diff --git a/Documentation/config.txt b/Documentation/config.txt
index 6a6c0b5bd83774..6cd762dfb867f5 100644
--- a/Documentation/config.txt
+++ b/Documentation/config.txt
@@ -774,7 +774,8 @@ color.status.<slot>::
 	one of `header` (the header text of the status message),
 	`added` or `updated` (files which are added but not committed),
 	`changed` (files which are changed but not added in the index),
-	`untracked` (files which are not tracked by git), or
+	`untracked` (files which are not tracked by git),
+	`branch` (the current branch), or
 	`nobranch` (the color the 'no branch' warning is shown in, defaulting
 	to red). The values of these variables may be specified as in
 	color.branch.<slot>.
diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index 4fd1a1692f867e..025c342e5e870b 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -984,6 +984,8 @@ static int parse_status_slot(const char *var, int offset)
 {
 	if (!strcasecmp(var+offset, "header"))
 		return WT_STATUS_HEADER;
+	if (!strcasecmp(var+offset, "branch"))
+		return WT_STATUS_ONBRANCH;
 	if (!strcasecmp(var+offset, "updated")
 		|| !strcasecmp(var+offset, "added"))
 		return WT_STATUS_UPDATED;
diff --git a/t/t7508-status.sh b/t/t7508-status.sh
index 4de3e27950ca34..ba36d72661c596 100755
--- a/t/t7508-status.sh
+++ b/t/t7508-status.sh
@@ -381,12 +381,13 @@ test_expect_success 'status --porcelain ignores relative paths setting' '
 
 test_expect_success 'setup unique colors' '
 
-	git config status.color.untracked blue
+	git config status.color.untracked blue &&
+	git config status.color.branch green
 
 '
 
 cat >expect <<\EOF
-# On branch master
+# On branch <GREEN>master<RESET>
 # Changes to be committed:
 #   (use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage)
 #
diff --git a/wt-status.c b/wt-status.c
index d9f3d9fe9369ce..19c9cb1d2312ad 100644
--- a/wt-status.c
+++ b/wt-status.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ static char default_wt_status_colors[][COLOR_MAXLEN] = {
 	GIT_COLOR_RED,    /* WT_STATUS_UNMERGED */
 	GIT_COLOR_GREEN,  /* WT_STATUS_LOCAL_BRANCH */
 	GIT_COLOR_RED,    /* WT_STATUS_REMOTE_BRANCH */
+	GIT_COLOR_NORMAL, /* WT_STATUS_ONBRANCH */
 };
 
 static const char *color(int slot, struct wt_status *s)
@@ -625,7 +626,8 @@ static void wt_status_print_tracking(struct wt_status *s)
 
 void wt_status_print(struct wt_status *s)
 {
-	const char *branch_color = color(WT_STATUS_HEADER, s);
+	const char *branch_color = color(WT_STATUS_ONBRANCH, s);
+	const char *branch_status_color = color(WT_STATUS_HEADER, s);
 
 	if (s->branch) {
 		const char *on_what = "On branch ";
@@ -634,11 +636,12 @@ void wt_status_print(struct wt_status *s)
 			branch_name += 11;
 		else if (!strcmp(branch_name, "HEAD")) {
 			branch_name = "";
-			branch_color = color(WT_STATUS_NOBRANCH, s);
+			branch_status_color = color(WT_STATUS_NOBRANCH, s);
 			on_what = "Not currently on any branch.";
 		}
 		color_fprintf(s->fp, color(WT_STATUS_HEADER, s), "# ");
-		color_fprintf_ln(s->fp, branch_color, "%s%s", on_what, branch_name);
+		color_fprintf(s->fp, branch_status_color, "%s", on_what);
+		color_fprintf_ln(s->fp, branch_color, "%s", branch_name);
 		if (!s->is_initial)
 			wt_status_print_tracking(s);
 	}
diff --git a/wt-status.h b/wt-status.h
index 9df9c9fad2512d..20b17cf4393b8f 100644
--- a/wt-status.h
+++ b/wt-status.h
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ enum color_wt_status {
 	WT_STATUS_NOBRANCH,
 	WT_STATUS_UNMERGED,
 	WT_STATUS_LOCAL_BRANCH,
-	WT_STATUS_REMOTE_BRANCH
+	WT_STATUS_REMOTE_BRANCH,
+	WT_STATUS_ONBRANCH,
+	WT_STATUS_MAXSLOT
 };
 
 enum untracked_status_type {
@@ -46,7 +48,7 @@ struct wt_status {
 	int show_ignored_files;
 	enum untracked_status_type show_untracked_files;
 	const char *ignore_submodule_arg;
-	char color_palette[WT_STATUS_REMOTE_BRANCH+1][COLOR_MAXLEN];
+	char color_palette[WT_STATUS_MAXSLOT][COLOR_MAXLEN];
 
 	/* These are computed during processing of the individual sections */
 	int commitable;