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 3ff65871c1..80c8c196dc 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
@@ -99,19 +99,23 @@ public class GitModifyCommand extends AbstractGitCommand implements ModifyComman
       failIfNotChanged(() -> new NoChangesMadeException(repository, ModifyWorker.this.request.getBranch()));
       Optional<RevCommit> revCommit = doCommit(request.getCommitMessage(), request.getAuthor(), request.isSign());
 
-      if (initialCommit && StringUtils.isNotBlank(context.getGlobalConfig().getDefaultBranch())) {
-        createDefaultBranch();
+      if (initialCommit) {
+        handleBranchForInitialCommit();
       }
 
       push();
       return revCommit.orElseThrow(() -> new NoChangesMadeException(repository, ModifyWorker.this.request.getBranch())).name();
     }
 
-    private void createDefaultBranch() {
-      try {
-        getClone().checkout().setName(context.getGlobalConfig().getDefaultBranch()).setCreateBranch(true).call();
-      } catch (GitAPIException e) {
-        throw new InternalRepositoryException(repository, "could not create default branch for initial commit", e);
+    private void handleBranchForInitialCommit() {
+      String branch = StringUtils.isNotBlank(request.getBranch()) ? request.getBranch() : context.getGlobalConfig().getDefaultBranch();
+      if (StringUtils.isNotBlank(branch)) {
+        try {
+          getClone().checkout().setName(branch).setCreateBranch(true).call();
+        } catch (GitAPIException e) {
+          throw new InternalRepositoryException(repository, "could not create default branch for initial commit", e);
+
+        }
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitWorkingCopyInitializer.java b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitWorkingCopyInitializer.java
index 11019b288c..346a2776b1 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitWorkingCopyInitializer.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitWorkingCopyInitializer.java
@@ -67,7 +67,11 @@ class GitWorkingCopyInitializer {
       Ref head = clone.exactRef(Constants.HEAD);
 
       if (head == null || !head.isSymbolic() || (initialBranch != null && !head.getTarget().getName().endsWith(initialBranch))) {
-        throw notFound(entity("Branch", initialBranch).in(context.getRepository()));
+        if (clone.getRefDatabase().getRefs().isEmpty()) {
+          LOG.warn("could not initialize empty clone with given branch {}; this has to be handled later on", initialBranch);
+        } else {
+          throw notFound(entity("Branch", initialBranch).in(context.getRepository()));
+        }
       }
 
       return new ParentAndClone<>(null, clone, target);
diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommand_InitialCommitTest.java b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommand_InitialCommitTest.java
index 8b8d4fae6c..f9b1a61a8c 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommand_InitialCommitTest.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitModifyCommand_InitialCommitTest.java
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public class GitModifyCommand_InitialCommitTest extends AbstractGitCommandTestBa
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void shouldCreateCommitOnMasterByDkefault() throws IOException, GitAPIException {
+  public void shouldCreateCommitOnMasterByDefault() throws IOException, GitAPIException {
     createContext().getGlobalConfig().setDefaultBranch("");
 
     executeModifyCommand();
@@ -87,17 +87,32 @@ public class GitModifyCommand_InitialCommitTest extends AbstractGitCommandTestBa
     }
   }
 
-  private void executeModifyCommand() throws IOException {
-    File newFile = Files.write(temporaryFolder.newFile().toPath(), "new content".getBytes()).toFile();
+  @Test
+  public void shouldCreateCommitWithBranchFromRequestIfPresent() throws IOException, GitAPIException {
+    createContext().getGlobalConfig().setDefaultBranch("main");
 
-    GitModifyCommand command = createCommand();
+    ModifyCommandRequest request = createRequest();
+    request.setBranch("different");
+    createCommand().execute(request);
+
+    try (Git git = new Git(createContext().open())) {
+      List<Ref> branches = git.branchList().call();
+      assertThat(branches).extracting("name").containsExactly("refs/heads/different");
+    }
+  }
+
+  private void executeModifyCommand() throws IOException {
+    createCommand().execute(createRequest());
+  }
+
+  private ModifyCommandRequest createRequest() throws IOException {
+    File newFile = Files.write(temporaryFolder.newFile().toPath(), "new content".getBytes()).toFile();
 
     ModifyCommandRequest request = new ModifyCommandRequest();
     request.setCommitMessage("initial commit");
     request.addRequest(new ModifyCommandRequest.CreateFileRequest("new_file", newFile, false));
     request.setAuthor(new Person("Dirk Gently", "dirk@holistic.det"));
-
-    command.execute(request);
+    return request;
   }
 
   private GitModifyCommand createCommand() {