tmp

- Add settings input to action.yml that accepts JSON string or file path
- Pass settings parameter to claude-code-base-action
- Update README with comprehensive settings documentation
- Add link to official Claude Code settings documentation
- Document precedence rules for model and tool permissions

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)

Co-authored-by: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

@@ -35,6 +35,86 @@ This command will guide you through setting up the GitHub app and required secre
    - Or `CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN` for OAuth token authentication (Pro and Max users can generate this by running `claude setup-token` locally)
 3. Copy the workflow file from [`examples/claude.yml`](./examples/claude.yml) into your repository's `.github/workflows/`
 
+### Using a Custom GitHub App
+
+If you prefer not to install the official Claude app, you can create your own GitHub App to use with this action. This gives you complete control over permissions and access.
+
+**When you may want to use a custom GitHub App:**
+
+- You need more restrictive permissions than the official app
+- Organization policies prevent installing third-party apps
+- You're using AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex AI
+
+**Steps to create and use a custom GitHub App:**
+
+1. **Create a new GitHub App:**
+
+   - Go to https://github.com/settings/apps (for personal apps) or your organization's settings
+   - Click "New GitHub App"
+   - Configure the app with these minimum permissions:
+     - **Repository permissions:**
+       - Contents: Read & Write
+       - Issues: Read & Write
+       - Pull requests: Read & Write
+     - **Account permissions:** None required
+   - Set "Where can this GitHub App be installed?" to your preference
+   - Create the app
+
+2. **Generate and download a private key:**
+
+   - After creating the app, scroll down to "Private keys"
+   - Click "Generate a private key"
+   - Download the `.pem` file (keep this secure!)
+
+3. **Install the app on your repository:**
+
+   - Go to the app's settings page
+   - Click "Install App"
+   - Select the repositories where you want to use Claude
+
+4. **Add the app credentials to your repository secrets:**
+
+   - Go to your repository's Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
+   - Add these secrets:
+     - `APP_ID`: Your GitHub App's ID (found in the app settings)
+     - `APP_PRIVATE_KEY`: The contents of the downloaded `.pem` file
+
+5. **Update your workflow to use the custom app:**
+
+   ```yaml
+   name: Claude with Custom App
+   on:
+     issue_comment:
+       types: [created]
+     # ... other triggers
+
+   jobs:
+     claude-response:
+       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+       steps:
+         # Generate a token from your custom app
+         - name: Generate GitHub App token
+           id: app-token
+           uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v1
+           with:
+             app-id: ${{ secrets.APP_ID }}
+             private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
+         # Use Claude with your custom app's token
+         - uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@beta
+           with:
+             anthropic_api_key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
+             github_token: ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}
+             # ... other configuration
+   ```
+
+**Important notes:**
+
+- The custom app must have read/write permissions for Issues, Pull Requests, and Contents
+- Your app's token will have the exact permissions you configured, nothing more
+
+For more information on creating GitHub Apps, see the [GitHub documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/apps/creating-github-apps).
+
 ## 📚 FAQ
 
 Having issues or questions? Check out our [Frequently Asked Questions](./FAQ.md) for solutions to common problems and detailed explanations of Claude's capabilities and limitations.
@@ -109,6 +189,7 @@ jobs:
 | `trigger_phrase`          | The trigger phrase to look for in comments, issue/PR bodies, and issue titles                                        | No       | `@claude` |
 | `branch_prefix`           | The prefix to use for Claude branches (defaults to 'claude/', use 'claude-' for dash format)                         | No       | `claude/` |
 | `claude_env`              | Custom environment variables to pass to Claude Code execution (YAML format)                                          | No       | ""        |
+| `settings`                | Claude Code settings as JSON string or path to settings JSON file                                                    | No       | ""        |
 | `additional_permissions`  | Additional permissions to enable. Currently supports 'actions: read' for viewing workflow results                    | No       | ""        |
 
 \*Required when using direct Anthropic API (default and when not using Bedrock or Vertex)
@@ -491,6 +572,65 @@ Use a specific Claude model:
     # ... other inputs
 ```
 
+### Claude Code Settings
+
+You can provide Claude Code settings to customize behavior such as model selection, environment variables, permissions, and hooks. Settings can be provided either as a JSON string or a path to a settings file.
