Fix · GitHub and Git

Git push rejected: the remote has work I do not have

Blocks your work

What you may see

My push is refused and it says the remote contains work I do not have locally
It says non-fast-forward or "updates were rejected"
It worked yesterday, today it fails after someone else (or another computer) pushed

Most likely cause

The online copy has newer saved changes (commits) than your computer, so Git refuses to overwrite them.

Check first (about two minutes)

Run git status and check you are on the branch you think you are on.
Run git fetch and then git log HEAD..origin/main --oneline (use your branch name) to see the new work.

The fix prompt

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The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows Git and GitHub very well and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

THE PROBLEM
Git push rejected: the remote has work I do not have

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
The online copy has newer saved changes (commits) than your computer, so Git refuses to overwrite them.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Run git status, git branch --show-current and git remote -v, and show me the output.
2. Run git fetch, then list the commits that are on the remote but not on my computer, and explain them in plain words.
3. Make a safety copy first: git branch backup-before-pull.
4. Bring the remote work in with git pull --rebase (or git pull if you explain why that is better here). If Git reports a conflict, stop and walk me through it.
5. Run the project's build or tests, then git push (a normal push, never a forced one).
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- git status says my branch is up to date with origin, and the push finished without "rejected".
- The latest commit is visible on the GitHub page of the branch.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not use git push --force or --force-with-lease.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Run git status, git branch --show-current and git remote -v, and show me the output.
Run git fetch, then list the commits that are on the remote but not on my computer, and explain them in plain words.
Make a safety copy first: git branch backup-before-pull.
Bring the remote work in with git pull --rebase (or git pull if you explain why that is better here). If Git reports a conflict, stop and walk me through it.
Run the project's build or tests, then git push (a normal push, never a forced one).

Do not do this

Do not add --force "just to make it go through": it can erase other people's work.
Do not delete the project folder and clone again before saving your own changes.
Do not use git push --force or --force-with-lease.

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