How to Fix Git Pull Errors When Remote Branches Disappear

In everyday development you often link a local branch to a remote branch so that git pull updates the code and git push sends your changes. If the remote branch you are tracking is deleted, git pull and git push will error because the upstream reference no longer exists.

Check current upstream links

Use the following command to see which remote branches your local branches are tracking: git branch -vv The output shows, for example, that master tracks origin/master and nololibs_for_git tracks origin/nololibs_release. If origin/nololibs_release is deleted, subsequent git pull will report that the remote branch does not exist.

Re‑associate with an existing remote branch

Assume the remote still has a branch origin/nololibs_for_git. Re‑link the local branch with: git branch -u origin/nololibs_for_git or equivalently:

git branch --set-upstream-to origin/nololibs_for_git

After running the command, verify the new association with git branch -vv.

Remove the upstream association

If you want to detach the local branch from any remote branch, use: git branch --unset-upstream Running git branch -vv afterwards shows that the local branch no longer has an upstream, and git pull will indicate that no remote branch is configured.

Visual examples