Metadata: Reading GIT Branch Name - Not working because Head is detached

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Hello. I need to read the name of the Git branch Netlify is pulling when it builds my code. Yet because Netlify pulls a commit and not a branch, when I read process.env.BRANCH, it comes up HEAD. This happens because the Head is detached. I tried to read the branch name directly, with a GIT command, yet, of course, result. Build environment variables | Netlify Docs

Please help

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Thanks for getting in touch! I think you’ll need to resolve the detached HEAD for the BRANCH env var to log a specific branch name.

Since the HEAD is detached, you’re not on a specific branch, and so there is no branch name for that variable to read from.

You would ideally want to create a new branch (if you want to keep your current changes) where you can then access the branch name using that variable or merge it into a previously existing branch, which would also allow you to access that environment variable value. Hope this helps!

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Ok. Thanks. Yet, would what I experienced make the documentation here inaccurate: Build environment variables | Netlify Docs

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Hi there,

Thanks for following up! If you can provide any additional clarity on what necessary changes need to be made, we can definitely take a look!

The documentation does look to be correct as-is; since the HEAD was detached and you’re not on an actual branch, there is no way for that variable to return anything other than HEAD. Let me know!

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Ok. Thank you. That was great help.