create_branch
Create a new branch in a GitHub repository by specifying owner, repo, and branch name, with optional source branch selection.
Instructions
Create a new branch in a GitHub repository
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| owner | Yes | Repository owner (username or organization) | |
| repo | Yes | Repository name | |
| branch | Yes | Name for the new branch | |
| from_branch | No | Optional: source branch to create from (defaults to the repository's default branch) |
Implementation Reference
- src/operations/branches.ts:85-103 (handler)Core handler function that implements the branch creation logic by resolving the source SHA and calling the low-level createBranch API.
export async function createBranchFromRef( github_pat: string, owner: string, repo: string, newBranch: string, fromBranch?: string ): Promise<z.infer<typeof GitHubReferenceSchema>> { let sha: string; if (fromBranch) { sha = await getBranchSHA(github_pat, owner, repo, fromBranch); } else { sha = await getDefaultBranchSHA(github_pat, owner, repo); } return createBranch(github_pat, owner, repo, { ref: newBranch, sha, }); } - src/index.ts:118-122 (registration)Tool registration in the ListTools response, defining name, description, and input schema.
{ name: "create_branch", description: "Create a new branch in a GitHub repository", inputSchema: zodToJsonSchema(branches.CreateBranchSchema), }, - src/index.ts:339-351 (handler)Tool dispatch handler in the CallToolRequest switch statement that validates input and invokes the core createBranchFromRef function.
case "create_branch": { const args = branches._CreateBranchSchema.parse(params.arguments); const branch = await branches.createBranchFromRef( args.github_pat, args.owner, args.repo, args.branch, args.from_branch ); return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(branch, null, 2) }], }; } - src/operations/branches.ts:11-16 (schema)Primary input schema definition for the create_branch tool, referenced in registration.
export const CreateBranchSchema = z.object({ owner: z.string().describe("Repository owner (username or organization)"), repo: z.string().describe("Repository name"), branch: z.string().describe("Name for the new branch"), from_branch: z.string().optional().describe("Optional: source branch to create from (defaults to the repository's default branch)"), }); - src/operations/branches.ts:47-68 (helper)Low-level helper function that performs the actual GitHub API call to create a branch ref.
export async function createBranch( github_pat: string, owner: string, repo: string, options: CreateBranchOptions ): Promise<z.infer<typeof GitHubReferenceSchema>> { const fullRef = `refs/heads/${options.ref}`; const response = await githubRequest( github_pat, `https://api.github.com/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/refs`, { method: "POST", body: { ref: fullRef, sha: options.sha, }, } ); return GitHubReferenceSchema.parse(response); }