On Mon, May 08, 2017 at 08:30:49AM +0200, Дилян Палаузов wrote: > why do these work: > > git clone --bare -b 3.5 https://github.com/python/cpython A > git clone -b 3.6 A B >From the description of --bare in "git help clone": [...]the branch heads at the remote are copied directly to corresponding local branch heads, without mapping them to refs/remotes/origin/. When this option is used, neither remote-tracking branches nor the related configuration variables are created. So because the upstream has a refs/heads/3.6 branch, so too does the bare clone "A". And thus when you clone it asking for that branch, Git can find it. But in your non-bare example: > git clone -b 3.5 https://github.com/python/cpython C > > but these not: > > git clone -b 3.6 C D > git clone --no-local -b 3.6 C D In the non-bare clone C, there is no local 3.6 branch. You only have the remote-tracking branch refs/remotes/origin/3.6. So when you try to clone from it, Git can't find the branch: $ git clone -b 3.6 C D Cloning into 'D'... fatal: Remote branch 3.6 not found in upstream origin fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly It works if you create a local branch based on upstream's branch: $ git -C C checkout 3.6 Branch 3.6 set up to track remote branch 3.6 from origin. Switched to a new branch '3.6' $ git clone -b 3.6 C D Cloning into 'D'... done. -Peff