diff --git a/src/github/operations/branch.ts b/src/github/operations/branch.ts
index 42e7829..f14e93c 100644
--- a/src/github/operations/branch.ts
+++ b/src/github/operations/branch.ts
@@ -6,13 +6,112 @@
  * - For Issues: Create a new branch
  */
 
-import { $ } from "bun";
+import { execFileSync } from "child_process";
 import * as core from "@actions/core";
 import type { ParsedGitHubContext } from "../context";
 import type { GitHubPullRequest } from "../types";
 import type { Octokits } from "../api/client";
 import type { FetchDataResult } from "../data/fetcher";
 
+/**
+ * Validates a git branch name against a strict whitelist pattern.
+ * This prevents command injection by ensuring only safe characters are used.
+ *
+ * Valid branch names:
+ * - Start with alphanumeric character (not dash, to prevent option injection)
+ * - Contain only alphanumeric, forward slash, hyphen, underscore, or period
+ * - Do not start or end with a period
+ * - Do not end with a slash
+ * - Do not contain '..' (path traversal)
+ * - Do not contain '//' (consecutive slashes)
+ * - Do not end with '.lock'
+ * - Do not contain '@{'
+ * - Do not contain control characters or special git characters (~^:?*[\])
+ */
+export function validateBranchName(branchName: string): void {
+  // Check for empty or whitespace-only names
+  if (!branchName || branchName.trim().length === 0) {
+    throw new Error("Branch name cannot be empty");
+  }
+
+  // Check for leading dash (prevents option injection like --help, -x)
+  if (branchName.startsWith("-")) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid branch name: "${branchName}". Branch names cannot start with a dash.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Check for control characters and special git characters (~^:?*[\])
+  // eslint-disable-next-line no-control-regex
+  if (/[\x00-\x1F\x7F ~^:?*[\]\\]/.test(branchName)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid branch name: "${branchName}". Branch names cannot contain control characters, spaces, or special git characters (~^:?*[\\]).`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Strict whitelist pattern: alphanumeric start, then alphanumeric/slash/hyphen/underscore/period
+  const validPattern = /^[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9/_.-]*$/;
+
+  if (!validPattern.test(branchName)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid branch name: "${branchName}". Branch names must start with an alphanumeric character and contain only alphanumeric characters, forward slashes, hyphens, underscores, or periods.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Check for leading/trailing periods
+  if (branchName.startsWith(".") || branchName.endsWith(".")) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid branch name: "${branchName}". Branch names cannot start or end with a period.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Check for trailing slash
+  if (branchName.endsWith("/")) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid branch name: "${branchName}". Branch names cannot end with a slash.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Check for consecutive slashes
+  if (branchName.includes("//")) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid branch name: "${branchName}". Branch names cannot contain consecutive slashes.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Additional git-specific validations
+  if (branchName.includes("..")) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid branch name: "${branchName}". Branch names cannot contain '..'`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (branchName.endsWith(".lock")) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid branch name: "${branchName}". Branch names cannot end with '.lock'`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (branchName.includes("@{")) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid branch name: "${branchName}". Branch names cannot contain '@{'`,
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Executes a git command safely using execFileSync to avoid shell interpolation.
+ *
+ * Security: execFileSync passes arguments directly to the git binary without
+ * invoking a shell, preventing command injection attacks where malicious input
+ * could be interpreted as shell commands (e.g., branch names containing `;`, `|`, `&&`).
+ *
+ * @param args - Git command arguments (e.g., ["checkout", "branch-name"])
+ */
+function execGit(args: string[]): void {
+  execFileSync("git", args, { stdio: "inherit" });
+}
+
 export type BranchInfo = {
   baseBranch: string;
   claudeBranch?: string;
@@ -53,14 +152,19 @@ export async function setupBranch(
         `PR #${entityNumber}: ${commitCount} commits, using fetch depth ${fetchDepth}`,
       );
 
+      // Validate branch names before use to prevent command injection
+      validateBranchName(branchName);
+
       // Execute git commands to checkout PR branch (dynamic depth based on PR size)
-      await $`git fetch origin --depth=${fetchDepth} ${branchName}`;
-      await $`git checkout ${branchName} --`;
+      // Using execFileSync instead of shell template literals for security
+      execGit(["fetch", "origin", `--depth=${fetchDepth}`, branchName]);
+      execGit(["checkout", branchName, "--"]);
 
       console.log(`Successfully checked out PR branch for PR #${entityNumber}`);
 
       // For open PRs, we need to get the base branch of the PR
       const baseBranch = prData.baseRefName;
+      validateBranchName(baseBranch);
 
       return {
         baseBranch,
@@ -118,8 +222,9 @@ export async function setupBranch(
 
       // Ensure we're on the source branch
       console.log(`Fetching and checking out source branch: ${sourceBranch}`);
-      await $`git fetch origin ${sourceBranch} --depth=1`;
-      await $`git checkout ${sourceBranch}`;
+      validateBranchName(sourceBranch);
+      execGit(["fetch", "origin", sourceBranch, "--depth=1"]);
+      execGit(["checkout", sourceBranch, "--"]);
 
