How to Fix Git Error: Failed to Push Some Refs To in Python

Have you ever tried to push your code maybe a neat little Python script and then got hit with the dreaded message:

error: failed to push some refs to '…'

It’s like you showed up to a meeting with the wrong invite. You know you made changes locally, you committed them, you swear you’re ready but Git just slams the door. If you’re wondering how to fix Git error: ‘Failed to Push Some Refs To’ in Python, you’re in the right spot.

I’ll walk you through the full story: what this error means, why it happens (especially in a Python project workflow), how to fix it step by step, and how to avoid it in the future.

What Does the Error Actually

When you see this message:

error: failed to push some refs to 'https://…'
hint: Updates were rejected because the tip of your current branch is behind its remote counterpart.

What Git is telling you is: “Hey, your local branch is not in the same state as the remote branch you’re trying to push to. To avoid overwriting someone else’s changes (or messing up history), I won’t let you push just yet.”

“Refs” means branches or tags. So “some refs” means one or more branch or tag pointers (for example your main or feature-xyz branch) couldn’t be updated. If the remote has new commits you don’t, Git refuses to update it blindly. That’s good it prevents data loss but it also means you have to sync things first.

In a Python project context, this could happen because you: worked on a feature branch, pulled changes but forgot to merge before pushing; or your remote branch got updated by CI/automation; or you rewrote history locally (e.g., via git rebase) and the remote branch doesn’t accept that without special flags.

Common Causes in a Python Workflow

Local Branch is Behind the Remote:

You cloned a repo, worked on feature/login, meanwhile someone merged into feature/login in remote. Now you attempt git push, remote says “I have commits you don’t pull first”. This is by far the most common cause.

Non-Fast-Forward History:

You rewrote your local commits (e.g., via git commit --amend, git rebase) but remote still has the old version. Now your history doesn’t align with remote’s. Trying to push will fail unless you force or merge appropriately.

Branch Protection or Permission Rules:

In many Python projects, especially teams, branches like main or develop may have rules: only allow merge via pull request, require CI passing, etc. If you try to push directly, you’ll get “failed to push some refs”. Kinsta mentions permissions as a cause.

Incorrect Tracking Branch or Remote:

If you’re on a branch that doesn’t track the remote properly (maybe you created feature/login2 but forgot to git push -u origin feature/login2), pushing might go somewhere unexpected or fail. Few posts highlight this.

Local Changes Not Committed / Hooks Failing:

Occasionally: you have uncommitted files, or a Git “pre-push” hook that fails (perhaps runs Python lint/test and fails). Then push is blocked because the pre-push hook refuses. Testkube article mentions pre-push hooks.

How to Fix the Error

Here is a detailed guide you can follow in your Python project repo to fix Git Error: Failed to Push Some Refs To.

Check your current branch & remote setup:

Run:

git branch
git remote -v
git status

Ensure you’re on the right branch (e.g., feature/login). Check that origin is pointing to the correct remote URL. If you see “Your branch is ahead of ‘origin/feature/login’ by 1 commit”, that’s good. If you see “Your branch is behind ‘origin/feature/login’ by X commits”, you’re in the behind-state.

Fetch remote changes:

git fetch origin

This pulls remote updates but does not merge them yet. Now you can inspect:

git log --graph --oneline --decorate origin/feature/login feature/login

This shows where your local branch and the remote branch diverge. If they’ve diverged, you’ll see extra commits on one side.

Merge or Rebase remote changes:

If you are okay with merging, you can:

git merge origin/feature/login

Resolve any conflicts (edit files, git add, git commit).

If you prefer cleaner history (common in Python projects that value linear history), you could:

git rebase origin/feature/login

Again, resolve conflicts if any. After that your local branch sits on top of remote’s commits.

Push your changes:

Now you should be able to do:

git push origin feature/login

If your local branch doesn’t yet track remote, do:

git push -u origin feature/login

Handling force or non-fast-forward situations:

If you rewrote commits (via git rebase or commit --amend), remote may reject push even after pulling. In that case decide:

• If you must overwrite remote and only you work on that branch: git push --force-with-lease origin feature/login --force-with-lease is safer: it fails if someone else pushed a new commit. Better than --force. Note: this isn’t mentioned much in basic tutorials.
• If you’re in a shared branch with others: avoid force. Merge remote changes instead.

If branch has protection rules:

Check if pushing to main or develop is restricted. On GitHub, GitLab etc., there may be rules: require pull request, require CI pass, disallow direct push. If so, create a feature branch, push that, create pull request and merge. This scenario isn’t always covered in simpler blog posts.

When nothing else works check hooks, authentication, remote URL:

• Are there Git hooks (pre-push) that run Python tests and fail silently? Check your .git/hooks/pre-push or central hooks.
• Is your remote URL correct? git remote set-url origin <url> if not.
• Are you authenticated properly? Did your SSH key expire? Permission issues may show differently but can cause “failed to push some refs”.
• Are you behind a proxy or using HTTPS vs SSH? Authentication issues can appear as push errors.

Python Project Specific Tips

Since you’re working in Python, here are a few pro tips that many blogs miss:

Use Feature Branches for Every Task:

Rather than working on main, create feature/XXX. This avoids multiple devs pushing to the same branch at once, reducing “refs” errors. When your work is done: merge into main.

Ensure Virtual Environment Doesn’t Hide Branch Work:

If your project uses virtual environments (venv, pipenv), sometimes you switch branches with different dependencies. Before pushing, ensure you commit only code changes—not local environment files (e.g., exclude venv/). Accidental big binary changes or environment files can cause merge conflicts or weird repo states.

Add a Pre-Push Hook to Run Lint/Tests:

To avoid failing on push because someone else pushed first, you can add a .git/hooks/pre-push script in Python that runs your pytest or flake8. This ensures your push doesn’t break CI and avoids making conflicts worse.

Example (.git/hooks/pre-push):

#!/bin/bash
echo "Running tests before push..."
pytest || { echo "Tests failed, push aborted"; exit 1; }

Make it executable: chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-push.

Always Pull/Ahead Before Starting Work:

Before you start a new Python feature, run:

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b feature/your-branch

This ensures you branch from the most up-to-date code so you avoid “failed to push some refs” later because of many remote commits.

Preventing the Error in the Future

It’s one thing to fix the error, but even better to avoid it entirely.

Pull Regularly Before Pushing Make it a habit: before you start a new coding session, git pull origin your-branch. This keeps your local repo up to date and avoids divergence.

Communicate with Your Team In Python projects, when multiple devs work on the same branch, coordinate merges so you’re not stepping on each other’s toes. Feature branches help.

Use --force-with-lease Instead of --force Educate team: if you must rewrite history, use --force-with-lease. That way you won’t accidentally wipe someone else’s work.

Set Branch Protection Rules For critical branches (main, production), set up protection so that only merged pull requests update them. This avoids messy direct pushes and reduces “refs” errors. The Kinsta article mentions permissions but less on how to implement them.

Use CI to Verify Before Push If you add a CI pipeline that runs lint/tests and won’t accept pushes that fail, then branches remain stable, and you reduce conflicting states.

Conclusion

So there you have it a full, friendly guide on how to fix Git error: ‘Failed to Push Some Refs To’ in Python. We covered what the error really means, common causes (especially in a Python-dev context), a detailed step-by-step fix, Python-specific tips and ways to prevent the problem altogether. If you follow this approach, you’ll not just fix the error once you’ll build habits so it happens much less often. And when it does, you’ll know exactly what to do.