feat: add timestamp-based branch naming option for specify init

amweiss · claude · amweiss · commit 77cf88bf070a · 2026-03-19T16:04:33.000-04:00
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) &lt;noreply@anthropic.com&gt;
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -222,6 +222,7 @@ The `specify` command supports the following options:
 | `--debug`              | Flag     | Enable detailed debug output for troubleshooting                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
 | `--github-token`       | Option   | GitHub token for API requests (or set GH_TOKEN/GITHUB_TOKEN env variable)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
 | `--ai-skills`          | Flag     | Install Prompt.MD templates as agent skills in agent-specific `skills/` directory (requires `--ai`)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
+| `--branch-numbering`   | Option   | Branch numbering strategy: `sequential` (default — `001`, `002`, `003`) or `timestamp` (`YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS`). Timestamp mode is useful for distributed teams to avoid numbering conflicts                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
 
 ### Examples
 
@@ -296,6 +297,9 @@ specify init my-project --ai claude --ai-skills
 # Initialize in current directory with agent skills
 specify init --here --ai gemini --ai-skills
 
+# Use timestamp-based branch numbering (useful for distributed teams)
+specify init my-project --ai claude --branch-numbering timestamp
+
 # Check system requirements
 specify check
 ```
diff --git a/scripts/bash/common.sh b/scripts/bash/common.sh
@@ -33,16 +33,27 @@ get_current_branch() {
     if [[ -d "$specs_dir" ]]; then
         local latest_feature=""
         local highest=0
+        local latest_timestamp=""
 
         for dir in "$specs_dir"/*; do
             if [[ -d "$dir" ]]; then
                 local dirname=$(basename "$dir")
-                if [[ "$dirname" =~ ^([0-9]{3})- ]]; then
+                if [[ "$dirname" =~ ^([0-9]{8}-[0-9]{6})- ]]; then
+                    # Timestamp-based branch: compare lexicographically
+                    local ts="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+                    if [[ "$ts" > "$latest_timestamp" ]]; then
+                        latest_timestamp="$ts"
+                        latest_feature=$dirname
+                    fi
+                elif [[ "$dirname" =~ ^([0-9]{3})- ]]; then
                     local number=${BASH_REMATCH[1]}
                     number=$((10#$number))
                     if [[ "$number" -gt "$highest" ]]; then
                         highest=$number
-                        latest_feature=$dirname
+                        # Only update if no timestamp branch found yet
+                        if [[ -z "$latest_timestamp" ]]; then
+                            latest_feature=$dirname
+                        fi
                     fi
                 fi
             fi
@@ -72,9 +83,9 @@ check_feature_branch() {
         return 0
     fi
 
-    if [[ ! "$branch" =~ ^[0-9]{3}- ]]; then
+    if [[ ! "$branch" =~ ^[0-9]{3}- ]] && [[ ! "$branch" =~ ^[0-9]{8}-[0-9]{6}- ]]; then
         echo "ERROR: Not on a feature branch. Current branch: $branch" >&2
-        echo "Feature branches should be named like: 001-feature-name" >&2
+        echo "Feature branches should be named like: 001-feature-name or 20260319-143022-feature-name" >&2
         return 1
     fi
 
@@ -90,15 +101,18 @@ find_feature_dir_by_prefix() {
     local branch_name="$2"
     local specs_dir="$repo_root/specs"
 
-    # Extract numeric prefix from branch (e.g., "004" from "004-whatever")
-    if [[ ! "$branch_name" =~ ^([0-9]{3})- ]]; then
