Subject: [PATCH v3 01/12] git-gui: use HEAD as current branch when detached

From: Mark Levedahl <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 31 May 2026 19:02:14 -0400

commit f87a36b697 ("git-gui: use git-branch --show-current", 2024-02-12)
changed git-gui to use git-branch to access refs, rather than directly
reading files as doing the latter is not compatible with the reftable
backend. git branch --show-current reports an empty branch name when the
head is detached, and in this case load_current_branch needs to report
HEAD using special case logic as it did prior to the above commit. Make
it do so.

This addresses an issue with git-gui browser failing with a detached
head.

Signed-off-by: Mark Levedahl <[email-masked]>
---
 git-gui.sh | 3 +++
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)

diff --git a/git-gui.sh b/git-gui.sh
index 23fe76e498..f70a54a61b 100755
--- a/git-gui.sh
+++ b/git-gui.sh
@@ -670,6 +670,9 @@ proc load_current_branch {} {
 
 	set current_branch [git branch --show-current]
 	set is_detached [expr [string length $current_branch] == 0]
+	if {$is_detached} {
+		set current_branch {HEAD}
+	}
 }
 
 auto_load tk_optionMenu
-- 
2.54.0.99.14