Feature Request: Favorite/Pin Branches in Repository

[Koplal]

Summary

Add the ability for repository collaborators to favorite or pin specific branches for quick access, with these pinned branches appearing at the top of branch selectors and the branches page.

Problem Statement

Developers working on large, active repositories frequently struggle with branch navigation. In projects with dozens or hundreds of branches, finding the 3-5 branches you work with daily requires:

• Repeatedly typing branch names in search fields
• Scrolling through long, alphabetically-sorted lists
• Remembering exact branch naming conventions
• Context-switching overhead that interrupts flow

This is particularly painful for:

• Monorepos with multiple active feature branches across teams
• Long-running release branches (e.g., release/v2.x, release/v3.x)
• Environment branches (staging, qa, production) that differ from main
• Feature branches you're reviewing but didn't create

Proposed Solution

Core Feature

Allow users to "star" or "pin" branches within a repository. Pinned branches appear in a dedicated section at the top of:

1. The branch dropdown selector (code view)
2. The branches list page (/branches)
3. The branch selector in Pull Request creation
4. The compare view branch selectors

User Experience

Pinning a branch:

• Star icon next to branch name in any branch list
• Right-click context menu option
• Keyboard shortcut from branch dropdown (e.g., Ctrl+D to pin highlighted branch)

Visual treatment:

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ Switch branches/tags            │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ ⭐ PINNED                       │
│   ★ feature/user-dashboard      │
│   ★ release/v2.4                │
│   ★ staging                     │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ 🔍 Find a branch...             │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│   main                          │
│   develop                       │
│   feature/api-refactor          │
│   feature/auth-improvements     │
│   ...                           │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

Scope Options

Scope | Description | Use Case -- | -- | -- Per-user | Only you see your pins | Personal workflow optimization Per-repository (admin) | Admins can pin for all contributors | Highlight important branches org-wide

[github-actions[bot]]

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[shinybrightstar]

Welcome to the GitHub Community, @Koplal, we're happy you're here! You are more likely to get a useful response if you are posting your question(s) in the applicable category. Check out this Guide on how to post in the right category. It'll ensure your questions and discussions reach the right people faster!

This particular discussion belongs in the Repositories category, I've gone ahead and moved it for you. Good luck!