Create and switch branches

Before you start

• Your project folder uses Git. Without Git, there’s no branch button. See What are commits, branches, and pushing?
• No agent is working in the project’s main folder. While one is, branch switching isn’t available.
• In a project someone shared with you, you need Can work access.

Steps

1. Open the branch menu

   At the bottom of the message box, select the button with the branch icon. It shows the branch your project is on, such as main. The menu opens, titled Where should this work?

2. Choose a branch to switch to

   Under Branches, select the branch. The current one has a check mark. To narrow a long list, type part of a name in Find a branch…. Enjoy shows Switching branch…. When it’s done, the menu closes and the button shows the new branch. To start a new branch instead, go on to the next step.

3. Start a new branch

   Select New branch… at the bottom of the menu.

4. Type a name

   Use a short name without spaces, such as feature/contact-form.

5. Select Create & switch

   You can also press Enter. Enjoy creates the branch from your current commit and switches the project to it.

Good to know

• Switching changes the files in your project folder for every conversation working in the main folder. Conversations in a worktree keep their own copy.
• The conversation you switch from notes it, such as “Switched the project from main to feature/contact-form.” Others that last worked on the old branch show The branch changed. See When another conversation switches the branch.
• Uncommitted changes come with you, unless switching would overwrite them. Then Enjoy asks you to commit them first. See Switch branches with uncommitted changes.
• While an agent works in the main folder, the menu shows Work in progress and “Branch switching is available when work finishes.” You can still push.
• The list shows branches on this computer. For a branch that exists only online, such as on GitHub, ask your agent to switch to it.
• A branch marked Worktree is open in a worktree. Choosing it moves the conversation there instead. See Move a conversation into a worktree.
• Your conversations, docs, and workflows stay the same on every branch. If an older branch brings back a .enjoy folder from an earlier version of Enjoy with conversations or files the project doesn’t have, Enjoy offers to bring them in. See Choose where a project’s conversations are stored.
• The iPhone app has no branch menu.

If something goes wrong

“Enter a valid branch name”

Branch names can’t contain spaces or some symbols. Use letters, numbers, hyphens, and slashes. If Git says a branch with that name already exists, select Cancel and choose it from the list.

“This branch no longer exists. Refresh and choose another branch.”

Someone or an agent deleted it. Close the menu and open it again to refresh the list.

“Stop active work in this project to change branches.”

An agent started working in the main folder. Wait for it to finish, or stop it.

The button says Git unavailable

Open the menu to see why. If it says “Git is not installed or could not be found.”, install Git on your computer, then select Retry. If it says “Git took too long. Try again.”, select Retry.