bname.buf,
                               (flags & REF_ISBROKEN) ? "broken"
                               : (flags & REF_ISSYMREF) ? target
-                              : find_unique_abbrev(oid.hash, DEFAULT_ABBREV));
+                              : find_unique_abbrev(&oid, DEFAULT_ABBREV));
                }
                delete_branch_config(bname.buf);
 
        const char *interpreted_oldname = NULL;
        const char *interpreted_newname = NULL;
        int recovery = 0;
-       int clobber_head_ok;
 
        if (!oldname) {
                if (copy)
         * A command like "git branch -M currentbranch currentbranch" cannot
         * cause the worktree to become inconsistent with HEAD, so allow it.
         */
-       clobber_head_ok = !strcmp(oldname, newname);
-
-       validate_new_branchname(newname, &newref, force, clobber_head_ok);
+       if (!strcmp(oldname, newname))
+               validate_branchname(newname, &newref);
+       else
+               validate_new_branchname(newname, &newref, force);
 
        reject_rebase_or_bisect_branch(oldref.buf);
 
                OPT_BOOL('l', "create-reflog", &reflog, N_("create the branch's reflog")),
                OPT_BOOL(0, "edit-description", &edit_description,
                         N_("edit the description for the branch")),
-               OPT__FORCE(&force, N_("force creation, move/rename, deletion")),
+               OPT__FORCE(&force, N_("force creation, move/rename, deletion"), PARSE_OPT_NOCOMPLETE),
                OPT_MERGED(&filter, N_("print only branches that are merged")),
                OPT_NO_MERGED(&filter, N_("print only branches that are not merged")),
                OPT_COLUMN(0, "column", &colopts, N_("list branches in columns")),
                copy *= 2;
        }
 
+       if (list)
+               setup_auto_pager("branch", 1);
+
        if (delete) {
                if (!argc)
                        die(_("branch name required"));
        } else if (argc > 0 && argc <= 2) {
                struct branch *branch = branch_get(argv[0]);
 
-               if (!strcmp(argv[0], "HEAD"))
-                       die(_("it does not make sense to create 'HEAD' manually"));
-
                if (!branch)
                        die(_("no such branch '%s'"), argv[0]);