Git Branch Tree
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A lightweight VS Code extension that expands the / in branch names into an arbitrary-depth folder tree and checks out a leaf branch on click.
Other branch-tree extensions only collapse a single level. Git Branch Tree fully expands deep naming schemes like feature/alerts/news/STK-380, so 3–4 level strategies stay readable.
Screenshots
| Local |
Remote |
 |
 |
| Local branches expanded into a multi-depth folder tree, with recent commits under the current branch. |
The same tree for the Remote section, with commits under a release branch. |
How it works
Local ← local branches of the current workspace repo
┣ feature
┃ ┗ alerts
┃ ┗ news
┃ ┗ STK-380 (branch · current ✓)
┗ master (branch)
Remote ← refs/remotes (local cache, no network)
┗ origin (shown only when there are 2+ remotes)
┗ ...
- A single click only selects (no action). Every action lives in the right-click context menu.
- Checkout: local branches use
git switch <name>; remote-only branches use DWIM to auto-create a local tracking branch of the same name and switch to it. If something blocks it (dirty tree, etc.), the raw git error is surfaced as-is.
- Commit history: expand a branch to see its recent commits (5 at a time). A Load more node pulls the next page.
- Delete a branch:
- Local — a modal offers
[Delete] (safe, -d) / [Force delete] (-D). If an unmerged branch is rejected, it re-confirms before forcing.
- Remote —
git push <remote> --delete. Irreversible, so a modal confirmation is required.
- Create a branch: the toolbar
+ or right-click a branch (forks from that point). git switch -c.
- Fetch + Prune: the toolbar
sync button or right-click the Remote section. Cleans up tracking refs that no longer exist on the server.
- The current branch gets a green label + ● badge and is auto-revealed when the view opens.
- One remote collapses its name; two or more keep a remote-name folder level.
- Expand all: the toolbar
expand-all button opens every folder at once.
- Refresh: toolbar button + automatically after actions + when the view becomes visible again.
All data is read from the local git CLI only. Only delete (remote) and fetch use the network — everything else is OAuth-free and network-free.
Development
npm install
npm test # unit tests for the pure tree builder (vitest)
npm run check-types # type check
npm run compile # esbuild bundle → dist/extension.js
Open this folder in VS Code and press F5 → an Extension Development Host launches and a Branch Tree icon appears in the Activity Bar.
Packaging (.vsix sideload)
npm run vsix # builds release/git-branch-tree-<version>.vsix
code --install-extension release/git-branch-tree-*.vsix
Scope
Checkout · delete (local/remote) · create branch · fetch+prune · commit history. Rename and a separate search box are out of scope (the tree view's built-in type-ahead is enough for search). Assumes a single repo.
License
MIT
