# Re: \[PATCH 2/9\] remote: respect \`core.defaultBranchName\`

- From: Jeff King \<hidden\>
- Date: 2020-06-16 12:36:01 
- List: git
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/git/2020/06/7849489
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/git/2020/06/7849072/t.md

```text
On Wed, Jun 10, 2020 at 09:19:23PM +0000, Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget wrote:

> @@ -2099,7 +2100,10 @@ struct ref *guess_remote_head(const struct ref *head,
>  
>  	/* If refs/heads/master could be right, it is. */
>  	if (!all) {
> -		r = find_ref_by_name(refs, "refs/heads/master");
> +		char *name = git_default_branch_name(0);
> +
> +		r = find_ref_by_name(refs, name);
> +		free(name);
>  		if (r && oideq(&r->old_oid, &head->old_oid))
>  			return copy_ref(r);
>  	}

You'd perhaps want to update the comment above, too.

However, I think we should be a bit more lenient on the "reading" side
default names. Just because "foo" is _my_ default branch name, does not
mean it is the default on the remote side. We cannot know what the other
side's default preference is, but in a world where we have 15 years of
repos that may have been created with "master", it is probably still a
good guess.

I.e., I think this probably ought to check the preferred name, and then
fall back to the existing behavior, like:

  if (!all) {
	  char *name;

          /* try the user's preferred default branch name */
	  name = git_default_branch_name(0);
	  r = find_ref_by_name(refs, name);
	  free(name);
	  if (r && oideq(&r->old_oid, &head->old_oid))
	          return copy_ref(r);

	  /* otherwise, try "master", which is the historical default */
	  r = find_ref_by_name(refs, "refs/heads/master");
	  if (r && oideq(&r->old_oid, &head->old_oid))
	          return copy_ref(r);
  }

That will help minimize fallout when git_default_branch_name() changes,
either by user config or if we switch the baked-in default. In the
latter case, we might also consider hard-coding that as a guess between
the user's preferred name and the historical "master".

Hopefully this would not matter _too_ much either way, as most servers
would support the symref extension these days. But I still think we
should do our best to minimize spots where the user may see a
regression.

-Peff
```