Branches and environments
Studio uses Git branches for content workflows. Create feature branches for content changes, preview them in isolated environments, and merge back to the main branch when your content is ready to publish.
Branch manager
Section titled “Branch manager”Navigate to Branches from the Studio sidebar to open the branch manager. This view lists all branches in your GitHub repository and provides controls to create new branches, switch between them, and manage associated preview environments.
Creating a branch
Section titled “Creating a branch”Click Create Branch to start a new branch. Enter a name for the branch and select the source branch it should be based on — this defaults to your main branch. Optionally, tick the auto-import option to create a preview environment for the branch straight away. The new branch is created directly in your GitHub repository.
Preview environments
Section titled “Preview environments”Each branch can be imported as a preview environment. Environments are child projects with their own UUID-based preview URL, for example {uuid}.quantsites.com. When a branch is imported as an environment, Studio configures the following automatically:
| Configuration item | What happens |
|---|---|
| GitHub Actions variable | A variable is added for the branch so the deployment workflow knows about it |
| Deployment workflow | The workflow is updated to trigger on pushes to the branch |
| Preview URL | A unique preview URL is generated for the environment |
Preview environments give you a fully deployed version of the site built from the branch, so you can share a link with stakeholders or review content in a production-like setting before merging.
Switching branches
Section titled “Switching branches”Use the branch selector in the collection browser to switch between branches. All editing, previewing, and file browsing happens on the currently selected branch. Changes you save are committed to that branch in GitHub.
Merging
Section titled “Merging”Studio offers two ways to merge a branch back into your main branch:
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Direct merge | Merge instantly via the branch manager. The branch is merged into the target branch without a review step. |
| Pull request | Create a pull request for team review via the Review Queue. The PR goes through the full review workflow before being merged. |
Direct merges are best for individual workflows where no approval is needed. PR-based merges give your team visibility and the opportunity to review changes before they reach the main branch.
Managing environments
Section titled “Managing environments”The branch manager shows all imported environments alongside their preview URLs. You can open a preview URL to view the deployed branch, or remove an environment you no longer need. Removing an environment deletes the child project and its preview URL but keeps the branch itself intact in your repository.
Next steps
Section titled “Next steps”- Review and publishing — Learn how pull requests, deployment tracking, and one-click publishing work together
- Permissions — Control who can edit, review, and publish content across your Studio projects