diff --git a/dist/index.js b/dist/index.js
index 13419e9..b2acdaf 100644
--- a/dist/index.js
+++ b/dist/index.js
@@ -1130,11 +1130,7 @@ const createMatchTest = (pattern) => {
 
 async function run() {
   try {
-    const remote = await cmd('git', 'remote');
-    const remoteExists = remote !== '';
-    const remotePrefix = remoteExists ? 'origin/' : '';
-
-    let branch = `${remotePrefix}${core.getInput('branch', { required: true })}`;
+    let branch = core.getInput('branch', { required: true });
     const majorPattern = createMatchTest(core.getInput('major_pattern', { required: true }));
     const minorPattern = createMatchTest(core.getInput('minor_pattern', { required: true }));
     const changePath = core.getInput('change_path') || '';
@@ -1177,7 +1173,7 @@ async function run() {
 
     let root;
     if (tag === '') {
-      if (remoteExists) {
+      if (await cmd('git', 'remote') !== '') {
         core.warning('No tags are present for this repository. If this is unexpected, check to ensure that tags have been pulled from the remote.');
       }
       // no release tags yet, use the initial commit as the root
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 34ddeb0..16489d2 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -109,11 +109,7 @@ const createMatchTest = (pattern) => {
 
 async function run() {
   try {
-    const remote = await cmd('git', 'remote');
-    const remoteExists = remote !== '';
-    const remotePrefix = remoteExists ? 'origin/' : '';
-
-    let branch = `${remotePrefix}${core.getInput('branch', { required: true })}`;
+    let branch = core.getInput('branch', { required: true });
     const majorPattern = createMatchTest(core.getInput('major_pattern', { required: true }));
     const minorPattern = createMatchTest(core.getInput('minor_pattern', { required: true }));
     const changePath = core.getInput('change_path') || '';
@@ -156,7 +152,7 @@ async function run() {
 
     let root;
     if (tag === '') {
-      if (remoteExists) {
+      if (await cmd('git', 'remote') !== '') {
         core.warning('No tags are present for this repository. If this is unexpected, check to ensure that tags have been pulled from the remote.');
       }
       // no release tags yet, use the initial commit as the root
diff --git a/index.test.js b/index.test.js
index a922661..55d7371 100644
--- a/index.test.js
+++ b/index.test.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ const windows = process.platform === "win32";
 
 // Action input variables
 const defaultInputs = {
-    branch: "master",
+    branch: "HEAD",
     tag_prefix: "v",
     major_pattern: "(MAJOR)",
     minor_pattern: "(MINOR)",
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ test('Repository with commits shows increment', () => {
 });
 
 test('Repository show commit for checked out commit', () => {
-    const repo = createTestRepo({ branch: 'HEAD' }); // 0.0.0+0
+    const repo = createTestRepo(); // 0.0.0+0
 
     repo.makeCommit('Initial Commit'); // 0.0.1+0
     repo.makeCommit(`Second Commit`); // 0.0.1+1