Branch name on the Action run page

[seanwarmanshine]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Code Search and Navigation

Body

It would be super-useful to have the branch name somewhere on the Action run page:

The way to do this currently is by clicking the link on the top left of the page to go back to the pull request where the branch name is listed at the top...

However, this link doesn't show when you're scrolled down and looking at your error logs. This means you lose your place in the pipeline output to get to it. Which is a bit annoying.

It would be great to have the branch name that the action is running on follow you as you scroll up and down the Action runs page.

[ayushcmd]

Totally agree this would be a useful addition. A small workaround for now — you can see the branch name in the URL of the Action run page itself, it follows the pattern refs/heads/your-branch-name in the workflow trigger details. Also if you click "Workflow file" in the Run details section on the left, the branch context is sometimes visible there.
Another option is to add a simple echo step at the start of your workflow file to print the branch name in the logs:
run: echo "Branch name is ${{ github.ref_name }}"
This way the branch is always visible at the top of your logs without navigating away from the page.
That said this is a legitimate UI improvement request — having the branch name displayed directly on the run page would save an unnecessary click. Worth upvoting so GitHub picks it up.

[aminshahid573]

Workaround: Get the branch name without leaving the logs page

While a sticky branch name in the UI would be a great improvement, here's a quick workaround that avoids losing your place in the logs:

1. read it from the URL
   The PR number is already in the page title (#1378 in the back-link). You can open that PR in a new tab without navigating away:

• Middle-click / Cmd+Click the "Back to pull request #1378" link to open it in a background tab , your logs stay untouched.

2. use the Workflow file linkk
   Under Run details → Workflow file (visible in the left sidebar), the ref/branch is sometimes embedded in the workflow run context. Click it in a new tab too.

3. aPpend /attempts or check the API
   If you have CLI access, you can quickly run:

gh run view 2872 --repo shine-sports/shine-website

this prints the branch name (incident-report-notifications or its source branch) directly in your terminal without touching the browser tab.

4. Pin a second browser tab:
   Open the Actions run page in one tab and the PR page in another , since both URLs are stable, you can switch without losing scroll position.

---

the real fix would be for GitHub to expose the triggering branch as a sticky element in the job sidebar (next to the run number #2872), similar to how the commit SHA is sometimes shown. Worth filing as a feature request at github.com/community/community if you haven't already ,it has good precedent for being accepted.

[seanwarmanshine]

Just for clarity, here's a screenshot of my browser when I have an error and I'm scrolled further down the page...

The "Back to PR" link doesn't show. Often we make PRs named after our branches which would be a good workaround but there's no way of me getting to the PR link without scrolling away from the error I'm looking at or loading a new page.

It'd be ideal to have the branch name in the sticky bar at the top next to where it says the job name (eg "admin-batch-1").

[aminshahid573]

that makes the pain point much clearer. When you're deep in error logs, the "Back to pull request" link is completely gone from view, so there's genuinely no way to see the branch without losing your place.

immediate workarounds:

• Middle-click / Cmd+Click: the "Back to pull request" link before you scroll down ,opens the PR in a background tab so you can reference the branch name without navigating away

• use the GitHub CLI: in a terminal alongside your browser:

  gh run view <run-id> --repo shine-sports/shine-website

  This shows the triggering branch instantly without touching your browser scroll position

• bookmark the run URL: the run ID is in the URL (/runs/23602106802), so you can always come back to the exact scroll position after checking the PR

the ideal fix (worth upvoting as a GitHub feature request):

Exactly as you described , the branch name should be visible in the sticky top bar next to the job name (e.g. alongside admin-batch-1). The run number #2872 is already sticky, so the branch ref sitting next to it would be a natural addition with zero layout disruption.

You can post this at github.community ,requests like this with clear reproduction screenshots tend to get traction.

[itxashancode]

I understand your frustration—not seeing the branch name on the Actions run page, especially when scrolling through logs, makes it hard to maintain context. Currently, GitHub does not display the branch name in a persistent header on individual run pages.

Current Limitation

On an Actions run page (e.g., https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>/actions/runs/<run_id>), the header shows:

• Workflow name
• Trigger event (e.g., push, pull_request)
• Actor
• Commit SHA and message

For pull request runs, a link to the PR (e.g., #123) appears, but not the branch names (head/base). For push events, no branch reference is shown at all. The only way to see the branch is to click the PR link (if applicable) or return to the runs list, where branches are displayed in the table. However, as you scroll through job/step logs, that header disappears, forcing you to lose your place to check the branch.

Workarounds

While not ideal, these temporary solutions may help:

1. GitHub API lookup:
   The branch name is available via the API. For example:

   curl -H "Authorization: token YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
        https://api.github.com/repos/OWNER/REPO/actions/runs/RUN_ID

   The JSON response includes:

   • head_branch for push events.
   • pull_requests[0].head.ref for PRs.
     You can script this or use a tool like jq to extract quickly:

   curl -s -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
        "https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/actions/runs/$RUN_ID" | jq -r '.head_branch // .pull_requests[0].head.ref'

2. Browser extensions:
   Custom scripts (e.g., Tampermonkey/Greasemonkey) can fetch the branch via the API and inject it into the page. This requires development effort and isn't officially supported.

3. Keep the runs list open:
   Open the runs list (/actions) in a separate pane/window to reference branch names there.

Requesting the Feature

This is a common request in the GitHub community. To help prioritize it:

1. Search the GitHub Community forum:
   Check the Ideas category for existing suggestions (e.g., "Show branch name on Actions run page"). If found, add your 👍 and comment with your specific use case and screenshots.

2. Create a new idea:
   If no similar request exists, start a new discussion with a clear title and detailed description. Include screenshots (like those in your question) to illustrate the pain point.

3. Upvote the public roadmap:
   Visit the GitHub public roadmap and search for "Actions" entries. If a related item exists, add a 👍 reaction to show interest. If not, consider adding a new roadmap item (if the feature is available in your region).

Official Documentation

As of now, the GitHub Actions documentation does not mention any setting to display the branch name on the run page. This confirms the feature is missing.

I hope GitHub addresses this soon. In the meantime, the API method is the most reliable programmatic workaround. If you frequently need this, consider automating the API call with a small script or alias in your shell profile.