-        # If branch doesn't have numeric prefix, fall back to exact match
+    # Extract prefix from branch (e.g., "004" from "004-whatever" or "20260319-143022" from timestamp branches)
+    local prefix=""
+    if [[ "$branch_name" =~ ^([0-9]{8}-[0-9]{6})- ]]; then
+        prefix="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+    elif [[ "$branch_name" =~ ^([0-9]{3})- ]]; then
+        prefix="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+    else
+        # If branch doesn't have a recognized prefix, fall back to exact match
         echo "$specs_dir/$branch_name"
         return
     fi
 
-    local prefix="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
-
     # Search for directories in specs/ that start with this prefix
     local matches=()
     if [[ -d "$specs_dir" ]]; then
diff --git a/scripts/bash/create-new-feature.sh b/scripts/bash/create-new-feature.sh
@@ -5,13 +5,14 @@ set -e
 JSON_MODE=false
 SHORT_NAME=""
 BRANCH_NUMBER=""
+USE_TIMESTAMP=false
 ARGS=()
 i=1
 while [ $i -le $# ]; do
     arg="${!i}"
     case "$arg" in
-        --json) 
-            JSON_MODE=true 
+        --json)
+            JSON_MODE=true
             ;;
         --short-name)
             if [ $((i + 1)) -gt $# ]; then
@@ -40,22 +41,27 @@ while [ $i -le $# ]; do
             fi
             BRANCH_NUMBER="$next_arg"
             ;;
-        --help|-h) 
-            echo "Usage: $0 [--json] [--short-name <name>] [--number N] <feature_description>"
+        --timestamp)
+            USE_TIMESTAMP=true
+            ;;
+        --help|-h)
+            echo "Usage: $0 [--json] [--short-name <name>] [--number N] [--timestamp] <feature_description>"
             echo ""
             echo "Options:"
             echo "  --json              Output in JSON format"
             echo "  --short-name <name> Provide a custom short name (2-4 words) for the branch"
             echo "  --number N          Specify branch number manually (overrides auto-detection)"
+            echo "  --timestamp         Use timestamp prefix (YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS) instead of sequential numbering"
             echo "  --help, -h          Show this help message"
             echo ""
             echo "Examples:"
             echo "  $0 'Add user authentication system' --short-name 'user-auth'"
             echo "  $0 'Implement OAuth2 integration for API' --number 5"
+            echo "  $0 --timestamp --short-name 'user-auth' 'Add user authentication'"
             exit 0
             ;;
-        *) 
-            ARGS+=("$arg") 
+        *)
+            ARGS+=("$arg")
             ;;
     esac
     i=$((i + 1))
@@ -96,10 +102,13 @@ get_highest_from_specs() {
         for dir in "$specs_dir"/*; do
             [ -d "$dir" ] || continue
             dirname=$(basename "$dir")
-            number=$(echo "$dirname" | grep -o '^[0-9]\+' || echo "0")
-            number=$((10#$number))
-            if [ "$number" -gt "$highest" ]; then
-                highest=$number
+            # Only match sequential prefixes (###-*), skip timestamp dirs
+            if echo "$dirname" | grep -q '^[0-9]\{3\}-'; then
+                number=$(echo "$dirname" | grep -o '^[0-9]\{3\}')
+                number=$((10#$number))
+                if [ "$number" -gt "$highest" ]; then
+                    highest=$number
+                fi
             fi
         done
     fi
@@ -242,29 +251,42 @@ else
     BRANCH_SUFFIX=$(generate_branch_name "$FEATURE_DESCRIPTION")
 fi
 
-# Determine branch number
-if [ -z "$BRANCH_NUMBER" ]; then
-    if [ "$HAS_GIT" = true ]; then
-        # Check existing branches on remotes
-        BRANCH_NUMBER=$(check_existing_branches "$SPECS_DIR")
-    else
-        # Fall back to local directory check
