git push origin gives remote part of refspec is not a valid name

Why not follow the instructions GitHub gives you?

git remote add origin [email protected]:darkoram/shpero_tracker.git git push -u origin master 

The commands you're issuing are saying "push to the remote repo named origin the branch named [email protected]:/darkoram/shpero_tracker.git", which is obviously not correct.

The original poster's original question says:

I use

git push origin [email protected]:/darkoram/shpero_tracker.git 

I also tried

git push origin https://github.com/darKoram/sphero_tracker.git 

both times I get

remote part of refspec is not a valid name in https://github.com/darKoram/sphero_tracker.git

The error refers to the fact that you're not using a valid refspec. A refspec takes the following form (items in [] are optional, and items in <> are parameters):

[+]<source>[:<destination>] 

In the format above, both the source and the destination are references, and branches in Git are references, so you can use branches as refspecs. For example, the following are both valid and equivalent refspecs:

master master:master 

Using the two refspecs with git push:

git push origin master git push origin master:master 

will both push the local branch master to the branch named master on the remote origin.

Your Problem

You used:

git push origin [email protected]:/darkoram/shpero_tracker.git 

[email protected]:/darkoram/shpero_tracker.git is not a vaid reference/branch; it's the URL for your remote repo. That's probably why Git is complaining that the refspec is not valid.

The correct way to push a branch would be:

git push origin <branch> 

See Also

• For a more detailed explanation for refspec syntax, see man git push.
• For another explanation of refspecs, see Pro Git § 9.5 Git Internals - The Refspec.

I use

git push origin [email protected]:/darkoram/shpero_tracker.git

I also tried

git push origin https://github.com/darKoram/sphero_tracker.git

both times I get

remote part of refspec is not a valid name in >https://github.com/darKoram/sphero_tracker.git

The solution is to put the branch name at the end of the git command:

git push https://github.com/darKoram/sphero_tracker.git master 

Please consider the case (uppercase, lowercase) you are using for those remote addresses:

git remote add origin [email protected]:darKoram/shpero_tracker.git # NOT: git remote add origin [email protected]:darkoram/shpero_tracker.git # won't work # ^^^ # | 

See:

• "Why are Github project document page urls case sensitive? What are the negative effects?"
• "GitHub pushing/pulling error"

In the end, i was able to connect, but when trying git push origin master i was getting "fast forward" errors despite the fact that my repo was created with only the default Readme.md. I tried the suggestions in the man pages, but in the end, when my dev folders were pushed to github the folder showed up as green and could not be opened. The git pull --rebase I did also somehow excluded my dev files from my local git repo and i've found no way to add them back.

In the end, i had to create a new github repo and a new local repo. The key in the process is step 3 which pulls the nearly empty (except for Readme.md) repo before attempting to push to it.

1. create github repo
2. git add remote origin (https://... the url in the window on github page)
3. git clone origin master
4. create local repo; add; commit;
5. git push origin

I suppose if i didn't accept the dialog box offer to create Readme for repo that 3 would be un-necessary, but it's strange to me that this default option derails the simple repo creation process as elaborated in so many tutorials on the subject.

In my case I am also getting the same error.

fatal: remote part of refspec is not a valid name in https://github.com/username/repo.git

Firstly I thought it is due to changing the username( as I recently change my username on github) but that's not a problem.

When I tried git fetch and then git pull but getting the same error.

At Last this is just solved by

git push origin master 

No Idea but this worked.

I had a similar problem today. FWIW, this fixed it:

git fetch followed by git pull origin mybranch (response: "Already up-to-date")

then git push origin mybranch.

I suspect maybe something related to the upstream parent branch needed to be fetched (?). If someone else can explain why this fixed it, I'm all ears.