'git branch' does not show the branches names

Question

I am using git on ubuntu.

git branch does not show the branches' names. I tried cloning different repositories, but again git branch does not show the branches' names. I have also created a new repository and it is the same.

Example:

>git clone https://github.com/uber/pyro.git
Cloning into 'pyro'...
remote: Counting objects: 13342, done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (23/23), done.
remote: Total 13342 (delta 8), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 13319
Receiving objects: 100% (13342/13342), 55.85 MiB | 5.34 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (9814/9814), done.
>ls
pyro
>cd pyro
>git branch -a
>git branch -r
>git branch
>git status
On branch dev
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/dev'.

Adding another branch:

>git checkout -b branch1
Switched to a new branch 'branch1'
>git branch
>

I have also committed one time. and it is the same.

>GIT_TRACE=1 git branch
15:39:13.295464 git.c:344               trace: built-in: git branch
15:39:13.296121 run-command.c:640       trace: run_command: unset 
GIT_PAGER_IN_USE; LESS=FRX LV=-c pager
>git --version
git version 2.17.1
>
>env -i git branch
WARNING: terminal is not fully functional
* devress RETURN)
>

I have tested the same commands on another laptop and it works. (I have also uninstalled git and reinstalled it. It doesn't help)

Any idea how to fix it?

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been [moved to chat](https://chat.stackoverflow.com/rooms/173128/discussion-on-question-by-a-sh-git-branch-does-not-show-the-branches-names). — , Jun 14 '18 at 09:16
Update: I disabled the git pager for the `git branch` by using `git config --global pager.branch false`. Now I can get the results. But as @Keith said, we still don't know why pager cause this problem. — A_sh, Jun 18 '18 at 21:01

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 16 '18 at 01:37

This is not a complete answer, but based on a lengthy chat discussion, it looks like some kind of interaction with the pager.

The user's environment includes these variables (among others):

LESSOPEN='| /usr/bin/lesspipe %s'
LESSCLOSE='/usr/bin/lesspipe %s %s'

Those are the default settings on Ubuntu, so that shouldn't be causing a problem.

git branch produces no output.

GIT_PAGER=/bin/cat git branch produces the correct output.

I haven't yet figured out why the pager should be causing this problem, but since changing GIT_PAGER to /bin/cat is a workaround, that must be what the issue is.

Nisarg · Answer 2 · 2018-06-12T20:08:23.933

Show local branches:

git branch

Since you are cloning from remote/origin branches, it will not displaying using git branch. you need to at least visit that branch by using git checkout. Review below git commands. I have created new branch hotfix-test and then used git branch

~/pyro (dev)

    $ git checkout -b hotfix-test
    Switched to a new branch 'hotfix-test'

~/pyro (hotfix-test)

    $ git branch
      dev
    * hotfix-test

Checkout the current branch to existing other branch.

$ git checkout lax
Switched to a new branch 'lax'
Branch lax set up to track remote branch lax from origin.

~/pyro (lax)
 $ git branch
          dev
          hotfix-test
        * lax

Cloning steps and origin branches

 ~/desktop (master)
$ git clone https://github.com/uber/pyro.git
Cloning into 'pyro'...
remote: Counting objects: 13342, done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (23/23), done.
remote: Total 13342 (delta 8), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 13319
Receiving objects: 100% (13342/13342), 55.85 MiB | 2.69 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (9814/9814), done.

~/desktop (master)
$ cd pyro

desktop/pyro (dev)
$ git branch -a
* dev
  remotes/origin/0.1.2-release
  remotes/origin/0.2.0-release
  remotes/origin/0.2.1-release
  remotes/origin/HEAD -> origin/dev
  remotes/origin/ast-char-rnn
  remotes/origin/bnn-mnist
  remotes/origin/causal-tutorial
  remotes/origin/continuation-poutine
  remotes/origin/continuation-with-indep
  remotes/origin/cubo
  remotes/origin/dev
  remotes/origin/dice-elbo
  remotes/origin/gh-pages
  remotes/origin/glom-autoname
  remotes/origin/hmc
  remotes/origin/jit-integration-tests
  remotes/origin/lax
  remotes/origin/lax2
  remotes/origin/maps-iei
  remotes/origin/master
  remotes/origin/mvn-sym
  remotes/origin/mvncv
  remotes/origin/nightmare-poutine
  remotes/origin/nips-2017
  remotes/origin/only-continuation-poutine
  remotes/origin/only-parallel-enumeration
  remotes/origin/paul-mh-12-1
  remotes/origin/pcg
  remotes/origin/pragmatics-example
  remotes/origin/ps-semaphore
  remotes/origin/pyro_GP
  remotes/origin/recursion-scope
  remotes/origin/regtest-1
  remotes/origin/rejector-research
  remotes/origin/revert-611-verlet-pr
  remotes/origin/rsa-ccg-example
  remotes/origin/sampling-hash
  remotes/origin/snorkel-example
  remotes/origin/trace-posterior-sample-fix
  remotes/origin/tst
  remotes/origin/vec-rand-module

 ~/desktop/pyro (dev)
$ git branch -r
  origin/0.1.2-release
  origin/0.2.0-release
  origin/0.2.1-release
  origin/HEAD -> origin/dev
  origin/ast-char-rnn
  origin/bnn-mnist
  origin/causal-tutorial
  origin/continuation-poutine
  origin/continuation-with-indep
  origin/cubo
  origin/dev
  origin/dice-elbo
  origin/gh-pages
  origin/glom-autoname
  origin/hmc
  origin/jit-integration-tests
  origin/lax
  origin/lax2
  origin/maps-iei
  origin/master
  origin/mvn-sym
  origin/mvncv
  origin/nightmare-poutine
  origin/nips-2017
  origin/only-continuation-poutine
  origin/only-parallel-enumeration
  origin/paul-mh-12-1
  origin/pcg
  origin/pragmatics-example
  origin/ps-semaphore
  origin/pyro_GP
  origin/recursion-scope
  origin/regtest-1
  origin/rejector-research
  origin/revert-611-verlet-pr
  origin/rsa-ccg-example
  origin/sampling-hash
  origin/snorkel-example
  origin/trace-posterior-sample-fix
  origin/tst
  origin/vec-rand-module

See Also Why is "git branch" silent in new repositories?

In this case OP is not creating a new repository, he is downloading an existing repository. — Arkadiusz Drabczyk, Jun 12 '18 at 18:52
I have also double checked to ensure that the repository is not inside any other one. I re cloned that in another place also. the same thing — A_sh, Jun 12 '18 at 19:05
Thank you @Nisarg . It is the same. I did that. I have also committed a file and it is still the same. please check the question — A_sh, Jun 12 '18 at 20:20

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 18 '18 at 21:04

I have disabled the git pager for the git branch by using git config --global pager.branch false. Now I can get the git branch output. But we didn't figure out what is the pager problem. For the other commands like git diff, the same problem exists.

'git branch' does not show the branches names

3 Answers3