### Problem `target_sha` was not provided when creating the branch because Gitaly did not support zero object IDs. See thread (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/161981#note_2038365067). > If set, it must either contain a valid, full object ID or the zero object ID in case the branch should be created. [source](https://gitlab-org.gitlab.io/gitaly/#gitaly.UserCommitFilesRequestHeader) The Gitaly issue was resolved in https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/-/issues/6290. ### Proposal Provide `blank_ref` to `target_sha` when the `branch_name` is not created yet.