961), pack-reused 5656 (from 1) Receiving objects: 100% (8775/8775), 3.24 MiB | 15.45 MiB/s, done. Resolving deltas: 100% (6158/6158), completed with 391 local objects. From https://git.yoctoproject.org/git/poky * branch b33a8abe77081a2bdda0d89c61736473b2f9bb8b -> FETCH_HEAD so far so good. But: $ cd layers/poky/ layers/poky$ git remote show origin * remote origin Fetch URL: https://git.yoctoproject.org/git/poky Push URL: https://git.yoctoproject.org/git/poky HEAD branch: master Remote branch: master tracked Local branch configured for 'git pull': master merges with remote master Local ref configured for 'git push': master pushes to master (up to date) So in this submodule master is tracked, while I think it would be much more sensible to track the scarthgap branch. The further consequence is that $ git submodule update --remote layers/poky/ fatal: Unable to find refs/remotes/origin/scarthgap revision in submodule path 'layers/poky' This happens for both git version 2.47.3 (which I typically use, provided by Debian), but also on current git master (2.52.0.rc2.22.gc93f1a0fa3eb). Best regards Uwe ``` ## D. Ben Knoble, 2025-11-20 16:05 Subject: Re: `git submodule update --single-branch` tracks HEAD instead of branch from .gitmodules Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CALnO6CBdc%3D5KpUwweMzxpT%2B9CBXZVP4AG4bFS9sGucJJVmzjtQ%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: ``` On Mon, Nov 17, 2025 at 4:28 AM Uwe Kleine-König wrote: > > Hello, > > for a project I'm using several submodules, showing my issue with just > one of them > > $ git ls-tree @:layers | grep poky > 160000 commit b33a8abe77081a2bdda0d89c61736473b2f9bb8b poky > > $ cat .gitmodules > ... > [submodule "yocto_poky"] > path = layers/poky > url = https://git.yoctoproject.org/git/poky > branch = scarthgap > > $ git submodule update --init --checkout --recursive --single-branch > ... > Cloning into '/home/uwe/work/sri/poet-server/layers/poky'... > remote: Enumerating objects: 8775, done. > remote: Counting objects: 100% (3119/3119), done. > remote: Compressing objects: 100% (158/158), done. > remote: Total 8775 (delta 2974), reused 2961 (delta 2961), pack-reused 5656 (from 1) > Receiving objects: 100% (8775/8775), 3.24 MiB | 15.45 MiB/s, done. > Resolving deltas: 100% (6158/6158), completed with 391 local objects. > From https://git.yoctoproject.org/git/poky > * branch b33a8abe77081a2bdda0d89c61736473b2f9bb8b -> FETCH_HEAD > > so far so good. But: Is it? You've only cloned the HEAD from the origin: --single-branch, --no-single-branch This option is only valid for the update command. Clone only one branch during update: HEAD or one specified by --branch. Perhaps you want to use --branch here, and _perhaps_ update --single-branch should default to submodule..branch ? -- D. Ben Knoble ``` ## Uwe Kleine-König, 2025-11-21 08:49 Subject: Re: `git submodule update --single-branch` tracks HEAD instead of branch from .gitmodules Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/llfngawozm26eo3x42ndon55qenrzeto2tgl7djr2weho43gt5%40sjcdk2ppafqc In-Reply-To: ``` Hello, On Thu, Nov 20, 2025 at 11:05:00AM -0500, D. Ben Knoble wrote: > On Mon, Nov 17, 2025 at 4:28 AM Uwe Kleine-König > wrote: > > for a project I'm using several submodules, showing my issue with just > > one of them > > > > $ git ls-tree @:layers | grep poky > > 160000 commit b33a8abe77081a2bdda0d89c61736473b2f9bb8b poky > > > > $ cat .gitmodules > > ... > > [submodule "yocto_poky"] > > path = layers/poky > > url = https://git.yoctoproject.org/git/poky > > branch = scarthgap > > > > $ git submodule update --init --checkout --recursive --single-branch > > ... > > Cloning into '/home/uwe/work/sri/poet-server/layers/poky'... > > remote: Enumerating objects: 8775, done. > > remote: Counting objects: 100% (3119/3119), done. > > remote: Compressing objects: 100% (158/158), done. > > remote: Total 8775 (delta 2974), reused 2961 (delta 2961), pack-reused 5656 (from 1) > > Receiving objects: 100% (8775/8775), 3.24 MiB | 15.45 MiB/s, done. > > Resolving deltas: 100% (6158/6158), completed with 391 local objects. > > From https://git.yoctoproject.org/git/poky > > * branch b33a8abe77081a2bdda0d89c61736473b2f9bb8b -> FETCH_HEAD > > > > so far so good. But: > > Is it? You've only cloned the HEAD from the origin: I don't. b33a8abe77081a2bdda0d89c61736473b2f9bb8b isn't included in the remote's HEAD, only in the scarthgap branch. > --single-branch, --no-single-branch > This option is only valid for the update command. Clone only one > branch during update: HEAD or one specified by --branch. > > Perhaps you want to use --branch here, [...] Well, the submodule is initialized from .gitmodules which has a specification of the branch. And the init steps works fine despite the submodule commit not being included in HEAD of the remote poky repo. I interpret that as --branch being provided (somewhat) implicitly. And yes I'm aware I wail about something that is documented. But the documentation is silly in the same way as the code. > [...] and _perhaps_ update --single-branch should default to > submodule..branch ? Yes please. `git submodule update --init` already does it right, just the fetch line in .git/modules/yocto_poky/config is wrong. Best regards Uwe ```