Milan Hauth [off-list ref] writes:
workaround:
pushd /path/to/repo/.git/
git --bare update-server-info
mv hooks/post-update.sample hooks/post-update
popd
git ls-remote http://localhost/src/somerepo/.git/
That is not a workaround, but the proper way the system was designed
to be used.
After all, the "dumb HTTP" support is just that. It is known to be
ultra inefficient relative to other transport methods like "git
protocol over ssh connection", and "smart HTTP stateless
connection", and the WHOLE point of supporting "dumb HTTP" transport
is to allow a truly dumb HTTP serving infrastructure. Letting the
clients assume that WebDAV exists on the server side defeats its
reason to exist.