Re: [Non-Bug] cloning a repository with a default MASTER branch tries to check out the master branch

Jeff King [off-list ref] writes:

Unfortunately, it can't, because the ref doesn't exist:

  $ git ls-remote git://github.com/passcod/UPPERCASE-NPM.git
  efc7dbfd6ca155d5d19ce67eb98603896062f35a	refs/heads/MASTER
  e60ea8e6ec45ec45ff44ac8939cb4105b16477da	refs/pull/1/head
  f35a73dcb151d336dc3d30c9a2c7423ecdb7bd1c	refs/pull/2/head
  0d9b3a1268ff39350e04a7183af0add912b686e6	refs/tags/V1.0.0
  efc7dbfd6ca155d5d19ce67eb98603896062f35a	refs/tags/V1.0.1

There is no HEAD line at all, so we have no information about it on the
client side.  Likewise, if you run with GIT_TRACE_PACKET=1, you'll see
that the capabilities line does not include a symref marker either.

So if we wanted to improve this, I think the first step would be for the
server to start sending symref lines for HEAD, even when it does not
resolve to anything.

Yup, noticed the same and I agree with your conclusion.