-        HIGHEST=$(get_highest_from_specs "$SPECS_DIR")
-        BRANCH_NUMBER=$((HIGHEST + 1))
-    fi
+# Warn if --number and --timestamp are both specified
+if [ "$USE_TIMESTAMP" = true ] && [ -n "$BRANCH_NUMBER" ]; then
+    >&2 echo "[specify] Warning: --number is ignored when --timestamp is used"
+    BRANCH_NUMBER=""
 fi
 
-# Force base-10 interpretation to prevent octal conversion (e.g., 010 → 8 in octal, but should be 10 in decimal)
-FEATURE_NUM=$(printf "%03d" "$((10#$BRANCH_NUMBER))")
-BRANCH_NAME="${FEATURE_NUM}-${BRANCH_SUFFIX}"
+# Determine branch prefix
+if [ "$USE_TIMESTAMP" = true ]; then
+    FEATURE_NUM=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
+    BRANCH_NAME="${FEATURE_NUM}-${BRANCH_SUFFIX}"
+else
+    # Determine branch number
+    if [ -z "$BRANCH_NUMBER" ]; then
+        if [ "$HAS_GIT" = true ]; then
+            # Check existing branches on remotes
+            BRANCH_NUMBER=$(check_existing_branches "$SPECS_DIR")
+        else
+            # Fall back to local directory check
+            HIGHEST=$(get_highest_from_specs "$SPECS_DIR")
+            BRANCH_NUMBER=$((HIGHEST + 1))
+        fi
+    fi
+
+    # Force base-10 interpretation to prevent octal conversion (e.g., 010 → 8 in octal, but should be 10 in decimal)
+    FEATURE_NUM=$(printf "%03d" "$((10#$BRANCH_NUMBER))")
+    BRANCH_NAME="${FEATURE_NUM}-${BRANCH_SUFFIX}"
+fi
 
 # GitHub enforces a 244-byte limit on branch names
 # Validate and truncate if necessary
 MAX_BRANCH_LENGTH=244
 if [ ${#BRANCH_NAME} -gt $MAX_BRANCH_LENGTH ]; then
     # Calculate how much we need to trim from suffix
-    # Account for: feature number (3) + hyphen (1) = 4 chars
-    MAX_SUFFIX_LENGTH=$((MAX_BRANCH_LENGTH - 4))
+    # Account for prefix length: timestamp (15) + hyphen (1) = 16, or sequential (3) + hyphen (1) = 4
+    PREFIX_LENGTH=$(( ${#FEATURE_NUM} + 1 ))
+    MAX_SUFFIX_LENGTH=$((MAX_BRANCH_LENGTH - PREFIX_LENGTH))
     
     # Truncate suffix at word boundary if possible
     TRUNCATED_SUFFIX=$(echo "$BRANCH_SUFFIX" | cut -c1-$MAX_SUFFIX_LENGTH)
diff --git a/scripts/powershell/common.ps1 b/scripts/powershell/common.ps1
@@ -38,17 +38,28 @@ function Get-CurrentBranch {
     if (Test-Path $specsDir) {
         $latestFeature = ""
         $highest = 0
-        
+        $latestTimestamp = ""
+
         Get-ChildItem -Path $specsDir -Directory | ForEach-Object {
-            if ($_.Name -match '^(\d{3})-') {
+            if ($_.Name -match '^(\d{8}-\d{6})-') {
+                # Timestamp-based branch: compare lexicographically
+                $ts = $matches[1]
+                if ($ts -gt $latestTimestamp) {
+                    $latestTimestamp = $ts
+                    $latestFeature = $_.Name
+                }
+            } elseif ($_.Name -match '^(\d{3})-') {
                 $num = [int]$matches[1]
                 if ($num -gt $highest) {
                     $highest = $num
-                    $latestFeature = $_.Name
+                    # Only update if no timestamp branch found yet
+                    if (-not $latestTimestamp) {
+                        $latestFeature = $_.Name
+                    }
                 }
             }
         }
-        
+
         if ($latestFeature) {
             return $latestFeature
         }
@@ -79,9 +90,9 @@ function Test-FeatureBranch {
         return $true
     }
     
-    if ($Branch -notmatch '^[0-9]{3}-') {
+    if ($Branch -notmatch '^[0-9]{3}-' -and $Branch -notmatch '^\d{8}-\d{6}-') {
         Write-Output "ERROR: Not on a feature branch. Current branch: $Branch"
-        Write-Output "Feature branches should be named like: 001-feature-name"
+        Write-Output "Feature branches should be named like: 001-feature-name or 20260319-143022-feature-name"
         return $false
