Can't checkout git branch started with hyphen (-)

Question

I have cloned a git repository.
This repository has a remote branch something like -feature-abc.
When I type git checkout -feature-abc, I get:

error: unknown switch `e'

Any idea how to checkout this branch?

Answer 1

Try using this syntax:

git checkout -- -feature-abc

The double hyphen syntax should help git separate the command options from the actual branch name parameter, as I explained before in "Deleting a badly named git branch".

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If that doesn't work, you can follow the recipe suggested in "How do I rename a local Git branch?"

Go into your working copy's .git/refs/heads, find the filename "-dumb-name", get the hash of the branch. Then this will check it out, make a new branch with a sane name, and delete the old one.

• Go into your working copy's .git/refs/heads,
• find the file named "-feature-abc",
• get the hash of the branch (cat the file).
• Then check it out, make a new branch with a sane name, and delete the old one.

git checkout {hash}
git checkout -b brilliant-name
git branch -d -- -dumb-name