# `branches`

PullApprove runs when a `CODEREVIEW.toml` is found in the branch's base commit. The configuration is always pulled from the base branch, which means a PR can't modify the requirements for its own review.

There may be branches where the `CODEREVIEW.toml` is present, but you don't want PullApprove to run (usually because it will run later in a subsequent PR). The top-level `branches` setting can be used to define when PullApprove runs.

```toml
branches = ["main", "develop"]
```

Branch names are evaluated using fnmatch syntax, and can also use git-style range syntax to specify both head and base branches.

```toml
branches = [
    "main",  # base only
    "release/*",  # base with pattern
    "develop..feature/*",  # base and head
    "develop..",  # base only (any head)
]
```

## Advanced branch patterns

### Range syntax with `..` and `...`

PullApprove supports two types of range syntax for matching branch combinations:

#### Two-dot syntax (`..`)
The `..` syntax matches pull requests where the base (target) branch matches the left pattern and the head (source) branch matches the right pattern. This follows git convention where `A..B` refers to changes from A to B.

```toml
branches = [
    "develop..feature/*",     # feature branches → develop
    "main..hotfix/*",         # hotfix branches → main
    "main..release/*",        # release branches → main
]
```

#### Three-dot syntax (`...`)
The `...` syntax works the same as `..` - it matches base and head branch patterns.

```toml
branches = [
    "develop...feature/*",    # equivalent to develop..feature/*
    "main...hotfix/*",        # equivalent to main..hotfix/*
]
```

### Base-only and head-only patterns

You can match only the base or head branch by omitting one side of the range:

```toml
branches = [
    "develop..",              # any branch → develop
    "..feature/*",            # feature/* → any branch
]
```

### Pattern matching examples

```toml
branches = [
    # Simple base branch matching
    "main",
    "develop",
    "release/*",

    # Feature branch workflow
    "develop..feature/*",     # features merge to develop
    "main..develop",          # develop merges to main
    "main..hotfix/*",         # hotfixes merge to main

    # Release workflow
    "main..release/*",        # releases merge to main
    "develop..release/*",     # releases also merge back to develop

    # Base-only patterns
    "main..",                 # any branch merging to main
    "develop..",              # any branch merging to develop
]
```

### Complex workflow example

For a GitFlow-style workflow:

```toml
branches = [
    # Development
    "develop..feature/*",
    "develop..bugfix/*",

    # Releases
    "main..develop",
    "main..release/*",
    "develop..release/*",

    # Hotfixes
    "main..hotfix/*",
    "develop..hotfix/*",
]
```