+
+#### Option 1: Settings File
+
+```yaml
+- uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@beta
+  with:
+    settings: "path/to/settings.json"
+    # ... other inputs
+```
+
+#### Option 2: Inline Settings
+
+```yaml
+- uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@beta
+  with:
+    settings: |
+      {
+        "model": "claude-opus-4-20250514",
+        "env": {
+          "DEBUG": "true",
+          "API_URL": "https://api.example.com"
+        },
+        "permissions": {
+          "allow": ["Bash", "Read"],
+          "deny": ["WebFetch"]
+        },
+        "hooks": {
+          "PreToolUse": [{
+            "matcher": "Bash",
+            "hooks": [{
+              "type": "command",
+              "command": "echo Running bash command..."
+            }]
+          }]
+        }
+      }
+    # ... other inputs
+```
+
+The settings support all Claude Code settings options including:
+
+- `model`: Override the default model
+- `env`: Environment variables for the session
+- `permissions`: Tool usage permissions
+- `hooks`: Pre/post tool execution hooks
+- And more...
+
+For a complete list of available settings and their descriptions, see the [Claude Code settings documentation](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/settings).
+
+**Notes**:
+
+- The `enableAllProjectMcpServers` setting is always set to `true` by this action to ensure MCP servers work correctly.
+- If both the `model` input parameter and a `model` in settings are provided, the `model` input parameter takes precedence.
+- The `allowed_tools` and `disallowed_tools` input parameters take precedence over `permissions` in settings.
+- In a future version, we may deprecate individual input parameters in favor of using the settings file for all configuration.
+
 ## Cloud Providers
 
 You can authenticate with Claude using any of these three methods:

action.yml

@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ inputs:
     description: "Custom environment variables to pass to Claude Code execution (YAML format)"
     required: false
     default: ""
+  settings:
+    description: "Claude Code settings as JSON string or path to settings JSON file"
+    required: false
+    default: ""
 
   # Auth configuration
   anthropic_api_key:
@@ -101,6 +105,9 @@ outputs:
   execution_file:
     description: "Path to the Claude Code execution output file"
     value: ${{ steps.claude-code.outputs.execution_file }}
+  branch_name:
+    description: "The branch created by Claude Code for this execution"
+    value: ${{ steps.prepare.outputs.CLAUDE_BRANCH }}
 
 runs:
   using: "composite"
@@ -142,7 +149,7 @@ runs:
     - name: Run Claude Code
       id: claude-code
       if: steps.prepare.outputs.contains_trigger == 'true'
-      uses: anthropics/claude-code-base-action@3560d21b41bd19b1d3ac6c9000af378903d8df0e # v0.0.32
+      uses: anthropics/claude-code-base-action@503cc7080e62d63d2cc1d80035ed04617d5efb47 # v0.0.35
       with:
         prompt_file: ${{ runner.temp }}/claude-prompts/claude-prompt.txt
         allowed_tools: ${{ env.ALLOWED_TOOLS }}
@@ -157,6 +164,7 @@ runs:
         anthropic_api_key: ${{ inputs.anthropic_api_key }}
         claude_code_oauth_token: ${{ inputs.claude_code_oauth_token }}
         claude_env: ${{ inputs.claude_env }}
+        settings: ${{ inputs.settings }}
       env:
         # Model configuration
         ANTHROPIC_MODEL: ${{ inputs.model || inputs.anthropic_model }}

src/entrypoints/prepare.ts

@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import { checkHumanActor } from "../github/validation/actor";
 import { checkWritePermissions } from "../github/validation/permissions";
 import { createInitialComment } from "../github/operations/comments/create-initial";
 import { setupBranch } from "../github/operations/branch";
-import { updateTrackingComment } from "../github/operations/comments/update-with-branch";
 import { configureGitAuth } from "../github/operations/git-config";
 import { prepareMcpConfig } from "../mcp/install-mcp-server";
 import { createPrompt } from "../create-prompt";
@@ -67,17 +66,7 @@ async function run() {
     // Step 8: Setup branch
     const branchInfo = await setupBranch(octokit, githubData, context);
 
-    // Step 9: Update initial comment with branch link (only for issues that created a new branch)
+    // Step 9: Configure git authentication if not using commit signing
-    if (branchInfo.claudeBranch) {
-      await updateTrackingComment(
-        octokit,
-        context,
-        commentId,
-        branchInfo.claudeBranch,
-      );
-    }
-
-    // Step 10: Configure git authentication if not using commit signing
     if (!context.inputs.useCommitSigning) {
       try {
         await configureGitAuth(githubToken, context, commentData.user);
@@ -87,7 +76,7 @@ async function run() {
       }
     }
 
-    // Step 11: Create prompt file
+    // Step 10: Create prompt file
     await createPrompt(
       commentId,
       branchInfo.baseBranch,
@@ -96,7 +85,7 @@ async function run() {
       context,
     );
 
