the current branch '%s' doesn't seem pushed to a remote

Error message

the current branch '%s' doesn't seem pushed to a remote

What it means

In commands/compare.go compare, for the branch-based compare path, the tool first tries findPushTarget(currentBranch) and falls back to deducePushTarget(currentBranch, host.User). If both fail, it cannot determine where the current branch is published and aborts with "the current branch '%s' doesn't seem pushed to a remote".

Source

Thrown at commands/compare.go:94

	var r string
	flagCompareBase := args.Flag.Value("--base")

	if args.IsParamsEmpty() {
		currentBranch, err := localRepo.CurrentBranch()
		if err != nil {
			utils.Check(command.UsageError(err.Error()))
		}

		var remoteBranch *github.Branch
		var remoteProject *github.Project

		remoteBranch, remoteProject, err = findPushTarget(currentBranch)
		if err != nil {
			if remoteProject, err = deducePushTarget(currentBranch, host.User); err == nil {
				remoteBranch = currentBranch
			} else {
				utils.Check(fmt.Errorf("the current branch '%s' doesn't seem pushed to a remote", currentBranch.ShortName()))
			}
		}

		r = remoteBranch.ShortName()
		if remoteProject.SameAs(mainProject) {
			if flagCompareBase == "" && remoteBranch.IsMaster() {
				utils.Check(fmt.Errorf("the branch to compare '%s' is the default branch", remoteBranch.ShortName()))
			}
		} else {
			r = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", remoteProject.Owner, r)
		}

		if flagCompareBase == r {
			utils.Check(fmt.Errorf("the branch to compare '%s' is the same as --base", r))
		} else if flagCompareBase != "" {
			r = fmt.Sprintf("%s...%s", flagCompareBase, r)
		}
	} else {

View on GitHub (pinned to 5c547ed804)

Solutions

Push the branch first: `git push -u origin <branch>`, then rerun `hub compare`.
Set an upstream explicitly: `git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/<branch>`.
Verify the remote is a recognizable GitHub remote (`git remote -v`); add/fix origin if needed.
Pass the branch explicitly, e.g. `hub compare <branch>`, to bypass push-target deduction.

Example fix

// before
hub compare   // current branch 'feature' doesn't seem pushed to a remote
// after
git push -u origin feature
hub compare feature

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

# before running hub compare, ensure the branch is pushed
branch=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
git ls-remote --heads origin "$branch" | grep -q "$branch" || \
  { echo "push first: git push -u origin $branch"; exit 1; }

Try / catch

remoteBranch, remoteProject, err := findPushTarget(currentBranch)
if err != nil {
    if remoteProject, err = deducePushTarget(currentBranch, host.User); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("push branch first: git push -u origin %s", currentBranch.ShortName())
    }
}

Prevention

Always `git push -u origin <branch>` when creating branches
Set upstream tracking before running remote-dependent commands
Keep origin pointing at a valid GitHub remote
Pass the branch explicitly to compare when unsure of push state

When it happens

Trigger: Running `hub compare` while on a local branch that has no upstream tracking branch and cannot be matched to a remote project on the host (findPushTarget and deducePushTarget both return errors).

Common situations: On a brand-new local branch never pushed; branch created from a remote ref but never committed/pushed; working in a repo cloned over a protocol/remote layout hub cannot map to a GitHub project; detached or misconfigured remote named something other than origin.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of mislav/hub@5c547ed804 (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ec5feb660fdc6b36. Report an issue: GitHub.