diff --git a/scripts/push-aur.sh b/scripts/push-aur.sh
index c7aa1ec..7f9a840 100755
--- a/scripts/push-aur.sh
+++ b/scripts/push-aur.sh
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ fi
 
 version="$(awk -F= '/^pkgver=/{v=$2} /^pkgrel=/{r=$2} END{print v"-"r}' PKGBUILD)"
 git commit -m "Update to ${version}"
-git push -u origin master
+# Push HEAD explicitly rather than a branch name: cloning a package that does
+# not exist on the AUR yet yields an empty repo whose initial branch depends on
+# the runner's init.defaultBranch, which may not be master.
+git push -u origin HEAD:master
 
 echo ":: pushed ${PKGNAME} ${version} to the AUR"