-    // Step 12: Get MCP configuration
+    // Step 11: Get MCP configuration
     const additionalMcpConfig = process.env.MCP_CONFIG || "";
     const mcpConfig = await prepareMcpConfig({
       githubToken,

src/entrypoints/update-comment-link.ts

@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ async function run() {
       jobUrl,
       branchLink,
       prLink,
-      branchName: shouldDeleteBranch ? undefined : claudeBranch,
+      branchName: shouldDeleteBranch || !branchLink ? undefined : claudeBranch,
       triggerUsername,
       errorDetails,
     };

src/github/operations/branch-cleanup.ts

@@ -14,6 +14,31 @@ export async function checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch(
   let shouldDeleteBranch = false;
 
   if (claudeBranch) {
+    // First check if the branch exists remotely
+    let branchExistsRemotely = false;
+    try {
+      await octokit.rest.repos.getBranch({
+        owner,
+        repo,
+        branch: claudeBranch,
+      });
+      branchExistsRemotely = true;
+    } catch (error: any) {
+      if (error.status === 404) {
+        console.log(`Branch ${claudeBranch} does not exist remotely`);
+      } else {
+        console.error("Error checking if branch exists:", error);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Only proceed if branch exists remotely
+    if (!branchExistsRemotely) {
+      console.log(
+        `Branch ${claudeBranch} does not exist remotely, no branch link will be added`,
+      );
+      return { shouldDeleteBranch: false, branchLink: "" };
+    }
+
     // Check if Claude made any commits to the branch
     try {
       const { data: comparison } =
@@ -81,8 +106,8 @@ export async function checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch(
         branchLink = `\n[View branch](${branchUrl})`;
       }
     } catch (error) {
-      console.error("Error checking for commits on Claude branch:", error);
+      console.error("Error comparing commits on Claude branch:", error);
-      // If we can't check, assume the branch has commits to be safe
+      // If we can't compare but the branch exists remotely, include the branch link
       const branchUrl = `${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/${owner}/${repo}/tree/${claudeBranch}`;
       branchLink = `\n[View branch](${branchUrl})`;
     }

src/github/operations/branch.ts

@@ -84,23 +84,23 @@ export async function setupBranch(
     sourceBranch = repoResponse.data.default_branch;
   }
 
-  // Creating a new branch for either an issue or closed/merged PR
+  // Generate branch name for either an issue or closed/merged PR
   const entityType = isPR ? "pr" : "issue";
-  console.log(
-    `Creating new branch for ${entityType} #${entityNumber} from source branch: ${sourceBranch}...`,
-  );
 
-  const timestamp = new Date()
+  // Create Kubernetes-compatible timestamp: lowercase, hyphens only, shorter format
-    .toISOString()
+  const now = new Date();
-    .replace(/[:-]/g, "")
+  const timestamp = `${now.getFullYear()}${String(now.getMonth() + 1).padStart(2, "0")}${String(now.getDate()).padStart(2, "0")}-${String(now.getHours()).padStart(2, "0")}${String(now.getMinutes()).padStart(2, "0")}`;
-    .replace(/\.\d{3}Z/, "")
-    .split("T")
-    .join("_");
 
-  const newBranch = `${branchPrefix}${entityType}-${entityNumber}-${timestamp}`;
+  // Ensure branch name is Kubernetes-compatible:
+  // - Lowercase only
+  // - Alphanumeric with hyphens
+  // - No underscores
+  // - Max 50 chars (to allow for prefixes)
+  const branchName = `${branchPrefix}${entityType}-${entityNumber}-${timestamp}`;
+  const newBranch = branchName.toLowerCase().substring(0, 50);
 
   try {
-    // Get the SHA of the source branch
+    // Get the SHA of the source branch to verify it exists
     const sourceBranchRef = await octokits.rest.git.getRef({
       owner,
       repo,
@@ -108,23 +108,34 @@ export async function setupBranch(
     });
 
     const currentSHA = sourceBranchRef.data.object.sha;
+    console.log(`Source branch SHA: ${currentSHA}`);
 
-    console.log(`Current SHA: ${currentSHA}`);
+    // For commit signing, defer branch creation to the file ops server
+    if (context.inputs.useCommitSigning) {
+      console.log(
+        `Branch name generated: ${newBranch} (will be created by file ops server on first commit)`,
+      );
 
-    // Create branch using GitHub API
+      // Set outputs for GitHub Actions
-    await octokits.rest.git.createRef({
+      core.setOutput("CLAUDE_BRANCH", newBranch);
-      owner,
+      core.setOutput("BASE_BRANCH", sourceBranch);
-      repo,
+      return {
-      ref: `refs/heads/${newBranch}`,
+        baseBranch: sourceBranch,
-      sha: currentSHA,
+        claudeBranch: newBranch,
-    });
+        currentBranch: sourceBranch, // Stay on source branch for now
+      };
+    }
 
-    // Checkout the new branch (shallow fetch for performance)
+    // For non-signing case, create and checkout the branch locally only
-    await $`git fetch origin --depth=1 ${newBranch}`;
+    console.log(
-    await $`git checkout ${newBranch}`;
