Running "Git-Clone" from Powershell giving errors even when it seems to work

How do I interpret the errors coming out of this PowerShell script that calls "Git Clone" (actually using GitLab). And can I clone an empty directory and cause it to work without getting errors?

$path1 = "d:\GitPath" 
$path2 = "${path1}\mycompany-mygroup-nealtestautomation01-map"
$gitLabHttp = "http://git.mycompany.com/MyGroup/nealtestscriptaddedproject.git"
$gitLabHttp = "http://git.mycompany.com/MyGroup/mycompany-gwcustomers-nealtestautomation01-map.git" 
rd $path2 
cd $path1
git clone $gitLabHttp --local --verbose

Output:

git : Cloning into 'mycompany-mygroup-nealtestautomation01210-map'...
At D:\Scripts\GitCloneTest.ps1:7 char:1
+ git clone $gitLabHttp --local --verbose
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (Cloning into '...mation01-map'...:String) [], RemoteException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NativeCommandError
 
warning: --local is ignored
warning: You appear to have cloned an empty repository.

In the larger script where I want to use this code, I include this:

$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"  #Special Poweshell Syntax to Stop on First Error

so that it stops on the first error.

Even when I run it on a non-empty project, I see red and errors similar to above (took the --local and --verbose off this run):

git : Cloning into 'xxx.yyy.CanInvToOutZZZ210.Map'...
At D:\Scripts\GitCloneTest2.ps1:5 char:1
+ git clone $gitLabHttp
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (Cloning into 'E...Intl210.Map'...:String) [], RemoteException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NativeCommandError

If I run from windows command prompt, it runs nicely with some stats:

D:\GitGWCustomerMaps\Test2>git clone myrealurlhidden 
Cloning into 'XXX.YYY.CanInvToOutZZZZ210.Map'...
remote: Counting objects: 29, done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (28/28), done.
remote: Total 29 (delta 9), reused 0 (delta 0)
Unpacking objects: 100% (29/29), done.

Solution

As I mention in "PowerShell Capture Git Output", since a Git command can output information message on stderr (instead of stdout), (for Git 2.16+) try this in the command prompt

set GIT_REDIRECT_STDERR=2>&1

or this command for powershell

$env:GIT_REDIRECT_STDERR = '2>&1'

That might avoid your script to stop on the first "error", which is actually not an error

The OP NealWalters adds in the comments:

I ended up using the wrapper function Invoke-Git from "Git clone: Redirect stderr to stdout but keep errors being written to stderr"