Git pull error "unable to update local ref" how to fix this?

Question

This is the error message :

 error: cannot lock ref 'refs/remotes/origin/master': unable to resolve reference 'refs/remotes/origin/master': reference broken
    From https://bitbucket.org/abc/abc
     ! [new branch]        master     -> origin/master  (unable to update local ref)

when I try to pull then it shows "Complete with errors, see above", I forgot what I did before so it result this error came up after I do pull request. What should I do ?

The error basically means that there are multiple `git` processes running on your machine. — zeekhuge, Aug 30 '17 at 10:31

score 42 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 06 '18 at 22:54

42

It sounds like your ref to the origin/master branch is broken or corrupt.

First - take a copy of your local repo.

You can do two things (that I know of):

Delete the ref to master and then do a fetch (to get the latest): cd <path-to-your-repo> rm .git/refs/remotes/origin/master git fetch
Try using the git maintenance features:
- git gc --prune=now
- git remote prune origin (may not need this which removes stale remote tracking branches and such)

Note: One reason to backup before you do this is that the git gc pruning permanently removes some commits that are un-reachable - which, in theory, you might need incase you made a mistake.

edited Dec 06 '18 at 22:54

dcharles

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answered Aug 30 '17 at 11:54

code_fodder

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Please note: I ran into this issue as well, and the above only helped once I'd updated my `git` to the latest version. So if you're still having trouble after trying the above, ensure your `git` is updated. – JaredH Feb 14 '19 at 15:42
@JaredH was it just the second method that was not working in the older version - or both? – code_fodder Mar 13 '19 at 14:28
Sorry but I don't recall @code_fodder – JaredH Mar 13 '19 at 17:00
@JaredH ah, no worries : ) – code_fodder Mar 14 '19 at 07:20
The second method worked for me. Thanks for sharing! – display name Aug 21 '20 at 23:49
The `git remote prune origin` were the magic words in my case. Thnx! – lenborje Apr 19 '21 at 08:22

Git pull error "unable to update local ref" how to fix this?

1 Answers1