git switch Command: Change Branches in CI

git switch moves HEAD to a different branch, with a clearer, branch-only interface than checkout.

git switch was introduced to split branch switching from file restoring. In CI it makes scripts more readable and less error-prone than the overloaded git checkout.

Common flags

• <branch> - switch to an existing branch
• -c <new-branch> / --create - create a new branch and switch to it
• -C <branch> / --force-create - create or reset the branch to the current commit
• --detach - switch to a commit in detached HEAD state
• --discard-changes - throw away local changes when switching

Example

# Create a working branch for an automated commit
git switch -c "ci/update-${RUN_ID}"
# Detach onto a tag to build a release
git switch --detach "v${VERSION}"

In CI

Prefer git switch over git checkout in new pipeline scripts: it only touches branches, so a typo cannot accidentally overwrite files the way checkout can. Use --detach for tags and SHAs.

Key takeaways

• git switch -c is the readable way to create a branch in automation.
• switch cannot accidentally clobber files, unlike the overloaded checkout.
• Use --detach to build a specific tag or commit.

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