+      `Creating local branch ${newBranch} for ${entityType} #${entityNumber} from source branch: ${sourceBranch}...`,
+    );
+
+    // Create and checkout the new branch locally
+    await $`git checkout -b ${newBranch}`;
 
     console.log(
-      `Successfully created and checked out new branch: ${newBranch}`,
+      `Successfully created and checked out local branch: ${newBranch}`,
     );
 
     // Set outputs for GitHub Actions
@@ -136,7 +147,7 @@ export async function setupBranch(
       currentBranch: newBranch,
     };
   } catch (error) {
-    console.error("Error creating branch:", error);
+    console.error("Error in branch setup:", error);
     process.exit(1);
   }
 }

src/mcp/github-actions-server.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
 import { StdioServerTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js";
 import { z } from "zod";
+import { GITHUB_API_URL } from "../github/api/config";
 import { mkdir, writeFile } from "fs/promises";
 import { Octokit } from "@octokit/rest";
 
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ server.tool(
     try {
       const client = new Octokit({
         auth: GITHUB_TOKEN,
+        baseUrl: GITHUB_API_URL,
       });
 
       // Get the PR to find the head SHA
@@ -142,6 +144,7 @@ server.tool(
     try {
       const client = new Octokit({
         auth: GITHUB_TOKEN,
+        baseUrl: GITHUB_API_URL,
       });
 
       // Get jobs for this workflow run
@@ -209,6 +212,7 @@ server.tool(
     try {
       const client = new Octokit({
         auth: GITHUB_TOKEN,
+        baseUrl: GITHUB_API_URL,
       });
 
       const response = await client.actions.downloadJobLogsForWorkflowRun({

src/mcp/github-file-ops-server.ts

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { join } from "path";
 import fetch from "node-fetch";
 import { GITHUB_API_URL } from "../github/api/config";
 import { retryWithBackoff } from "../utils/retry";
+import { Octokit } from "@octokit/rest";
 
 type GitHubRef = {
   object: {
@@ -52,6 +53,112 @@ const server = new McpServer({
   version: "0.0.1",
 });
 
+// Helper function to get or create branch reference
+async function getOrCreateBranchRef(
+  owner: string,
+  repo: string,
+  branch: string,
+  githubToken: string,
+): Promise<string> {
+  // Create Octokit instance
+  const octokit = new Octokit({
+    auth: githubToken,
+    baseUrl: GITHUB_API_URL,
+  });
+
+  // Try to get the branch reference
+  const refUrl = `${GITHUB_API_URL}/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/refs/heads/${branch}`;
+  const refResponse = await fetch(refUrl, {
+    headers: {
+      Accept: "application/vnd.github+json",
+      Authorization: `Bearer ${githubToken}`,
+      "X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2022-11-28",
+    },
+  });
+
+  if (refResponse.ok) {
+    const refData = (await refResponse.json()) as GitHubRef;
+    return refData.object.sha;
+  }
+
+  if (refResponse.status !== 404) {
+    throw new Error(`Failed to get branch reference: ${refResponse.status}`);
+  }
+
+  // Get base branch from environment or determine it
+  const baseBranch = process.env.BASE_BRANCH || "main";
+
+  // Get the SHA of the base branch
+  const baseRefUrl = `${GITHUB_API_URL}/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/refs/heads/${baseBranch}`;
+  const baseRefResponse = await fetch(baseRefUrl, {
+    headers: {
+      Accept: "application/vnd.github+json",
+      Authorization: `Bearer ${githubToken}`,
+      "X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2022-11-28",
+    },
+  });
+
+  let baseSha: string;
+
+  if (!baseRefResponse.ok) {
+    // If base branch doesn't exist, try default branch
+    const repoUrl = `${GITHUB_API_URL}/repos/${owner}/${repo}`;
+    const repoResponse = await fetch(repoUrl, {
+      headers: {
+        Accept: "application/vnd.github+json",
+        Authorization: `Bearer ${githubToken}`,
+        "X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2022-11-28",
+      },
+    });
+
+    if (!repoResponse.ok) {
+      throw new Error(`Failed to get repository info: ${repoResponse.status}`);
+    }
+
+    const repoData = (await repoResponse.json()) as {
+      default_branch: string;
+    };
+    const defaultBranch = repoData.default_branch;
+
+    // Try default branch
+    const defaultRefUrl = `${GITHUB_API_URL}/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/refs/heads/${defaultBranch}`;
+    const defaultRefResponse = await fetch(defaultRefUrl, {
+      headers: {
+        Accept: "application/vnd.github+json",
+        Authorization: `Bearer ${githubToken}`,
+        "X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2022-11-28",
+      },
+    });
+
+    if (!defaultRefResponse.ok) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Failed to get default branch reference: ${defaultRefResponse.status}`,
+      );
+    }
+
+    const defaultRefData = (await defaultRefResponse.json()) as GitHubRef;
+    baseSha = defaultRefData.object.sha;
+  } else {
+    const baseRefData = (await baseRefResponse.json()) as GitHubRef;
