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:

• Bash: .specify/extensions/git/scripts/bash/create-new-feature-branch.sh --json --short-name "<short-name>" "<feature description>"
• Bash (timestamp): .specify/extensions/git/scripts/bash/create-new-feature-branch.sh --json --timestamp --short-name "<short-name>" "<feature description>"
• PowerShell: .specify/extensions/git/scripts/powershell/create-new-feature-branch.ps1 -Json -ShortName "<short-name>" "<feature description>"
• PowerShell (timestamp): .specify/extensions/git/scripts/powershell/create-new-feature-branch.ps1 -Json -Timestamp -ShortName "<short-name>" "<feature description>"

IMPORTANT:

• Do NOT pass --number — the script determines the correct next number automatically
• Always include the JSON flag (--json for Bash, -Json for PowerShell) so the output can be parsed reliably
• You must only ever run this script once per feature
• The JSON output will contain BRANCH_NAME and FEATURE_NUM
• Do not manually expand branch_template; the script reads the git extension config and applies it consistently

Graceful Degradation

If Git is not installed or the current directory is not a Git repository:

• Branch creation is skipped with a warning: [specify] Warning: Git repository not detected; skipped branch creation
• The script still outputs BRANCH_NAME and FEATURE_NUM so the caller can reference them

Output

The script outputs JSON with:

• BRANCH_NAME: The branch name (e.g., 003-user-auth, 20260319-143022-user-auth, or jdoe/web/003-user-auth)
• FEATURE_NUM: The numeric or timestamp prefix used