diff --git a/scm-core/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/ModifyCommandRequest.java b/scm-core/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/ModifyCommandRequest.java
index 723b287b6e..e5bd7708bb 100644
--- a/scm-core/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/ModifyCommandRequest.java
+++ b/scm-core/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/ModifyCommandRequest.java
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ public class ModifyCommandRequest implements Resetable, Validateable {
 
   @Override
   public boolean isValid() {
-    return StringUtils.isNotEmpty(commitMessage) && StringUtils.isNotEmpty(branch) && !requests.isEmpty();
+    return StringUtils.isNotEmpty(commitMessage) && !requests.isEmpty();
   }
 
   public interface PartialRequest {
diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommand.java b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommand.java
index 680ef153bd..c158047f53 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommand.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommand.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package sonia.scm.repository.spi;
 
+import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.api.Git;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.api.errors.GitAPIException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.revwalk.RevCommit;
@@ -47,7 +48,9 @@ public class GitModifyCommand extends AbstractGitCommand implements ModifyComman
 
     @Override
     String run() throws IOException {
-      checkOutBranch(request.getBranch());
+      if (!StringUtils.isEmpty(request.getBranch())) {
+        checkOutBranch(request.getBranch());
+      }
       for (ModifyCommandRequest.PartialRequest r : request.getRequests()) {
         r.execute(this);
       }
@@ -67,7 +70,11 @@ public class GitModifyCommand extends AbstractGitCommand implements ModifyComman
         try {
           Files.copy(file.toPath(), targetFile);
         } catch (FileAlreadyExistsException e) {
-          throw alreadyExists(entity("file", toBeCreated).in("branch", request.getBranch()).in(context.getRepository()));
+          ContextEntry.ContextBuilder contextBuilder = entity("file", toBeCreated);
+          if (!StringUtils.isEmpty(request.getBranch())) {
+            contextBuilder.in("branch", request.getBranch());
+          }
+          throw alreadyExists(contextBuilder.in(context.getRepository()));
         }
       }
       try {
diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommandTest.java b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommandTest.java
index c1e1c05631..47c15a7228 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommandTest.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommandTest.java
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ public class GitModifyCommandTest extends AbstractGitCommandTestBase {
     GitModifyCommand command = createCommand();
 
     ModifyCommandRequest request = new ModifyCommandRequest();
-    request.setBranch("master");
     request.setCommitMessage("test commit");
     request.addRequest(new ModifyCommandRequest.CreateFileRequest("new_file", newFile, false));
     request.setAuthor(new Person("Dirk Gently", "dirk@holistic.det"));
@@ -56,6 +55,27 @@ public class GitModifyCommandTest extends AbstractGitCommandTestBase {
     }
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void shouldCreateCommitOnSelectedBranch() throws IOException, GitAPIException {
+    File newFile = Files.write(temporaryFolder.newFile().toPath(), "new content".getBytes()).toFile();
+
+    GitModifyCommand command = createCommand();
+
+    ModifyCommandRequest request = new ModifyCommandRequest();
+    request.setCommitMessage("test commit");
+    request.setBranch("test-branch");
+    request.addRequest(new ModifyCommandRequest.CreateFileRequest("new_file", newFile, false));
+    request.setAuthor(new Person("Dirk Gently", "dirk@holistic.det"));
+
+    String newRef = command.execute(request);
+
+    ObjectId commitId = ObjectId.fromString(newRef);
+    try (RevWalk revWalk = new RevWalk(createContext().open())) {
+      RevCommit commit = revWalk.parseCommit(commitId);
+      assertThat(commit.getParent(0).name()).isEqualTo("3f76a12f08a6ba0dc988c68b7f0b2cd190efc3c4");
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void shouldCreateNewFile() throws IOException, GitAPIException {
     File newFile = Files.write(temporaryFolder.newFile().toPath(), "new content".getBytes()).toFile();
@@ -63,7 +83,6 @@ public class GitModifyCommandTest extends AbstractGitCommandTestBase {
     GitModifyCommand command = createCommand();
 
     ModifyCommandRequest request = new ModifyCommandRequest();
-    request.setBranch("master");
     request.setCommitMessage("test commit");
     request.addRequest(new ModifyCommandRequest.CreateFileRequest("new_file", newFile, false));
     request.setAuthor(new Person("Dirk Gently", "dirk@holistic.det"));
@@ -82,7 +101,6 @@ public class GitModifyCommandTest extends AbstractGitCommandTestBase {
     GitModifyCommand command = createCommand();
 
     ModifyCommandRequest request = new ModifyCommandRequest();
-    request.setBranch("master");
     request.setCommitMessage("test commit");
     request.addRequest(new ModifyCommandRequest.CreateFileRequest("a.txt", newFile, false));
     request.setAuthor(new Person("Dirk Gently", "dirk@holistic.det"));
@@ -97,7 +115,6 @@ public class GitModifyCommandTest extends AbstractGitCommandTestBase {
     GitModifyCommand command = createCommand();
 
     ModifyCommandRequest request = new ModifyCommandRequest();
-    request.setBranch("master");
     request.setCommitMessage("test commit");
     request.addRequest(new ModifyCommandRequest.CreateFileRequest("a.txt", newFile, true));
     request.setAuthor(new Person("Dirk Gently", "dirk@holistic.det"));
@@ -110,13 +127,12 @@ public class GitModifyCommandTest extends AbstractGitCommandTestBase {
   }
 
   @Test(expected = BadRequestException.class)
-  public void shouldFailIfNoChangesMade() throws IOException, GitAPIException {
+  public void shouldFailIfNoChangesMade() throws IOException {
     File newFile = Files.write(temporaryFolder.newFile().toPath(), "b\n".getBytes()).toFile();
 
     GitModifyCommand command = createCommand();
 
     ModifyCommandRequest request = new ModifyCommandRequest();
-    request.setBranch("master");
     request.setCommitMessage("test commit");
     request.addRequest(new ModifyCommandRequest.CreateFileRequest("b.txt", newFile, true));
     request.setAuthor(new Person("Dirk Gently", "dirk@holistic.det"));