+    baseSha = baseRefData.object.sha;
+  }
+
+  // Create the new branch using Octokit
+  try {
+    await octokit.rest.git.createRef({
+      owner,
+      repo,
+      ref: `refs/heads/${branch}`,
+      sha: baseSha,
+    });
+  } catch (error) {
+    const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
+    throw new Error(`Failed to create branch: ${errorMessage}`);
+  }
+
+  return baseSha;
+}
+
 // Commit files tool
 server.tool(
   "commit_files",
@@ -81,24 +188,13 @@ server.tool(
         return filePath;
       });
 
-      // 1. Get the branch reference
+      // 1. Get the branch reference (create if doesn't exist)
-      const refUrl = `${GITHUB_API_URL}/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/refs/heads/${branch}`;
+      const baseSha = await getOrCreateBranchRef(
-      const refResponse = await fetch(refUrl, {
+        owner,
-        headers: {
+        repo,
-          Accept: "application/vnd.github+json",
+        branch,
-          Authorization: `Bearer ${githubToken}`,
+        githubToken,
-          "X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2022-11-28",
-        },
-      });
-
-      if (!refResponse.ok) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `Failed to get branch reference: ${refResponse.status}`,
       );
-      }
-
-      const refData = (await refResponse.json()) as GitHubRef;
-      const baseSha = refData.object.sha;
 
       // 2. Get the base commit
       const commitUrl = `${GITHUB_API_URL}/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/commits/${baseSha}`;
@@ -260,7 +356,6 @@ server.tool(
 
             // Only retry on 403 errors - these are the intermittent failures we're targeting
             if (updateRefResponse.status === 403) {
-              console.log("Received 403 error, will retry...");
               throw error;
             }
 
@@ -353,24 +448,13 @@ server.tool(
         return filePath;
       });
 
-      // 1. Get the branch reference
+      // 1. Get the branch reference (create if doesn't exist)
-      const refUrl = `${GITHUB_API_URL}/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/refs/heads/${branch}`;
+      const baseSha = await getOrCreateBranchRef(
-      const refResponse = await fetch(refUrl, {
+        owner,
-        headers: {
+        repo,
-          Accept: "application/vnd.github+json",
+        branch,
-          Authorization: `Bearer ${githubToken}`,
+        githubToken,
-          "X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2022-11-28",
-        },
-      });
-
-      if (!refResponse.ok) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `Failed to get branch reference: ${refResponse.status}`,
       );
-      }
-
-      const refData = (await refResponse.json()) as GitHubRef;
-      const baseSha = refData.object.sha;
 
       // 2. Get the base commit
       const commitUrl = `${GITHUB_API_URL}/repos/${owner}/${repo}/git/commits/${baseSha}`;
@@ -478,7 +562,6 @@ server.tool(
 
             // Only retry on 403 errors - these are the intermittent failures we're targeting
             if (updateRefResponse.status === 403) {
-              console.log("Received 403 error, will retry...");
               throw error;
             }
 

src/mcp/install-mcp-server.ts

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ async function checkActionsReadPermission(
   repo: string,
 ): Promise<boolean> {
   try {
-    const client = new Octokit({ auth: token });
+    const client = new Octokit({ auth: token, baseUrl: GITHUB_API_URL });
 
     // Try to list workflow runs - this requires actions:read
     // We use per_page=1 to minimize the response size
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ export async function prepareMcpConfig(
           REPO_OWNER: owner,
           REPO_NAME: repo,
           BRANCH_NAME: branch,
+          BASE_BRANCH: process.env.BASE_BRANCH || "",
           REPO_DIR: process.env.GITHUB_WORKSPACE || process.cwd(),
           GITHUB_EVENT_NAME: process.env.GITHUB_EVENT_NAME || "",
           IS_PR: process.env.IS_PR || "false",

test/branch-cleanup.test.ts

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ describe("checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch", () => {
   const createMockOctokit = (
     compareResponse?: any,
     deleteRefError?: Error,
+    branchExists: boolean = true,
   ): Octokits => {
     return {
       rest: {
@@ -28,6 +29,14 @@ describe("checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch", () => {
           compareCommitsWithBasehead: async () => ({
             data: compareResponse || { total_commits: 0 },
           }),
+          getBranch: async () => {
+            if (!branchExists) {
+              const error: any = new Error("Not Found");
+              error.status = 404;
+              throw error;
+            }
+            return { data: {} };
+          },
         },
         git: {
           deleteRef: async () => {
@@ -63,7 +72,7 @@ describe("checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch", () => {
