Try a bold redesign or a risky change without putting the version your team relies on at risk. A feature branch gives one feature its own copy of your application to build in — with its own preview and its own Elle chats — so you can experiment freely and merge the work into the main branch only when it is ready.
Click any of the following links to skip ahead:
What to branch
Each branch starts from a feature and stays separate from the main branch until you merge it. Reach for a branch when you want room to experiment:
Try a redesign: Rework a page's layout or navigation and compare it with your main preview before you commit to it.
Test a big change: Change a core workflow without breaking the version your team tests against.
Build two features at once: Give each teammate their own branch o their changes can be tested and released independently.
Prototype an integration: Connect a new service and test it end to end before it reaches the main branch.
Explore and throw away: Try an idea, then archive the branch if it does not work out.
Start a branch
Start a branch from the feature you want to build.
Navigate to Implement -> Features and click a feature card to open it.
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Click the arrow next to Build, then select Build in new feature branch.
The button reads Creating branch... until the branch is ready. The new branch takes the feature's name, and Elle starts building the feature in it.
After you create your first branch, a branch switcher appears next to the Preview button.
Switch branches
Use the branch switcher at the top of the page to move between the main branch and any active feature branch.
Click the branch switcher next to Preview. It shows Main branch or the name of the branch you are working in.
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Select a branch from the list to open its preview, or click Main branch to return to the main branch.
When you work in a branch, the preview's address bar shows a branch tag.
Click the Open feature icon in the branch switcher to open the feature the branch started from.
Note: Changes you make to on the Strategy, Documents, and Features pages will apply to all branches globally.
Chat with Elle in a branch
Each branch has its own chats, so the prompts you give Elle in one branch never change another.
Check the line above the prompt field before you submit. It reads "Make changes to [branch name]" in a feature branch and "Make changes to main branch" in the main branch.
Click the history icon at the top of the Elle panel to find earlier chats. Chats from feature branches appear in the same list as your other chats.
Merge a branch
When the work in a branch is ready, merge it into the main branch.
Switch to the branch, open the branch switcher, and click Merge.
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Review the Review and merge window. It lists each changed file, an AI-written What changed summary, and whether the branch clashes with the main branch.
When nothing conflicts, the window reads "No clashes with the main branch."
If the branch conflicts with the main branch, click Ask Elle to merge and Elle resolves the conflicts as part of the merge.
Click Merge to bring the changes into the main branch.
Deploy branch changes
Deploying publishes the main branch only. To release a feature branch, first merge it into main.
Merge the branch into the main branch.
Select Production, then deploy your updates.
Archive, restore, or delete a branch
Archive a branch you no longer need. Archiving takes one click, and you can restore the branch later.
Switch to the branch, open the branch switcher, and click the Archive icon. If you are working in that branch, you return to the main branch. Click Undo to reverse the archive.
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To find archived branches, open the branch switcher, click More options, and select Archived branches.
Click Restore next to a branch to return it to the branch switcher.
Click Delete next to a branch to remove it.
Deleting a branch is permanent. Its chats stay in your chat history.