After the clone, a plain `git fetch` without arguments will update
all the remote-tracking branches, and a `git pull` without
arguments will in addition merge the remote master branch into the
-current master branch, if any.
+current master branch, if any (this is untrue when "--single-branch"
+is given; see below).
This default configuration is achieved by creating references to
the remote branch heads under `refs/remotes/origin` and
-b <name>::
Instead of pointing the newly created HEAD to the branch pointed
to by the cloned repository's HEAD, point to `<name>` branch
- instead. `--branch` can also take tags and treat them like
- detached HEAD. In a non-bare repository, this is the branch
- that will be checked out.
+ instead. In a non-bare repository, this is the branch that will
+ be checked out.
+ `--branch` can also take tags and detaches the HEAD at that commit
+ in the resulting repository.
--upload-pack <upload-pack>::
-u <upload-pack>::
clone with the `--depth` option, this is the default, unless
`--no-single-branch` is given to fetch the histories near the
tips of all branches.
+ Further fetches into the resulting repository will only update the
+ remote tracking branch for the branch this option was used for the
+ initial cloning. If the HEAD at the remote did not point at any
+ branch when `--single-branch` clone was made, no remote tracking
+ branch is created.
--recursive::
--recurse-submodules::