diff --git a/internal/service/operations/commit_files.go b/internal/service/operations/commit_files.go
index 310f60a434713d7ced5e6b019906f4c8a4b5188a..8020d1a1fd34720c87462d75e455c5e81fff8286 100644
--- a/internal/service/operations/commit_files.go
+++ b/internal/service/operations/commit_files.go
@@ -74,8 +74,5 @@ func validateUserCommitFilesHeader(header *pb.UserCommitFilesRequestHeader) erro
 	if len(header.GetCommitMessage()) == 0 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("empty CommitMessage")
 	}
-	if len(header.GetBranchName()) == 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("empty BranchName")
-	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/service/operations/commit_files_test.go b/internal/service/operations/commit_files_test.go
index c5816e7c0bd68504883baf8623145b04068ae18f..0dbaccc3d5bf8b7fc0942e03557fef05c468d58d 100644
--- a/internal/service/operations/commit_files_test.go
+++ b/internal/service/operations/commit_files_test.go
@@ -276,10 +276,6 @@ func TestFailedUserCommitFilesRequest(t *testing.T) {
 			desc: "empty User",
 			req:  headerRequest(testRepo, nil, branchName, commitFilesMessage, nil, nil),
 		},
-		{
-			desc: "empty BranchName",
-			req:  headerRequest(testRepo, user, "", commitFilesMessage, nil, nil),
-		},
 		{
 			desc: "empty CommitMessage",
 			req:  headerRequest(testRepo, user, branchName, nil, nil, nil),
diff --git a/ruby/lib/gitlab/git/operation_service.rb b/ruby/lib/gitlab/git/operation_service.rb
index 99ee18166d3c7bc65e0e2ce21340d5a4208284fa..2844e84e3df4da415b41edb4cc1e084c70df93f1 100644
--- a/ruby/lib/gitlab/git/operation_service.rb
+++ b/ruby/lib/gitlab/git/operation_service.rb
@@ -119,13 +119,17 @@ module Gitlab
           raise Gitlab::Git::CommitError.new('Failed to create commit')
         end
 
-        branch = repository.find_branch(branch_name)
-        oldrev = find_oldrev_from_branch(newrev, branch)
-
-        ref = Gitlab::Git::BRANCH_REF_PREFIX + branch_name
-        update_ref_in_hooks(ref, newrev, oldrev)
+        branch_created = was_empty
+        if branch_name.present?
+          branch = repository.find_branch(branch_name)
+          oldrev = find_oldrev_from_branch(newrev, branch)
+          branch_created ||= Gitlab::Git.blank_ref?(oldrev)
+
+          ref = Gitlab::Git::BRANCH_REF_PREFIX + branch_name
+          update_ref_in_hooks(ref, newrev, oldrev)
+        end
 
-        BranchUpdate.new(newrev, was_empty, was_empty || Gitlab::Git.blank_ref?(oldrev))
+        BranchUpdate.new(newrev, was_empty, branch_created)
       end
 
       def find_oldrev_from_branch(newrev, branch)