       mockOctokit,
       "owner",
       "repo",
-      "claude/issue-123-20240101_123456",
+      "claude/issue-123-20240101-1234",
       "main",
       true, // commit signing enabled
     );
@@ -71,7 +80,7 @@ describe("checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch", () => {
     expect(result.shouldDeleteBranch).toBe(true);
     expect(result.branchLink).toBe("");
     expect(consoleLogSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      "Branch claude/issue-123-20240101_123456 has no commits from Claude, will delete it",
+      "Branch claude/issue-123-20240101-1234 has no commits from Claude, will delete it",
     );
   });
 
@@ -81,14 +90,14 @@ describe("checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch", () => {
       mockOctokit,
       "owner",
       "repo",
-      "claude/issue-123-20240101_123456",
+      "claude/issue-123-20240101-1234",
       "main",
       false,
     );
 
     expect(result.shouldDeleteBranch).toBe(false);
     expect(result.branchLink).toBe(
-      `\n[View branch](${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101_123456)`,
+      `\n[View branch](${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101-1234)`,
     );
     expect(consoleLogSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       expect.stringContaining("has no commits"),
@@ -102,6 +111,7 @@ describe("checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch", () => {
           compareCommitsWithBasehead: async () => {
             throw new Error("API error");
           },
+          getBranch: async () => ({ data: {} }), // Branch exists
         },
         git: {
           deleteRef: async () => ({ data: {} }),
@@ -113,17 +123,17 @@ describe("checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch", () => {
       mockOctokit,
       "owner",
       "repo",
-      "claude/issue-123-20240101_123456",
+      "claude/issue-123-20240101-1234",
       "main",
       false,
     );
 
     expect(result.shouldDeleteBranch).toBe(false);
     expect(result.branchLink).toBe(
-      `\n[View branch](${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101_123456)`,
+      `\n[View branch](${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101-1234)`,
     );
     expect(consoleErrorSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      "Error checking for commits on Claude branch:",
+      "Error comparing commits on Claude branch:",
       expect.any(Error),
     );
   });
@@ -136,7 +146,7 @@ describe("checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch", () => {
       mockOctokit,
       "owner",
       "repo",
-      "claude/issue-123-20240101_123456",
+      "claude/issue-123-20240101-1234",
       "main",
       true, // commit signing enabled - will try to delete
     );
@@ -144,8 +154,34 @@ describe("checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch", () => {
     expect(result.shouldDeleteBranch).toBe(true);
     expect(result.branchLink).toBe("");
     expect(consoleErrorSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      "Failed to delete branch claude/issue-123-20240101_123456:",
+      "Failed to delete branch claude/issue-123-20240101-1234:",
       deleteError,
     );
   });
+
+  test("should return no branch link when branch doesn't exist remotely", async () => {
+    const mockOctokit = createMockOctokit(
+      { total_commits: 0 },
+      undefined,
+      false, // branch doesn't exist
+    );
+
+    const result = await checkAndCommitOrDeleteBranch(
+      mockOctokit,
+      "owner",
+      "repo",
+      "claude/issue-123-20240101-1234",
+      "main",
+      false,
+    );
+
+    expect(result.shouldDeleteBranch).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.branchLink).toBe("");
+    expect(consoleLogSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "Branch claude/issue-123-20240101-1234 does not exist remotely",
+    );
+    expect(consoleLogSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "Branch claude/issue-123-20240101-1234 does not exist remotely, no branch link will be added",
+    );
+  });
 });

test/comment-logic.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "bun:test";
-import { updateCommentBody } from "../src/github/operations/comment-logic";
+import {
+  updateCommentBody,
+  type CommentUpdateInput,
+} from "../src/github/operations/comment-logic";
 
 describe("updateCommentBody", () => {
   const baseInput = {
@@ -100,12 +103,12 @@ describe("updateCommentBody", () => {
     it("adds branch name with link to header when provided", () => {
       const input = {
         ...baseInput,
-        branchName: "claude/issue-123-20240101_120000",
+        branchName: "claude/issue-123-20240101-1200",
       };
 
       const result = updateCommentBody(input);
       expect(result).toContain(
-        "• [`claude/issue-123-20240101_120000`](https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101_120000)",
+        "• [`claude/issue-123-20240101-1200`](https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101-1200)",
       );
     });
 