     }
     return $true
diff --git a/scripts/powershell/create-new-feature.ps1 b/scripts/powershell/create-new-feature.ps1
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ param(
     [string]$ShortName,
     [Parameter()]
     [int]$Number = 0,
+    [switch]$Timestamp,
     [switch]$Help,
     [Parameter(Position = 0, ValueFromRemainingArguments = $true)]
     [string[]]$FeatureDescription
@@ -14,17 +15,19 @@ $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
 
 # Show help if requested
 if ($Help) {
-    Write-Host "Usage: ./create-new-feature.ps1 [-Json] [-ShortName <name>] [-Number N] <feature description>"
+    Write-Host "Usage: ./create-new-feature.ps1 [-Json] [-ShortName <name>] [-Number N] [-Timestamp] <feature description>"
     Write-Host ""
     Write-Host "Options:"
     Write-Host "  -Json               Output in JSON format"
     Write-Host "  -ShortName <name>   Provide a custom short name (2-4 words) for the branch"
     Write-Host "  -Number N           Specify branch number manually (overrides auto-detection)"
+    Write-Host "  -Timestamp          Use timestamp prefix (YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS) instead of sequential numbering"
     Write-Host "  -Help               Show this help message"
     Write-Host ""
     Write-Host "Examples:"
     Write-Host "  ./create-new-feature.ps1 'Add user authentication system' -ShortName 'user-auth'"
     Write-Host "  ./create-new-feature.ps1 'Implement OAuth2 integration for API'"
+    Write-Host "  ./create-new-feature.ps1 -Timestamp -ShortName 'user-auth' 'Add user authentication'"
     exit 0
 }
 
@@ -72,7 +75,7 @@ function Get-HighestNumberFromSpecs {
     $highest = 0
     if (Test-Path $SpecsDir) {
         Get-ChildItem -Path $SpecsDir -Directory | ForEach-Object {
-            if ($_.Name -match '^(\d+)') {
+            if ($_.Name -match '^(\d{3})-') {
                 $num = [int]$matches[1]
                 if ($num -gt $highest) { $highest = $num }
             }
@@ -216,27 +219,40 @@ if ($ShortName) {
     $branchSuffix = Get-BranchName -Description $featureDesc
 }
 
-# Determine branch number
-if ($Number -eq 0) {
-    if ($hasGit) {
-        # Check existing branches on remotes
-        $Number = Get-NextBranchNumber -SpecsDir $specsDir
-    } else {
-        # Fall back to local directory check
-        $Number = (Get-HighestNumberFromSpecs -SpecsDir $specsDir) + 1
-    }
+# Warn if -Number and -Timestamp are both specified
+if ($Timestamp -and $Number -ne 0) {
+    Write-Warning "[specify] Warning: -Number is ignored when -Timestamp is used"
+    $Number = 0
 }
 
-$featureNum = ('{0:000}' -f $Number)
-$branchName = "$featureNum-$branchSuffix"
+# Determine branch prefix
+if ($Timestamp) {
+    $featureNum = Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd-HHmmss'
+    $branchName = "$featureNum-$branchSuffix"
+} else {
+    # Determine branch number
+    if ($Number -eq 0) {
+        if ($hasGit) {
+            # Check existing branches on remotes
+            $Number = Get-NextBranchNumber -SpecsDir $specsDir
+        } else {
+            # Fall back to local directory check
+            $Number = (Get-HighestNumberFromSpecs -SpecsDir $specsDir) + 1
+        }
+    }
+
+    $featureNum = ('{0:000}' -f $Number)
+    $branchName = "$featureNum-$branchSuffix"
+}
 
 # GitHub enforces a 244-byte limit on branch names
 # Validate and truncate if necessary
 $maxBranchLength = 244
 if ($branchName.Length -gt $maxBranchLength) {
     # Calculate how much we need to trim from suffix
-    # Account for: feature number (3) + hyphen (1) = 4 chars
-    $maxSuffixLength = $maxBranchLength - 4
+    # Account for prefix length: timestamp (15) + hyphen (1) = 16, or sequential (3) + hyphen (1) = 4
