diff --git a/bin/gitea-pr b/bin/gitea-pr
index 57cfe9f..d065fca 100755
--- a/bin/gitea-pr
+++ b/bin/gitea-pr
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ case "$subcommand" in
             exit 1
         fi
         if [ -z "$base" ]; then
-            base=$(git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null | sed 's#refs/remotes/origin/##')
+            base=$(git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null | sed 's#refs/remotes/origin/##' || true)
             base="${base:-main}"
         fi
         if [ -z "$title" ]; then