@@ -381,9 +384,9 @@ describe("updateCommentBody", () => {
       const input = {
         ...baseInput,
         currentBody: "Claude Code is working… <img src='spinner.gif' />",
-        branchName: "claude/pr-456-20240101_120000",
+        branchName: "claude/pr-456-20240101-1200",
         prLink:
-          "\n[Create a PR](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...claude/pr-456-20240101_120000)",
+          "\n[Create a PR](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...claude/pr-456-20240101-1200)",
         triggerUsername: "jane-doe",
       };
 
@@ -391,7 +394,7 @@ describe("updateCommentBody", () => {
 
       // Should include the PR link in the formatted style
       expect(result).toContain(
-        "• [Create PR ➔](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...claude/pr-456-20240101_120000)",
+        "• [Create PR ➔](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...claude/pr-456-20240101-1200)",
       );
       expect(result).toContain("**Claude finished @jane-doe's task**");
     });
@@ -400,22 +403,44 @@ describe("updateCommentBody", () => {
       const input = {
         ...baseInput,
         currentBody: "Claude Code is working…",
-        branchName: "claude/issue-123-20240101_120000",
+        branchName: "claude/issue-123-20240101-1200",
         branchLink:
-          "\n[View branch](https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101_120000)",
+          "\n[View branch](https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101-1200)",
         prLink:
-          "\n[Create a PR](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...claude/issue-123-20240101_120000)",
+          "\n[Create a PR](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...claude/issue-123-20240101-1200)",
       };
 
       const result = updateCommentBody(input);
 
       // Should include both links in formatted style
       expect(result).toContain(
-        "• [`claude/issue-123-20240101_120000`](https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101_120000)",
+        "• [`claude/issue-123-20240101-1200`](https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/claude/issue-123-20240101-1200)",
       );
       expect(result).toContain(
-        "• [Create PR ➔](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...claude/issue-123-20240101_120000)",
+        "• [Create PR ➔](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main...claude/issue-123-20240101-1200)",
       );
     });
+
+    it("should not show branch name when branch doesn't exist remotely", () => {
+      const input: CommentUpdateInput = {
+        currentBody: "@claude can you help with this?",
+        actionFailed: false,
+        executionDetails: { duration_ms: 90000 },
+        jobUrl: "https://github.com/owner/repo/actions/runs/123",
+        branchLink: "", // Empty branch link means branch doesn't exist remotely
+        branchName: undefined, // Should be undefined when branchLink is empty
+        triggerUsername: "claude",
+        prLink: "",
+      };
+
+      const result = updateCommentBody(input);
+
+      expect(result).toContain("Claude finished @claude's task in 1m 30s");
+      expect(result).toContain(
+        "[View job](https://github.com/owner/repo/actions/runs/123)",
+      );
+      expect(result).not.toContain("claude/issue-123");
+      expect(result).not.toContain("tree/claude/issue-123");
+    });
   });
 });

test/create-prompt.test.ts

@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         commentId: "67890",
         isPR: false,
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-67890-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-67890-20240101-1200",
         issueNumber: "67890",
         commentBody: "@claude please fix this",
       },
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "789",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-789-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-789-20240101-1200",
       },
     };
 
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "999",
         baseBranch: "develop",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-999-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-999-20240101-1200",
         assigneeTrigger: "claude-bot",
       },
     };
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "888",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-888-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-888-20240101-1200",
         labelTrigger: "claude-task",
       },
     };
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "789",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-789-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-789-20240101-1200",
       },
     };
 
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "123",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-67890-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-67890-20240101-1200",
         commentBody: "@claude please fix this",
       },
     };
