# github/renaming

Guidance for changing the default branch name for GitHub repositories

Repository: https://github.com/github/renaming
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/renaming
License: CC0-1.0
License Family: permissive
Archived: true
Last push: 2022-03-18T00:40:56+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2273, "days_push": 1630, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2458, forks 205 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:53.318042+00:00)

## What it is
GitHub's official guidance repository for renaming the default branch of Git repositories from `master` to `main`. It documents platform changes, tooling settings, and step-by-step instructions for maintainers.

## Use cases
- rename default branch from master to main
- how to change default branch name on github
- set init.defaultBranch for new git repos
- avoid breaking links when renaming a branch
- update github pages after branch rename

## When to choose
- you maintain a GitHub repository and want to rename its default branch safely
- you need the latest official GitHub guidance and tooling settings for branch renaming

## When to avoid
- you need a tool that performs the rename automatically rather than documentation
- you use a Git host other than GitHub

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: maintenance
- function: documentation, version-control, developer-tools
- domain: version-control, developer-tools, documentation
- platform: cli
- tags: git, github, default-branch, inclusive-naming, guidance, web-server

## Member repositories
- github/renaming (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:53.318042+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:30:00.441537+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/github/renaming (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:53.318042+00:00, sha b310e4ad7bd7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.