[BUG] Desktop app "Code" section shows GitHub default branch instead of active working branch
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
- [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
- [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code
What's Wrong?
The Claude Desktop app's "Code" section displays the GitHub repo's
default branch (configured in repo Settings → Branches), not the
branch the user is currently working on. The default branch is repo
metadata, not a per-session signal — showing it implies a relevance
it doesn't have.
What Should Happen?
Show the active branch — e.g. (a) the HEAD of the locally connected
directory, (b) the branch most recently committed to in this Code
session, or (c) let the user pin a different branch as the displayed
branch.
Why it matters
Multi-branch workflows are common: long-lived feature branches,
branch-per-environment monorepos, or repos where main is intentionally
abandoned. In all those cases the default branch is permanently
divergent from where work actually happens, so the Code section
displays misleading information.
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
- Set up a repo where
mainis stale and active development happens
on another long-lived branch (e.g. FullStack).
- Open the repo in Claude Desktop's Code section.
- Observe that the displayed branch is
main, even though all
sessions and commits land on FullStack.
Claude Model
Opus
Is this a regression?
No, this never worked
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
2.1.133
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
macOS
Terminal/Shell
iTerm2
Additional Information
_No response_
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