Have Git set an upstream on the first push

With Git 2.37 or later, enable automatic upstream setup for default pushes:

git config --global push.autoSetupRemote true

When the current branch has no upstream, this makes a supported default push behave as though --set-upstream were supplied. It applies with push.default set to simple, upstream, or current.

Push a new branch

git switch -c feature-x
# Make and commit changes as needed.
git push

The selected remote receives the same-named branch and Git records tracking after a successful push. The destination is determined by your branch and remote configuration; it is not necessarily origin. A suitable remote and write access must already exist.

Omit --global when you want the setting only in the current repository. The option does not change an upstream that already exists.

Understand the older alternatives

git config --global push.default current

current pushes the current branch to the same name on the selected remote, but alone it does not establish an upstream. An explicit first push remains available:

git push -u origin HEAD

branch.autoSetupMerge addresses a different moment: creating a branch from an existing starting point. Setting it to always can make a feature branch track a local branch such as main; that is not equivalent to setting up tracking when publishing it.

Troubleshoot the configuration

git --version
git config --show-origin --get push.autoSetupRemote
git config --show-origin --get push.default
git branch -vv
git remote -v

Git accepts unknown configuration names, so setting the option on an older version is not proof that it supports the behavior. Repository configuration can override a global value.

A default push may name a remote, such as git push origin, while omitting refspecs. Explicit refspecs, such as git push origin feature-x, do not use this automatic default-push setup; add -u when you want tracking in that case. A configured remote.<name>.push can also supply refspecs and affect the path taken.

Use different local and remote names

Specify the mapping and tracking explicitly:

git push -u origin local-name:remote-name

With the default simple policy, later plain pushes can refuse mismatched upstream names. Continue using an explicit mapping or select a policy that matches your workflow.

See Git push configuration.