diff --git a/cmd/cli/main_test.go b/cmd/cli/main_test.go
index a67cfce1..43d13143 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/main_test.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/main_test.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ package main
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"io/ioutil"
+	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"testing"
@@ -202,7 +203,7 @@ func testCreateProjectFromTemplate(t *testing.T) {
 		out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 		assert.NotNil(t, err)
 		assert.Contains(t, string(out), "invalid_git_credentials")
-		assert.Contains(t, string(out), "401 Unauthorized")
+		assert.Contains(t, string(out), http.StatusText(http.StatusUnauthorized))
 	})
 }
 
@@ -418,7 +419,7 @@ func testSuccessfulAddAndRemoveTemplateRepos(t *testing.T) {
 		createOut, createErr := createCmd.CombinedOutput()
 		assert.NotNil(t, createErr)
 		assert.Contains(t, string(createOut), "invalid_git_credentials")
-		assert.Contains(t, string(createOut), "401 Unauthorized")
+		assert.Contains(t, string(createOut), http.StatusText(http.StatusUnauthorized))
 
 		removeCmd := exec.Command(cwctl, "templates", "repos", "remove",
 			"--url="+test.GHEDevfileURL,
@@ -454,7 +455,7 @@ func testSuccessfulAddAndRemoveTemplateRepos(t *testing.T) {
 		createOut, createErr := createCmd.CombinedOutput()
 		assert.NotNil(t, createErr)
 		assert.Contains(t, string(createOut), "invalid_git_credentials")
-		assert.Contains(t, string(createOut), "401 Unauthorized")
+		assert.Contains(t, string(createOut), http.StatusText(http.StatusUnauthorized))
 
 		removeCmd := exec.Command(cwctl, "templates", "repos", "remove",
 			"--url="+test.GHEDevfileURL,
diff --git a/pkg/project/create.go b/pkg/project/create.go
index f17bef11..679e071c 100644
--- a/pkg/project/create.go
+++ b/pkg/project/create.go
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ func DownloadTemplate(destination, url string, gitCredentials *utils.GitCredenti
 	if err != nil {
 		errOp := errOpCreateProject
 		// if 401 error, use invalid credentials error code
-		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "401 Unauthorized") {
+		if err.Error() == http.StatusText(http.StatusUnauthorized) {
 			errOp = errOpInvalidCredentials
 		}
 		return nil, &ProjectError{errOp, err, err.Error()}
diff --git a/pkg/project/create_test.go b/pkg/project/create_test.go
index 737f6e3d..0999bb17 100644
--- a/pkg/project/create_test.go
+++ b/pkg/project/create_test.go
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ func TestDownloadTemplate(t *testing.T) {
 
 		assert.Nil(t, out)
 		assert.Equal(t, errOpInvalidCredentials, err.Op)
-		assert.Equal(t, "unexpected status code: 401 Unauthorized", err.Desc)
+		assert.Equal(t, http.StatusText(http.StatusUnauthorized), err.Desc)
 	})
 	t.Run("fail case: download GHE template using bad personalAccessToken)", func(t *testing.T) {
 		os.RemoveAll(testDir)
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func TestDownloadTemplate(t *testing.T) {
 
 		assert.Nil(t, out)
 		assert.Equal(t, errOpInvalidCredentials, err.Op)
-		assert.Equal(t, "unexpected status code: 401 Unauthorized", err.Desc)
+		assert.Equal(t, http.StatusText(http.StatusUnauthorized), err.Desc)
 	})
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/utils/download.go b/pkg/utils/download.go
index 1ac12204..b9dd879a 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/download.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/download.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ package utils
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
@@ -79,7 +80,6 @@ func DownloadFromTarGzURL(URL *url.URL, destination string, gitCredentials *GitC
 func getURLToDownloadReleaseAsset(URL *url.URL, gitCredentials *GitCredentials) (*url.URL, error) {
 	URLPathSlice := strings.Split(URL.Path, "/")
 
-
 	if !strings.Contains(URL.Host, "github") || len(URLPathSlice) < 6 {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("URL must point to a GitHub repository release asset: %v", URL)
 	}
@@ -152,7 +152,14 @@ func DownloadFromRepoURL(URL *url.URL, destination string, gitCredentials *GitCr
 
 	owner := URLPathSlice[1]
 	repo := URLPathSlice[2]
-	zipURL, err := GetZipURL(owner, repo, "master", client)
+
+	// Get the default branch rather than assuming a name.
+	branch, err := getDefaultBranch(owner, repo, client)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	zipURL, err := GetZipURL(owner, repo, branch, client)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -197,6 +204,18 @@ func GetZipURL(owner, repo, branch string, client *github.Client) (*url.URL, err
 	return URL, nil
 }
 
+func getDefaultBranch(owner, repo string, client *github.Client) (string, error) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	repository, response, err := client.Repositories.Get(ctx, owner, repo)
+	if err != nil {
+		if response != nil && response.StatusCode == http.StatusUnauthorized {
+			return "", errors.New(http.StatusText(http.StatusUnauthorized))
+		}
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return *repository.DefaultBranch, nil
+}
+
 // DownloadAndExtractZip downloads a zip file from a URL
 // and extracts it to a destination
 func DownloadAndExtractZip(zipURL *url.URL, destination string) error {
diff --git a/pkg/utils/download_test.go b/pkg/utils/download_test.go
index 2dad77d2..0faec16d 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/download_test.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/download_test.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
+	"net/http"
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@ func TestDownloadFromURLThenExtract(t *testing.T) {
 			inDestination:    filepath.Join(testDir, "failCase"),
 			inGitCredentials: &GitCredentials{Username: test.GHEUsername, Password: "bad password"},
 			wantedType:       errors.New(""),
-			wantedErrMsg:     "401 Unauthorized",
+			wantedErrMsg:     http.StatusText(http.StatusUnauthorized),
 			wantedNumFiles:   0,
 		},
 		"fail case: input good GHE tar.gz URL and credentials but no matching repo found": {