Provide separate settings for default view branch vs. default PR base branch

[kfranqueiro]

Currently GitHub has a single default branch setting, which affects both the code/documentation that is seen when users reach the repository, as well as the default base branch for new pull requests.

It would be supremely helpful if these two things could be set separately, so that you can configure a repository's default view branch to align to the latest release, while leaving its default PR branch at master for new development.

Currently, setting the default branch to the latest release results in really poor ergonomics for PRs if you forget to adjust the base branch before sending them. You're likely going to end up with spurious check failures (e.g. a CLA failing because of a confused commit history) or checks not running at all (e.g. Travis being configured to run against master), requiring pushing dummy commits to fix even after adjusting the base branch.

(I've also sent this request to GitHub support.)

[MFAshby]

Not logging as a separate feature request because it's basically the same:
It would be great to have a setting for a default branch from which releases are taken. We use the git flow process, with a develop and master branches, and more than once I've forgotten to change the target to master when creating a release. Then I have to go back and delete it, re-add the tag in the right place etc.

(I've emailed GitHub support too)

[terrylks]

Anyone are going to follow up on this?
It definitely would help as I don't want any of our feature branches accidentally merged into master and trigger an auto deployment by CI/CD. It would be a disaster.

[lucasvazq]

bump

[kipliklotrika]

bump

[cryptiklemur]

This would be awesome for teams working with vercel as well. Being able to keep master/main as the "production" environment, while having PRs go to a develop branch would be 10/10

[dr-dimitru]

@isaacs this is a friendly bump :)
must have feature in 2021

[JKE-be]

Another friendly bump ;)

Most of news users create PR without change the base branch, and with codeowners, all teams of the company are assigned to PR since they make a PR from master on the 'Production' branch.

It will be a very cool feature to be able to keep our stable/production as default branch when users see our projects, but allow another default branch for PR staging/master.

[Dtphelan1]

Another friendly bump! 😄

[BMayhew]

Does asking pretty please help? I could even see this as an option you could set for default pull request branch via .github folder from the repo.

[CharlyM239]

Friendly bump!

[Rob-Fletcher]

Another friendly bump! Pretty please on this feature. Would save so much headache.

[Levi-Lesches]

If you want to "bump" this, consider posting a discussion on the official GitHub feedback repo. GitHub staff do not regularly monitor these pages (not officially anyway). This repo is sort of being deprecated now.