       // Set outputs for GitHub Actions
       core.setOutput("CLAUDE_BRANCH", newBranch);
@@ -138,11 +243,13 @@ export async function setupBranch(
 
     // Fetch and checkout the source branch first to ensure we branch from the correct base
     console.log(`Fetching and checking out source branch: ${sourceBranch}`);
-    await $`git fetch origin ${sourceBranch} --depth=1`;
-    await $`git checkout ${sourceBranch}`;
+    validateBranchName(sourceBranch);
+    validateBranchName(newBranch);
+    execGit(["fetch", "origin", sourceBranch, "--depth=1"]);
+    execGit(["checkout", sourceBranch, "--"]);
 
     // Create and checkout the new branch from the source branch
-    await $`git checkout -b ${newBranch}`;
+    execGit(["checkout", "-b", newBranch]);
 
     console.log(
       `Successfully created and checked out local branch: ${newBranch}`,
diff --git a/test/validate-branch-name.test.ts b/test/validate-branch-name.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..539932d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/validate-branch-name.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,201 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "bun:test";
+import { validateBranchName } from "../src/github/operations/branch";
+
+describe("validateBranchName", () => {
+  describe("valid branch names", () => {
+    it("should accept simple alphanumeric names", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("main")).not.toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("feature123")).not.toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("Branch1")).not.toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should accept names with hyphens", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("feature-branch")).not.toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("fix-bug-123")).not.toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should accept names with underscores", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("feature_branch")).not.toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("fix_bug_123")).not.toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should accept names with forward slashes", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("feature/new-thing")).not.toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("user/feature/branch")).not.toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should accept names with periods", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("v1.0.0")).not.toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("release.1.2.3")).not.toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should accept typical branch name formats", () => {
+      expect(() =>
+        validateBranchName("claude/issue-123-20250101-1234"),
+      ).not.toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("refs/heads/main")).not.toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("bugfix/JIRA-1234")).not.toThrow();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("command injection attempts", () => {
+    it("should reject shell command substitution with $()", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("$(whoami)")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch-$(rm -rf /)")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("test$(cat /etc/passwd)")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject shell command substitution with backticks", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("`whoami`")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch-`rm -rf /`")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject command chaining with semicolons", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch; rm -rf /")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("test;whoami")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject command chaining with &&", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch && rm -rf /")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("test&&whoami")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject command chaining with ||", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch || rm -rf /")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("test||whoami")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject pipe characters", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch | cat")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("test|grep password")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject redirection operators", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch > /etc/passwd")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch < input")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch >> file")).toThrow();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("option injection attempts", () => {
+    it("should reject branch names starting with dash", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("-x")).toThrow(
+        /cannot start with a dash/,
+      );
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("--help")).toThrow(
+        /cannot start with a dash/,
+      );
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("-")).toThrow(/cannot start with a dash/);
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("--version")).toThrow(
+        /cannot start with a dash/,
+      );
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("-rf")).toThrow(
+        /cannot start with a dash/,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("path traversal attempts", () => {
+    it("should reject double dot sequences", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("../../../etc")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch/../secret")).toThrow(/'\.\.'$/);
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("a..b")).toThrow(/'\.\.'$/);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("git-specific invalid patterns", () => {
+    it("should reject @{ sequence", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch@{1}")).toThrow(/@{/);
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("HEAD@{yesterday}")).toThrow(/@{/);
+    });
+
+    it("should reject .lock suffix", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch.lock")).toThrow(/\.lock/);
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("feature.lock")).toThrow(/\.lock/);
+    });
+
+    it("should reject consecutive slashes", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("feature//branch")).toThrow(
+        /consecutive slashes/,
+      );
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("a//b//c")).toThrow(
+        /consecutive slashes/,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should reject trailing slashes", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("feature/")).toThrow(
+        /cannot end with a slash/,
+      );
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch/")).toThrow(
+        /cannot end with a slash/,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should reject leading periods", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName(".hidden")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject trailing periods", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch.")).toThrow(
+        /cannot start or end with a period/,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should reject special git refspec characters", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch~1")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch^2")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch:ref")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch?")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch*")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch[0]")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch\\path")).toThrow();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("control characters and special characters", () => {
+    it("should reject null bytes", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch\x00name")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject other control characters", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch\x01name")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch\x1Fname")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch\x7Fname")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject spaces", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch name")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("feature branch")).toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject newlines and tabs", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch\nname")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("branch\tname")).toThrow();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("empty and whitespace", () => {
+    it("should reject empty strings", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("")).toThrow(/cannot be empty/);
+    });
+
+    it("should reject whitespace-only strings", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("   ")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("\t\n")).toThrow();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("edge cases", () => {
+    it("should accept single alphanumeric character", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("a")).not.toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("1")).not.toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it("should reject single special characters", () => {
+      expect(() => validateBranchName(".")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("/")).toThrow();
+      expect(() => validateBranchName("-")).toThrow();
+    });
+  });
+});