From: Johannes Welsch <johannes.welsch@googlemail.com>
Date: Tue, 03 Nov 2026 15:34:09 GMT
Subject: [RFC] git branch: add -s/--switch to create and switch to a new branch
Message-ID: <CA++gwosYFaOLD5nZjKUUFtp1ryezikqAsD6vu=uqBzOwyszASw@mail.gmail.com>

Hi,

I'd like to propose adding a -s (--switch) option to `git branch`.

It makes sense semantically to create a branch and to also switch to it.

Currently, creating a new branch and immediately switching to it requires:

git switch -c newbranch


I'd like to propose an alternative:

git branch -s newbranch


My reasoning is simple: when I want to create a new branch, git branch
is naturally the command I think of.

I want to create a branch and also switch to it. For me, switching is
an additional action when creating the branch, rather than the primary
operation.

The proposed option would behave like git switch -c, creating the
branch and switching to it in one operation. It would fail if the
branch already exists, just as git switch -c does.

I understand that git switch -c already supports this functionality,
but I think the alternative syntax would be more intuitive for users
who approach the operation from the branch-creation perspective.

Thanks!
Johannes