Git checkout: updating paths is incompatible with switching branches

Question

My problem is related to Fatal Git error when switching branch.

I try to fetch a remote branch with the command

git checkout -b local-name origin/rem         


        

Answer 1

Not sure if this is helpful or exactly relevant to your question, but if you are trying to fetch and checkout only a single branch from the remote repository, then the following git commands will do the trick:

url= << URL TO REPOSITORY >>
branch= << BRANCH NAME >>

git init
git remote add origin $url
git fetch origin $branch:origin/$branch
git checkout -b $branch --track origin/$branch

Answer 2

For me I had a typo and my remote branch didn't exist

Use git branch -a to list remote branches

Answer 3

none of the above worked for me. My situation is slightly different, my remote branch is not at origin. but in a different repository.

git remote add remoterepo GIT_URL.git
git fetch remoterepo
git checkout -b branchname remoterepo/branchname

tip: if you don't see the remote branch in the following output git branch -v -a there is no way to check it out.

Confirmed working on 1.7.5.4

Answer 4

I suspect there is no remote branch named remote-name, but that you've inadvertently created a local branch named origin/remote-name.

Is it possible you at some point typed:

git branch origin/remote-name

Thus creating a local branch named origin/remote-name? Type this command:

git checkout origin/remote-name

You'll either see:

Switched to branch "origin/remote-name"

which means it's really a mis-named local branch, or

Note: moving to "origin/rework-isscoring" which isn't a local branch
If you want to create a new branch from this checkout, you may do so
(now or later) by using -b with the checkout command again. Example:
  git checkout -b 

which means it really is a remote branch.

Answer 5

Alternate syntax,

git fetch origin remote_branch_name:local_branch_name

Answer 6

It's not very intuitive but this works well for me ...

  mkdir remote.git & cd remote.git & git init
  git remote add origin $REPO
  git fetch origin $BRANCH:refs/remotes/origin/$BRANCH        

THEN run the git branch --track command ...

  git branch --track $BRANCH origin/$BRANCH