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Branches & Pull Requests

Git branches let you work on different design variations without affecting the main design. This guide covers branch workflows in GitFig.

Time: 5 minutes Difficulty: Intermediate

Why Use Branches?​

Branches enable:

  • Experimentation - Try new colors without breaking production
  • Multiple themes - Light mode on main, dark mode on dark-theme
  • Design reviews - Get feedback before merging changes
  • Parallel work - Multiple designers working on different features
main         ────●────●────●────●────●────
                  \              /
feature/new-brand  ●────●────●──

Switch Branches​

Step 1: Open the Branch menu​

Click Branch in the header to open the menu. With more than eight branches a filter box appears.

Step 2: Select a branch​

Choose from the list. The current branch shows a check mark.

Step 3: Pull​

The Pull button turns blue if the new branch has commits you have not pulled. Click Pull to load its tokens.

note

Switching branches does not change anything in Figma by itself; pulling does. Changes you have not committed stay listed across branches.

Create a New Branch​

Step 1: Open the Branch menu​

Click Branch in the header, then New branch (the first row of the menu).

Step 2: Enter a name​

Branch naming conventions:

  • feature/new-colors - New features
  • experiment/bold-typography - Experiments
  • fix/contrast-issues - Bug fixes
  • theme/dark-mode - Theme variations

Step 3: Create​

Press Enter or click Create. GitFig creates the branch from your current branch and switches to it. Escape closes the form without creating anything.

The new branch starts with the same tokens as the source branch.

Create Pull Request​

Pull Requests let you propose changes for review before merging.

Step 1: Make Changes​

  1. Create or switch to a feature branch
  2. Make changes to your Variables
  3. Push your changes

Step 2: Open the PR form​

On any branch other than main or master, a Create pull request button sits below the Commit section. Push your commits first, then click it.

Step 3: Fill PR Details​

FieldDescription
TitleShort description of changes
DescriptionOptional explanation and context
Base branchBranch to merge into (usually main)

Step 4: Create PR​

Click Create pull request. GitFig creates the PR on GitHub from what you have pushed and shows a card with its number and a View link.

Step 5: Review on GitHub​

Click the PR link to review on GitHub.

View PR Status​

While the branch has an open PR, the card below the Commit section reads PR #12 open with the title and a View link to GitHub. Once the PR is merged or closed, the card goes away and the Create pull request button returns.

Branch Workflows​

Feature Branch Workflow​

  1. Create feature branch from main
  2. Make design changes
  3. Push and create PR
  4. Get review and feedback
  5. Make requested changes
  6. Merge PR when approved

Theme Branch Workflow​

  1. Create theme/dark branch
  2. Pull base tokens
  3. Modify colors for dark mode
  4. Keep branch for ongoing dark theme work
  5. Merge periodically to sync with main

Experiment Workflow​

  1. Create experiment/bold branch
  2. Try dramatic design changes
  3. Show stakeholders
  4. Either merge or delete branch

Merge vs. Delete​

Merging a Branch​

After PR is approved and merged on GitHub:

  1. Switch back to main in GitFig
  2. Pull to get merged changes
  3. Delete the feature branch (optional)

Deleting a Branch​

Branches can be deleted on GitHub after merging. GitFig doesn't currently support deleting branches.

Best Practices​

Keep Branches Short-Lived​

Long-running branches diverge from main and cause merge conflicts.

Pull Before Branching​

Always pull latest main before creating a feature branch.

Use Descriptive Names​

GoodBad
feature/mobile-spacingbranch1
fix/button-contrastchanges
experiment/serif-typographytest

One Purpose Per Branch​

Each branch should have a single focus. Don't mix unrelated changes.

Troubleshooting​

"Branch already exists"​

Choose a different name or delete the existing branch on GitHub first.

PR conflicts​

The base branch has changes that conflict with your branch. Pull the base branch into your feature branch to resolve.

Can't see new branches​

GitFig loads the branch list when the plugin opens and after you create a branch in it. For a branch created on GitHub or by a teammate, close and reopen the plugin.

Variables don't change after switching​

Make sure to click Pull after switching branches.

Next Steps​