Create Feature Branch

Create and switch to a new git feature branch for the given specification. This command handles branch creation only — the spec directory and files are created by the core __SPECKIT_COMMAND_SPECIFY__ workflow.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

You MUST consider the user input before proceeding (if not empty).

Environment Variable Override

If the user explicitly provided GIT_BRANCH_NAME (e.g., via environment variable, argument, or in their request), pass it through to the script by setting the GIT_BRANCH_NAME environment variable before invoking the script. When GIT_BRANCH_NAME is set:

• The script uses the exact value as the branch name, bypassing all prefix/suffix generation
• --short-name, --number, and --timestamp flags are ignored
• FEATURE_NUM is extracted when the final path segment starts with a numeric or timestamp feature marker (for example 042-name, feat/042-name, or jdoe/app/042-name), otherwise set to the full branch name

Prerequisites

• Verify Git is available by running git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree 2>/dev/null
• If Git is not available, warn the user and skip branch creation

Branch Numbering Mode

Determine the branch numbering strategy by checking configuration in this order:

1. Check .specify/extensions/git/git-config.yml for branch_numbering value
2. Check .specify/init-options.json for feature_numbering value (inherit from core)
3. Check .specify/init-options.json for branch_numbering value (deprecated, backward compatibility — will be removed in a future release)
4. Default to sequential if none of the above exist

Branch Name Template

Check .specify/extensions/git/git-config.yml for an optional branch_template value. If it is empty or missing, use the default branch shape \{number\}-\{slug\}. If it is set, \{slug\} must not appear before \{number\}, its final path segment must start with \{number\}-, and the script expands these tokens:

• \{author\}: sanitized Git config author (user.name, falling back to the email local part)
• \{app\}: sanitized Spec Kit init directory name
• \{number\}: sequential number or timestamp
• \{slug\}: generated short branch slug

For monorepos, a template such as \{author\}/\{app\}/\{number\}-\{slug\} creates names like jdoe/web/008-guided-tour while preserving per-project feature numbering.

The script also accepts branch_prefix as a shorthand for simple namespaces; it expands to <branch_prefix>/\{number\}-\{slug\}.

Execution

Generate a concise short name (2-4 words) for the branch:

• Analyze the feature description and extract the most meaningful keywords
• Use action-noun format when possible (e.g., "add-user-auth", "fix-payment-bug")
• Preserve technical terms and acronyms (OAuth2, API, JWT, etc.)

Run the appropriate script based on your platform: