git-branch-switcher

A comprehensive CLI tool for git branch management with interactive prompts. Switch, search, and delete branches effortlessly. Say goodbye to remembering branch names and typing long git checkout commands!

Features

• 🚀 Interactive branch selection with multiple interfaces
• 🔍 Real-time branch search with filtering
• 🗑️ Safe branch deletion with multi-select
• 📅 Branches sorted by commit date (most recent first)
• 🎨 Colorized output for better readability
• ⚡ Fast and lightweight
• 🛡️ Safety features (prevents remote branch deletion)
• 🔧 Two convenient commands: git-branch-switcher and br

Installation

Install globally via npm:

npm install -g git-branch-switcher

Or using pnpm:

pnpm add -g git-branch-switcher

Usage

Switch between local branches

git-branch-switcher
# or use the shorthand
br

This will show an interactive list of your local branches. Use arrow keys to navigate and press Enter to switch.

Switch to remote branches

git-branch-switcher --remote
# or
br -r

This fetches and displays remote branches for checkout.

Search for branches

git-branch-switcher --search
# or
br -s

Use the search interface to filter branches in real-time as you type.

Delete local branches

git-branch-switcher --delete
# or
br -d

# Force delete (for unmerged branches)
git-branch-switcher --delete-force
# or
br -D

Select multiple local branches to delete. Remote branch deletion is blocked for safety.

Combine options

# Search through remote branches
br --remote --search

# All available combinations work together

Command options

git-branch-switcher [options]

Options:
  -r, --remote          Work with remote branches instead of local ones
  -s, --search          Use search interface for branch filtering
  -d, --delete          Delete selected branches (local only)
  -D, --delete-force    Force delete selected branches (local only)
  -h, --help            Show help
  -v, --version         Show version number

Requirements

• Node.js 18 or higher (22.3.0 recommended - see .nvmrc)
• Git installed and configured
• A git repository (local or cloned)

Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/sirlisko/git-branch-switcher.git
cd git-branch-switcher
pnpm install

Available scripts

pnpm build      # Compile TypeScript to JavaScript
pnpm typecheck  # Run TypeScript type checking
pnpm lint       # Run Biome linter
pnpm format     # Format code with Biome
pnpm check      # Run linting and formatting checks

Releasing

This project uses Changesets with automated publishing:

1. Create a changeset: pnpm changeset
2. Commit and open a PR to main
3. After merging, GitHub Actions will create a "Version Packages" PR
4. Merge the "Version Packages" PR to automatically publish to npm

Tech stack

• TypeScript - Type-safe JavaScript
• simple-git - Git operations (branch listing, checkout, deletion)
• @inquirer/prompts - Modular interactive CLI prompts (select, search, checkbox)
• yargs - Command line argument parsing
• chalk - Terminal colors and styling
• Biome - Linting and formatting

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

License

MIT © Luca Lischetti

Links

• GitHub Repository
• npm Package
• Issues