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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 Branch Selector​

Click the branch name in the GitFig panel to open the selector:

Branch Selector

Step 2: Select Branch​

Choose from available branches. The current branch is highlighted.

Step 3: Pull New Tokens​

After switching, GitFig prompts you to pull:

Pull After Switch

Click Pull to load tokens from the new branch.

note

Switching branches updates your Figma Variables to match that branch's token values.

Create New Branch​

Step 1: Open Branch Menu​

Click the branch name, then click "Create new branch".

Step 2: Enter Branch Name​

Enter a name for your new branch:

Create Branch

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​

Click Create. GitFig creates the branch from your current branch.

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 PR Dialog​

Click the dropdown arrow next to Push, then select "Create Pull Request":

PR Menu

Step 3: Fill PR Details​

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

PR Dialog

Step 4: Create PR​

Click "Create Pull Request". GitFig:

  1. Pushes your changes (if not already pushed)
  2. Creates the PR on GitHub
  3. Shows the PR URL

Step 5: Review on GitHub​

Click the PR link to review on GitHub:

GitHub PR

View PR Status​

When you're on a branch with an open PR, GitFig shows the PR status:

PR Status

  • Open - PR is awaiting review
  • Link - Click to view PR on GitHub
  • Merged - PR has been merged

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​

Click Refresh to fetch the latest branch list from GitHub.

Variables don't change after switching​

Make sure to click Pull after switching branches.

Next Steps​