My team is using the GitLab integration with Jira and we want to standardize how branch names are created. When developers start working on a Jira ticket, they can create a new GitLab branch directly from the development section in the issue. Right now each person has to manually configure their branch naming format settings. Is there a way for administrators to set a default branch naming template that applies to everyone automatically? We want all our developers to use the same naming convention without having them configure it individually each time.
GitLab doesn’t allow for global enforcement of branch naming templates via the Jira integration. Each developer needs to adjust their preferences individually in their GitLab profiles under ‘Preferences’. However, there are effective workarounds. Creating internal documentation with clear step-by-step instructions can help maintain consistency in naming conventions. For teams on a premium plan, GitLab’s push rules can be utilized to reject branches that fail to meet the established standards. Additionally, some teams implement custom Git hooks to validate branch names upon creation.
Same exact issue here! We went with a combo approach that worked pretty well. You can’t set organization-wide defaults through GitLab’s interface, but you can configure branch naming patterns in your project’s repository settings under “Repository > Branch defaults”. Won’t auto-apply to Jira integration branches, but it keeps things consistent. Our best solution was adding mandatory code reviews where reviewers check branch naming before approval. We also tweaked our CI pipeline to validate branch names against our convention - builds fail if branches don’t comply. Creates enough friction that devs quickly switch to the right naming format.
yeah, no admin seting for this unfortunatly. we wrote a simple bash script that devs run to create branches with our naming convention. just feed it the jira ticket number and it formats everything properly. way easier than trying to remember the preferences every time.