Git Branching

Setting	Type	Default	Description
git.branching_strategy	enum	none	none, phase, or milestone
git.base_branch	string	main	The integration branch that phase/milestone branches are created from and merged back into. Override when your repo uses master or a release branch
git.create_tag	boolean	true	Create a git tag (v[X.Y]) on milestone completion. Set to false for projects with their own release flow
git.phase_branch_template	string	gsd/phase-\{phase\}-\{slug\}	Branch name template for phase strategy
git.milestone_branch_template	string	gsd/\{milestone\}-\{slug\}	Branch name template for milestone strategy
git.quick_branch_template	string or null	null	Optional branch name template for /gsd-quick tasks

Strategy Comparison

Strategy	Creates Branch	Scope	Merge Point	Best For
none	Never	N/A	N/A	Solo development, simple projects
phase	At execute-phase start	One phase	User merges after phase	Code review per phase, granular rollback
milestone	At first execute-phase	All phases in milestone	At complete-milestone	Release branches, PR per version

Template Variables

Variable	Available In	Example
\{phase\}	phase_branch_template	03 (zero-padded)
\{slug\}	Both templates	user-authentication (lowercase, hyphenated)
\{milestone\}	milestone_branch_template	v1.0
\{num\} / \{quick\}	quick_branch_template	260317-abc (quick task ID)

Example quick-task branching:

"git": {
  "quick_branch_template": "gsd/quick-{num}-{slug}"
}

Merge Options at Milestone Completion

Option	Git Command	Result
Squash merge (recommended)	git merge --squash	Single clean commit per branch
Merge with history	git merge --no-ff	Preserves all individual commits
Delete without merging	git branch -D	Discard branch work
Keep branches	(none)	Manual handling later