Git issue with capitalizing branch names on case-insensitive file systems

Problem

When using IntelliJ on macOS or Windows with Git, the first letter of branch names might appear capitalized unexpectedly (e.g., 'feature' appearing as 'Feature'), leading to out-of-sync branches due to the case sensitivity mismatch in Git operations.

Cause

It is a known git issue when using a case-insensitive file system (Windows/macOS). Please check the following resources for more details:

• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15371866/why-is-git-capitalizing-my-branch-name-prefix
• https://github.com/desktop/desktop/issues/10621#issuecomment-696783727

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you can undertake the following measures:

• Check and Update Branch References: Identify and correct the case of branch names directly in the .git/refs/heads or .git/refs/remotes directories by renaming the respective files.

Note: Make sure that the incorrectly named branches are not present on the server / remote repository, as the issue could be introduced after the next fetch/pull.

OR

• Pack Git References: Run the command git pack-refs --all in your repository. This operation consolidates the branch and reference names into a single file—.git/packed-refs. This procedure eliminates discrepancies caused by individual branch files.

• Set Consistent Naming Conventions: Adopt naming conventions that avoid dependency on case sensitivity, thus minimizing such issues in shared or diverse environments.

Following these steps should help align branch naming irregularities in IntelliJ and Git for a consistent and error-free development workflow.