What a branch is for
Use a branch to develop and test a change to an existing automation while its main line continues to serve as the stable working copy. A branch belongs to its parent automation and has its own saved versions and draft runs. Merge the finished work into main, then publish main when it is ready for live use.
How to use
Open the automation’s Build view. Use the branch switcher, which initially shows main, and select New branch. Name the branch for the work, such as
claim-intake-validation. The editor opens the new branch. You can also branch from a selected historical version in version history when you deliberately need that older starting point.Verify the switcher and URL show the intended branch before editing. Save changes on the branch. Its version history is scoped to that branch; saving there does not advance main.
Run a draft test while viewing the branch. Check the run’s behavior and the branch version it executed. Return to main and confirm the unmerged edit is absent. Repeat the edit, save, and test cycle until the branch is ready.
Choose Merge to main. Review every item under Ready to merge and Conflicts. A conflict means main and the branch changed the same item incompatibly. The merge action stays unavailable while conflicts remain.
If a branch change should be dropped, use its Discard control in the merge dialog. Discard immediately reverts that change on the branch and creates a new branch version; it is not a temporary checkbox for the merge. Review the refreshed list and retest if the discarded change could affect behavior.
Merge the remaining changes. A successful merge saves main, archives the source branch, and returns the editor to main. Confirm the expected changes appear on main. Run a main draft test, then publish main through the normal publish workflow if the new behavior should go live.
Save before switching branches. The editor guards navigation with unsaved changes, and another builder can advance a branch while your tab is open. If a stale or out-of-date banner appears, reload the selected branch and inspect its current head before saving again.
Naming and finding branches
The Portal switcher can search branches. Portal branch names can use slash-delimited grouping, such as team-a/claim-intake. Search matches the full path.
Current limits and cautions
Branches isolate saved automation edits, but live schedules and available-slot controls are main-only. Check which surface you are on before changing operational settings.
The Portal branch view has no Publish button. Return to main to publish and to open publish-time health checks.
There is no supported sync-from-main or branch-to-branch merge workflow. Create a new branch from the desired head when a fresh baseline is needed.