Gitflow

Last updated: November 2026

Use this page to configure and run Gitflow in GitKraken Desktop when your team organizes work into feature, release, and hotfix branches.

Requirements and limits

Workflow scope: Gitflow-style branching with feature, release, and hotfix branches
Setup location: Preferences > Gitflow
Initialization behavior: main must already exist locally; GitKraken Desktop creates develop if it does not exist
Panel behavior: Only branches with Gitflow prefixes appear in the GITFLOW section of the Left Panel
Finish behavior: Features merge into develop; releases and hotfixes merge into main and develop and create a tag
Publishing behavior: Publishing a Gitflow branch works the same as pushing any other Git branch

Quick Start

Go to Preferences > Gitflow, optionally adjust the default branch names, and click Initialize Gitflow.
GitKraken Desktop creates develop if it does not exist. Your main branch must already exist locally.
A GITFLOW section appears in the Left Panel. To start a branch, click Open Gitflow on the section header, then under Start click Feature, Release, or Hotfix. You can also create a branch manually with a Gitflow prefix (for example, feature/my-feature or release/1.0.0).

To finish a branch type:

Feature: Merges into develop.
Release: Merges into both main and develop, and creates a tag.
Hotfix: Merges into both main and develop, and creates a tag.

To finish a branch, right-click it in the Left Panel and select Finish followed by the branch name.

Each Finish form has a Delete branch checkbox, selected by default, that deletes the branch locally after it is merged. GitKraken Desktop remembers your choice separately for features, releases, and hotfixes.

To set a tag prefix (for example, v), go to Preferences > Gitflow.

How Gitflow configuration works

To configure Gitflow in GitKraken Desktop:

Go to Preferences > Gitflow.
Optionally, change the default branch names.
Click Initialize Gitflow.

Gitflow Preferences menu with default branch names.

After you initialize Gitflow, the repository always has these 2 branches:

main: the version in production.
develop: the current development version for the next release.

The main branch must already exist locally, or initializing fails with Failed initializing Gitflow. If develop does not exist, GitKraken Desktop creates it when Gitflow is initialized: from the remote develop branch if there is one, otherwise from main.

How to use Gitflow

After you initialize Gitflow, a GITFLOW section appears in the Left Panel. Click Open Gitflow on its header to open the Gitflow panel, where you start and finish Gitflow branches.

To create a Gitflow branch:

In the Gitflow panel, under Start, click Feature, Release, or Hotfix.
Or name a branch with a Gitflow prefix (for example, release/branch-name).

Branches with a Gitflow prefix appear in the GITFLOW section of the Left Panel. Other branches appear only in the LOCAL section.

Note: The GITFLOW section groups feature, release, and hotfix branches into separate folders.

To publish a Gitflow branch, push it to a remote the same way as any other branch.

How feature branches work

Feature branches are for new features or bug fixes. They’re typically local and not shared.

When you finish a feature branch:

It’s merged into develop.
It’s deleted from the local repository, unless you clear Delete branch.

To rebase the feature branch onto develop before it merges, select Rebase on develop in the Finish form.

How release branches work

Release branches represent versions shared with collaborators.

When you finish a release branch:

It’s merged into both main and develop.
A tag is created with the release name.
It’s deleted from the local repository, unless you clear Delete branch.

If the finish stops on a merge conflict, resolve the conflict and commit the merge. GitKraken Desktop then completes the rest of the finish, including the tag.

How hotfix branches work

Hotfix branches are similar to releases but created from main. Use them for urgent production fixes, such as bug fixes or typos that must go live immediately.

When you finish a hotfix:

It’s merged into both main and develop.
A tag is created with the hotfix name.
It’s deleted from the local repository, unless you clear Delete branch.

If the finish stops on a merge conflict, resolve the conflict and commit the merge. GitKraken Desktop then completes the rest of the finish, including the tag.

How Gitflow tags work

Tags mark specific points in your repository’s history, such as releases.

Create tags from the Gitflow panel or the command line. When you finish a release or hotfix from the Gitflow panel:

The tag name is the branch name without its prefix (for example, release/1.0.0 → 1.0.0, hotfix/1.0.1 → 1.0.1).
You can add a message to the tag.

To add a prefix to these tags, enter it in Version Tag under Preferences > Gitflow. For example, the prefix v produces the tag v1.0.0.