+    $prefixLength = $featureNum.Length + 1
+    $maxSuffixLength = $maxBranchLength - $prefixLength
     
     # Truncate suffix
     $truncatedSuffix = $branchSuffix.Substring(0, [Math]::Min($branchSuffix.Length, $maxSuffixLength))
diff --git a/src/specify_cli/__init__.py b/src/specify_cli/__init__.py
@@ -1479,6 +1479,7 @@ def init(
     github_token: str = typer.Option(None, "--github-token", help="GitHub token to use for API requests (or set GH_TOKEN or GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable)"),
     ai_skills: bool = typer.Option(False, "--ai-skills", help="Install Prompt.MD templates as agent skills (requires --ai)"),
     preset: str = typer.Option(None, "--preset", help="Install a preset during initialization (by preset ID)"),
+    branch_numbering: str = typer.Option(None, "--branch-numbering", help="Branch numbering strategy: 'sequential' (001, 002, ...) or 'timestamp' (YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS)"),
 ):
     """
     Initialize a new Specify project from the latest template.
@@ -1546,6 +1547,11 @@ def init(
         console.print("[yellow]Usage:[/yellow] specify init <project> --ai <agent> --ai-skills")
         raise typer.Exit(1)
 
+    BRANCH_NUMBERING_CHOICES = {"sequential", "timestamp"}
+    if branch_numbering and branch_numbering not in BRANCH_NUMBERING_CHOICES:
+        console.print(f"[red]Error:[/red] Invalid --branch-numbering value '{branch_numbering}'. Choose from: {', '.join(sorted(BRANCH_NUMBERING_CHOICES))}")
+        raise typer.Exit(1)
+
     if here:
         project_name = Path.cwd().name
         project_path = Path.cwd()
@@ -1781,6 +1787,7 @@ def init(
                 "ai": selected_ai,
                 "ai_skills": ai_skills,
                 "ai_commands_dir": ai_commands_dir,
+                "branch_numbering": branch_numbering or "sequential",
                 "here": here,
                 "preset": preset,
                 "script": selected_script,
diff --git a/templates/commands/specify.md b/templates/commands/specify.md
@@ -73,10 +73,16 @@ Given that feature description, do this:
      - "Create a dashboard for analytics" → "analytics-dashboard"
      - "Fix payment processing timeout bug" → "fix-payment-timeout"
 
-2. **Create the feature branch** by running the script with `--short-name` (and `--json`), and do NOT pass `--number` (the script auto-detects the next globally available number across all branches and spec directories):
+2. **Create the feature branch** by running the script with `--short-name` (and `--json`). In sequential mode, do NOT pass `--number` — the script auto-detects the next available number. In timestamp mode, the script generates a `YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS` prefix automatically:
+
+   **Branch numbering mode**: Before running the script, check if `.specify/init-options.json` exists and read the `branch_numbering` value.
+   - If `"timestamp"`, add `--timestamp` (Bash) or `-Timestamp` (PowerShell) to the script invocation
+   - If `"sequential"` or absent, do not add any extra flag (default behavior)
 
    - Bash example: `{SCRIPT} --json --short-name "user-auth" "Add user authentication"`
+   - Bash (timestamp): `{SCRIPT} --json --timestamp --short-name "user-auth" "Add user authentication"`
    - PowerShell example: `{SCRIPT} -Json -ShortName "user-auth" "Add user authentication"`
+   - PowerShell (timestamp): `{SCRIPT} -Json -Timestamp -ShortName "user-auth" "Add user authentication"`
 
    **IMPORTANT**:
    - Do NOT pass `--number` — the script determines the correct next number automatically
diff --git a/tests/test_branch_numbering.py b/tests/test_branch_numbering.py
diff --git a/tests/test_timestamp_branches.py b/tests/test_timestamp_branches.py
