speckit-git-feature

Git feature branches are created by generating a concise 2–4 word short name from your specification description and invoking the platform-specific script once. This returns the BRANCH_NAME and FEATURE_NUM while switching to the new branch.

Yes, you can override the generated branch name by setting the GIT_BRANCH_NAME environment variable. The feature branch creation process uses this exact name and derives the FEATURE_NUM if your branch name begins with a numeric prefix.

Feature branch numbering in a spec-kit project uses a deterministic strategy configured in .specify/extensions/git/git-config.yml or init-options.json. It defaults to sequential numbering but can be switched to timestamp numbering via configuration overrides.

Yes, a git work tree is required to generate a numbered feature branch. The workflow detects the active git work tree before generating the short name and invoking the create-new-feature script to ensure the branch is created in the correct repository context.

Automating branch naming for spec-driven development is best handled by generating an action-noun pattern short name that preserves technical acronyms. This ensures consistent feature branch naming while leaving spec directory and file creation to the core workflow.

Feature branch creation only handles creating and switching to the new git branch. It intentionally leaves spec directory and file creation to the core spec-kit workflow, ensuring branch creation and specification scaffolding remain separate processes.