Git shows no branches

Question

I've created a bare repository than cloned it. When I do git branch -a nothing is showed. How come I don't even see the default master branch? Although git bash shows the following:

/some/path/project (master)

Answer 1

You have probably cloned an empty repository, there is nothing for the master branch to point to.

• A branch points to a commit
• A commit points to a tree
• A tree lists some blobs or other trees

Answer 2

For the repository to show branches, you first need to add the files and commit. Use git add -a for adding all files or use git add <file_name> to add a particular file. After adding the file, use git commit -a to commit all added files. It will take you to the vim editor where you must write the commit message, and exit the editor after saving. Once this is done, you will be able to see the branch master. To confirm type git branch and it will now show you all the branches. Now, you can add other branches by using the command git branch <new_branch_name>.