Sometimes the default branch name is not the name you want. However this branch name is hard-coded into git. One way to circumvent the usage of the hard-coded default branch, is to create a virtual new branch before the first commit.

When a new git repository is created the HEAD file is at that moment a pointer to the (virtual) default branch. One can easily find out with cat to what it points. The trick is to change the pointer for HEAD before the first commit and therefore before the default branch exists and making the new virtual first branch the default branch.

For all steps we assume a new repository was created similar to this approach.

cd /tmp

mkdir test

cd test

git init

(VS;PR) Now the very short process to crate a git repository with a different default branch, without explanations, so please read it.

cd /tmp

mkdir test

cd test

git init

git checkout --orphan main

(ATL;DR) The next example is basically (allmost) the same, but include some commands to prove it and explanations on what to expect.

cd /tmp

mkdir test

cd test

git init                   # HEAD points to non existing ref: refs/heads/master

cat .git/HEAD              # Should give ref: refs/heads/master

ls .git/refs/heads         # Should give nothing

git checkout --orphan main # HEAD points to non existing ref: refs/heads/main

cat .git/HEAD              # Should give ref: refs/heads/main

ls .git/refs/heads         # Should give nothing (will change after commit)

(TL;DR) And finally the following session shows what happens, if there is a first commit to the repository, including the output of all commands.

cd /tmp

mkdir test

cd test

git init                   # HEAD points to non existing ref: refs/heads/master
Initialized empty Git repository in /tmp/test/.git/

cat .git/HEAD              # Should give ref: refs/heads/master
ref: refs/heads/master

ls .git/refs/heads         # Should give nothing

git checkout --orphan main # HEAD points to non existing ref: refs/heads/main
Switched to a new branch 'main'

cat .git/HEAD              # Should give ref: refs/heads/main
ref: refs/heads/main

ls .git/refs/heads         # Should give nothing (will change after commit)

touch README.md            # Will create the file README.md

git add README.md          # Make the file known to git

                           # Create a commit and in unison the new branch
                           # under a non default name
git commit -m init README.md
[main (root-commit) 9fdf194] init
 1 file changed, 0 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 README.md

cat .git/HEAD              # Should give ref: refs/heads/main
ref: refs/heads/main

ls .git/refs/heads         # Should give main
main

As one can see ls .git/refs/heads now shows that the new branch came into existence.

History

Version	Date	Notes
0.1.0	2022-07-15	Initial release