Git: error: pathspec ‘<GIT_BRANCH>’ did not match any file(s) known to git

Have you ever encountered issues when attempting to check out an existing branch in Git? The following error message might look familiar:

error: pathspec '<BRANCH_NAME>' did not match any file(s) known to git.

Several potential reasons could lead to this problem:

• You may have unintentionally removed the branch from your local reference.
• You might have initially cloned only a specific branch using the command: git clone -b <BRANCH_NAME> <GIT_URL>

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To resolve this issue, please follow these steps:

Note: Ensure that the branch exists in your remote Git repository.

• Update your repository by running the following command:

git fetch

You can learn more about git fetch here.

• Checkout the remote branch by using the command git checkout <remote/BRANCH_NAME>. For example, if your branch name is master, run:

git checkout origin/master

• This will place your HEAD in a detached state. You can now proceed to check out a new branch or an existing one. To create a new branch, run:

git checkout -b <BRANCH_NAME>

• Set this branch to track the remote by executing one of the following commands:

  • git push --set-upstream <GIT_REMOTE> <BRANCH_NAME>
  • Alternatively, you can use the shorter form: git push -u <GIT_REMOTE> <BRANCH_NAME>. For example:

git push -u origin master

• If you have created a branch that already exists in the remote repository, you will receive the message "Everything up-to-date." Otherwise, a new branch will be created and pushed to the remote repository.