diff --git a/cli/src/commands/git/fetch.rs b/cli/src/commands/git/fetch.rs
index 183d3823bc..98ecf2f6a1 100644
--- a/cli/src/commands/git/fetch.rs
+++ b/cli/src/commands/git/fetch.rs
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ pub struct GitFetchArgs {
     /// Fetch only some of the branches
     ///
     /// By default, the specified name matches exactly. Use `glob:` prefix to
-    /// expand `*` as a glob. The other wildcard characters aren't supported.
+    /// expand `*` as a glob, e.g. `--branch 'glob:push-*'`. Other wildcard
+    /// characters such as `?` are *not* supported.
     #[arg(
         long, short,
         alias = "bookmark",
diff --git a/cli/src/git_util.rs b/cli/src/git_util.rs
index 74ebe2d2fa..1edb7a6216 100644
--- a/cli/src/git_util.rs
+++ b/cli/src/git_util.rs
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ pub fn git_fetch(
                     .any(|pattern| pattern.as_exact().is_some_and(|s| s.contains('*')))
                 {
                     user_error_with_hint(
-                        err,
+                        "Branch names may not include `*`.",
                         "Prefix the pattern with `glob:` to expand `*` as a glob",
                     )
                 } else {
diff --git a/cli/tests/cli-reference@.md.snap b/cli/tests/cli-reference@.md.snap
index e3da2f4863..0515bae980 100644
--- a/cli/tests/cli-reference@.md.snap
+++ b/cli/tests/cli-reference@.md.snap
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 ---
 source: cli/tests/test_generate_md_cli_help.rs
 description: "AUTO-GENERATED FILE, DO NOT EDIT. This cli reference is generated by a test as an `insta` snapshot. MkDocs includes this snapshot from docs/cli-reference.md."
+snapshot_kind: text
 ---
 <!-- BEGIN MARKDOWN-->
 
@@ -1095,7 +1096,7 @@ If a working-copy commit gets abandoned, it will be given a new, empty commit. T
 
 * `-b`, `--branch <BRANCH>` — Fetch only some of the branches
 
-   By default, the specified name matches exactly. Use `glob:` prefix to expand `*` as a glob. The other wildcard characters aren't supported.
+   By default, the specified name matches exactly. Use `glob:` prefix to expand `*` as a glob, e.g. `--branch 'glob:push-*'`. Other wildcard characters such as `?` are *not* supported.
 
   Default value: `glob:*`
 * `--remote <REMOTE>` — The remote to fetch from (only named remotes are supported, can be repeated)
diff --git a/cli/tests/test_git_fetch.rs b/cli/tests/test_git_fetch.rs
index e6c2f96acc..232ddae660 100644
--- a/cli/tests/test_git_fetch.rs
+++ b/cli/tests/test_git_fetch.rs
@@ -612,14 +612,12 @@ fn test_git_fetch_some_of_many_bookmarks() {
         &target_jj_repo_path,
         &["git", "fetch", "--branch", "glob:^:a*"],
     );
-    insta::assert_snapshot!(stderr, @r###"
-    Error: Invalid branch pattern provided. Patterns may not contain the characters `:`, `^`, `?`, `[`, `]`
-    "###);
+    insta::assert_snapshot!(stderr, @"Error: Invalid branch pattern provided. When fetching, branch names and globs may not contain the characters `:`, `^`, `?`, `[`, `]`");
     let stderr = test_env.jj_cmd_failure(&target_jj_repo_path, &["git", "fetch", "--branch", "a*"]);
-    insta::assert_snapshot!(stderr, @r###"
-    Error: Invalid branch pattern provided. Patterns may not contain the characters `:`, `^`, `?`, `[`, `]`
+    insta::assert_snapshot!(stderr, @r"
+    Error: Branch names may not include `*`.
     Hint: Prefix the pattern with `glob:` to expand `*` as a glob
-    "###);
+    ");
 
     // Nothing in our repo before the fetch
     insta::assert_snapshot!(get_log_output(&test_env, &target_jj_repo_path), @r###"
diff --git a/lib/src/git.rs b/lib/src/git.rs
index 3bc7ef2970..6bff6faac8 100644
--- a/lib/src/git.rs
+++ b/lib/src/git.rs
@@ -1218,7 +1218,7 @@ pub enum GitFetchError {
     #[error("No git remote named '{0}'")]
     NoSuchRemote(String),
     #[error(
-        "Invalid branch pattern provided. Patterns may not contain the characters `{chars}`",
+        "Invalid branch pattern provided. When fetching, branch names and globs may not contain the characters `{chars}`",
         chars = INVALID_REFSPEC_CHARS.iter().join("`, `")
     )]
     InvalidBranchPattern,
@@ -1273,7 +1273,11 @@ pub fn fetch(
         .map(|pattern| {
             pattern
                 .to_glob()
-                .filter(|glob| !glob.contains(INVALID_REFSPEC_CHARS))
+                .filter(
+                    /* This triggered by non-glob `*`s in addition to INVALID_REFSPEC_CHARS
+                     * because `to_glob()` escapes such `*`s as `[*]`. */
+                    |glob| !glob.contains(INVALID_REFSPEC_CHARS),
+                )
                 .map(|glob| format!("+refs/heads/{glob}:refs/remotes/{remote_name}/{glob}"))
         })
         .collect::<Option<_>>()