Maybe you just need to commit. I ran into this when I did:

mkdir repo && cd repo
git remote add origin /path/to/origin.git
git add .

Oops! Never committed!

git push -u origin master
error: src refspec master does not match any.

All I had to do was:

git commit -m "initial commit"
git push origin main

Success!

1. Try git show-ref to see what refs you have. Is there a refs/heads/master?

Due to the recent "Replacing master with main in GitHub" action, you may notice that there is a refs/heads/main. As a result, the following command may change from git push origin HEAD:master to git push origin HEAD:main

2. You can try git push origin HEAD:master as a more local-reference-independent solution. This explicitly states that you want to push the local ref HEAD to the remote ref master (see the git-push refspec documentation).

I also had a similar error after deleting all files on my local computer, and I have to clean up all files in the repository.

My error message was something like this:

error: src refspec master does not match any.
error: failed to push some refs to 'git@github ... .git'

And it was solved by executing the following commands:

touch README
git add README

git add (all other files)
git commit -m 'reinitialized files'
git push origin master --force  # <- caution, --force can delete others work.

git push -u origin master
error: src refspec master does not match any.

For that you need to enter the commit message as follows and then push the code:

git commit -m "initial commit"

git push origin master

Successfully pushed to master.

For me I had to make sure the public key is properly configured on the server (appended in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys) and in GitHub/Bitbucket (added to my SSH keys on GitHub or Bitbucket) - they need to match. Then:

git add --all :/
git commit -am 'message'
git push -u origin master

I found this happened in a brand new repository after I Git added only a directory.

As soon as I added a file (e.g. a README), Git push worked great.

Missing or skipping git add . or git commit may cause this error:

git push -u origin master
Username for 'https://github.com': yourusername
Password for 'https://yourusername@github.com': 
error: src refspec master does not match any.
error: failed to push some refs to 'https://github.com/yourusername/foobar.git'

To fix it, reinitialize and follow the proper sequence:

git init
git add .
git commit -m 'message'
git *create remote
git push -u origin master

To fix it, re-initialize and follow the proper code sequence:

git init
git add .
git commit -m 'message'
git push -u origin master

This happens too when you are in a specific branch and try to push another branch that does not exist yet, like:

$ git branch
* version-x  # you are in this branch
  version-y

$ git push -u origin master
error: src refspec master does not match any.
error: failed to push some refs to 'origin_address'

Make sure you've added first, and then commit/ push:

Like:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "message"
git remote add origin "github.com/your_repo.git"
git push -u origin master

I faced the same problem, and I used --allow-empty:

$ git commit -m "initial commit" --allow-empty
...
$ git push
...

Supplement

One of main reasons of this problem is that some Git servers, such as BitBucket, don't have their master branch initialized when a fresh repository is cloned.

I faced the same issue some days ago.

If you created a new repository nowadays(2020) then the default branch is main on GitHub.

you can check on GitHub now in your repository branches.

and you can also check branch on the terminal by running the command:

git branch

so that's why you need to run

git push origin main

instead of

git push origin master

Goodluck

Problem faced

I had the same problem when I was creating a new repository on GitHub and linking it with my react-app in the client computer I have.

I used the following steps:

Commands used before the problem

git init
git commit -m "first commit"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin "_git repository link here_"
git push -u origin main

My mistake

But as you can see my mistake was not using the git add . command I did this mistake because I already had README.md file and GitHub instructs us with basic commands while creating the repository.

My solution

My solution is to use git add . after git init command.

Use the following set of commands in the same order to overcome the problem:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "first commit"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin "_git repository link here_"
git push -u origin main

Two possibilities :

1- Either you forgot to include the .gitignore file.

Here are all the steps required:

1. Create an empty Git repository on remote,

2. On local create the .gitignore file for your project. GitHub gives you a list of examples here

3. Launch a terminal, and in your project do the following commands:

   git remote add origin YOUR/ORIGIN.git
   
   git add .
   
   git commit -m "initial commit or whatever message for first commit"
   
   git push -u origin master
   

2- Or you are trying to create a new Github project.

Github replaced master with main as the default branch name. To resolve the issue :

1. On your local project:
   1. remove the .git folder if it exists
   2. recreate a clean repository by launching the following in your project:

in the terminal:

git init

git add .

git commit -m "YOUR FIRST MESSAGE HERE"

git branch -M main

git remote add origin _GIT_LINK_TO_PROJECT_HERE_

git push -u origin main

For me,following worked to move untracked files:

git add --all

Next, I followed similar steps

 git commit -m "First commit"

Then,

git remote add origin git@github.....

Last but not the least:

git push -u origin master

As you do this, Windows security will pop up asking for your username and password.

You probably forgot the command git add . after the git init command.

After the GitHub update 01.10.20 you should use main instead of master.

Do it like these way...

1. Create a repository on GitHub
2. Delete existing .git file on your local directory
3. Go to local project directory and type git init
4. git add .
5. git commit -m"My First Commmit"
6. Now check your branch name it will be master in your local project
7. git remote add origin <remote repository URL past here from the github repository> then type git remote -v
8. git push -f origin master
9. Now check the github repository you will see two branch 1. main 2. master
10. In your local repository create new branch and the branch name will be main
11. git checkout main
12. git merge master
13. git pull origin main
14. git push -f origin main

Note: from 01.10.20 github decided use main instead of master branch use default branch name

Just add an initial commit. Follow these steps:

• git add .

• git commit -m "initial commit"

• git push origin master

This worked for me.

My issue was that the 'master' branch hadn't been created locally yet.

A quick

git checkout -b "master"

created the master branch, at which point, a quick

git push -u origin master

pushed the work up to the Git repository.

Feb, 2022 Update:

If your branch is "main":

Run this command:

git push origin main

If your branch is "master":

Run this command:

git push origin master

Maybe the branch is main instead of master

try

git push origin HEAD:main or git push origin main

I have faced the same issue,

solved my problem.

just make a branch:

git checkout -b "master"

after that

git push -u origin master

bomm.

hope it will be solved.

This happens when you have added your file, forgot to commit and pushing. So commit the files and then push.

This just mean you forgot to do the initial commit, try

git add .
git commit -m 'initial commit'
git push origin master

1. First, git add .
2. Second, git commit -m "message"
3. Third, git push origin branch

Please check for spelling mistakes because that could also give that error.

I also followed GitHub's directions as follows below, but I still faced this same error as mentioned by the OP:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "message"
git remote add origin "github.com/your_repo.git"
git push -u origin master

For me, and I hope this helps some, I was pushing a large file (1.58 GB on disk) on my MacOS. While copy pasting the suggested line of codes above, I was not waiting for my processor to actually finish the add . process. So When I typed git commit -m "message" it basically did not reference any files and has not completed whatever it needs to do to successfully commit my code to GitHub.

The proof of this is when I typed git status usually I get green fonts for the files added. But everything was red. As if it was not added at all.

So I redid the steps. I typed git add . and waited for the files to finish being added. Then I followed through the next steps.

It happens if you forget to commit before pushing for the first time. Just run:

git commit -m "first commit"

To check the current status, git status.

And follow these steps as well:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "message"
git remote add origin "github.com/your_repo.git"
git push -u origin master

I had the same problem when I missed to run:

git add .

(You must have at least one file, or you will get the error again.)

If you get this error while working in detached HEAD mode, you can do this:

git push origin HEAD:remote-branch-name

See also: Making a Git push from a detached head

If you are on a different local branch than the remote branch, you can do this:

git push origin local-branch-name:remote-branch-name