diff --git a/packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md
index f97ee57e..03a43935 100644
--- a/packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 ## [Unreleased]
 
-- Picking a remote branch such as `origin/main` in the Git branch selector now switches you to that branch instead of leaving the repository on a detached `HEAD` with no branch name.
 - GitHub Copilot usage now shows a single AI Credits window, matching Copilot's token-based quota, in place of the old Chat Requests and Completions windows (thanks to @jakoss).
 - The context usage readout now reports the session cost including everything its subagents spent, matching the work status panel instead of showing a lower figure.
 - Updating OpenCode no longer fails with a bare "Bad Request": the extension names the release to install, which recent OpenCode versions require, and shows OpenCode's own reason when an update is refused.
diff --git a/packages/vscode/src/gitService.ts b/packages/vscode/src/gitService.ts
index fc758a7f..7d0abcff 100644
--- a/packages/vscode/src/gitService.ts
+++ b/packages/vscode/src/gitService.ts
@@ -763,82 +763,24 @@ async function getGitBranchesRaw(directory: string): Promise<GitBranchResult> {
   return { all, current, branches };
 }
 
-const gitRefExists = async (directory: string, ref: string): Promise<boolean> => {
-  const result = await execGit(['show-ref', '--verify', '--quiet', ref], directory);
-  return result.exitCode === 0;
-};
-
-/**
- * The branch selector lists remote-tracking branches beside local ones, so
- * picking `origin/main` means "work on main", not "detach HEAD at the remote's
- * commit" — which is what a literal checkout of a remote-tracking ref does.
- * Resolve such a pick to the local branch, creating it with tracking when it
- * does not exist yet. Anything we cannot resolve is checked out as requested,
- * leaving git's own DWIM behavior intact.
- */
-const resolveBranchCheckoutTarget = async (
-  directory: string,
-  branch: string
-): Promise<{ branch: string; remoteRef: string | null }> => {
-  const requested = String(branch || '').trim();
-  const asRequested = { branch: requested, remoteRef: null };
-  if (!requested) {
-    return asRequested;
-  }
-
-  if (await gitRefExists(directory, `refs/heads/${requested}`)) {
-    return asRequested;
-  }
-
-  const remoteRef = requested.replace(/^remotes\//, '');
-  if (!(await gitRefExists(directory, `refs/remotes/${remoteRef}`))) {
-    return asRequested;
-  }
-
-  const remotesResult = await execGit(['remote'], directory);
-  const remotes = remotesResult.exitCode === 0
-    ? remotesResult.stdout.split('\n').map((line) => line.trim()).filter(Boolean)
-    : [];
-  const remote = remotes.find((name) => remoteRef.startsWith(`${name}/`));
-  if (!remote) {
-    return asRequested;
-  }
-
-  const localBranch = remoteRef.slice(remote.length + 1);
-  // `origin/HEAD` names no branch of its own; it is a pointer to one.
-  if (!localBranch || localBranch === 'HEAD') {
-    return asRequested;
-  }
-
-  const localExists = await gitRefExists(directory, `refs/heads/${localBranch}`);
-  return { branch: localBranch, remoteRef: localExists ? null : remoteRef };
-};
-
 /**
  * Checkout a branch
  */
 export async function checkoutBranch(directory: string, branch: string): Promise<{ success: boolean; branch: string }> {
-  const target = await resolveBranchCheckoutTarget(directory, branch);
-
-  if (target.remoteRef) {
-    const tracked = await execGit(['checkout', '-b', target.branch, '--track', target.remoteRef], directory);
-    return { success: tracked.exitCode === 0, branch: target.branch };
-  }
-
   const repo = await getRepository(directory);
 
   if (repo) {
     try {
-      await repo.checkout(target.branch);
-      return { success: true, branch: target.branch };
+      await repo.checkout(branch);
+      return { success: true, branch };
     } catch (error) {
       console.error('[GitService] Failed to checkout branch:', error);
     }
   }
 
   // Fallback to raw git
-  const result = await execGit(['checkout', target.branch], directory);
-  return { success: result.exitCode === 0, branch: target.branch };
+  const result = await execGit(['checkout', branch], directory);
+  return { success: result.exitCode === 0, branch };
 }
 
 /**