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "123",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-67890-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-67890-20240101-1200",
         commentBody: "@claude please fix this",
       },
     };
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "789",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-789-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-789-20240101-1200",
       },
     };
 
@@ -396,10 +396,10 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
 
     // Should contain Issue-specific instructions
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/issue-789-20240101_120000)",
+      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/issue-789-20240101-1200)",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "IMPORTANT: You are already on the correct branch (claude/issue-789-20240101_120000)",
+      "IMPORTANT: You are already on the correct branch (claude/issue-789-20240101-1200)",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain("Create a PR](https://github.com/");
     expect(prompt).toContain(
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "123",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-123-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-123-20240101-1200",
         commentBody: "@claude please fix this",
       },
     };
@@ -435,13 +435,13 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
 
     // Should contain the actual branch name with timestamp
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/issue-123-20240101_120000)",
+      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/issue-123-20240101-1200)",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "IMPORTANT: You are already on the correct branch (claude/issue-123-20240101_120000)",
+      "IMPORTANT: You are already on the correct branch (claude/issue-123-20240101-1200)",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "The branch-name is the current branch: claude/issue-123-20240101_120000",
+      "The branch-name is the current branch: claude/issue-123-20240101-1200",
     );
   });
 
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: true,
         prNumber: "456",
         commentBody: "@claude please fix this",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/pr-456-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/pr-456-20240101-1200",
         baseBranch: "main",
       },
     };
@@ -465,13 +465,13 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
 
     // Should contain branch-specific instructions like issues
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/pr-456-20240101_120000)",
+      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/pr-456-20240101-1200)",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain(
       "Create a PR](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/main",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "The branch-name is the current branch: claude/pr-456-20240101_120000",
+      "The branch-name is the current branch: claude/pr-456-20240101-1200",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain("Reference to the original PR");
     expect(prompt).toContain(
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         isPR: true,
         prNumber: "789",
         commentBody: "@claude please update this",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/pr-789-20240101_123000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/pr-789-20240101-1230",
         baseBranch: "develop",
       },
     };
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
 
     // Should contain new branch instructions
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/pr-789-20240101_123000)",
+      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/pr-789-20240101-1230)",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain(
       "Create a PR](https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/develop",
@@ -553,7 +553,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         prNumber: "999",
         commentId: "review-comment-123",
         commentBody: "@claude fix this issue",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/pr-999-20240101_140000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/pr-999-20240101-1400",
         baseBranch: "main",
       },
     };
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
 
     // Should contain new branch instructions
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/pr-999-20240101_140000)",
+      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/pr-999-20240101-1400)",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain("Create a PR](https://github.com/");
     expect(prompt).toContain("Reference to the original PR");
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
         eventAction: "closed",
         isPR: true,
         prNumber: "555",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/pr-555-20240101_150000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/pr-555-20240101-1500",
         baseBranch: "main",
       },
     };
@@ -590,7 +590,7 @@ describe("generatePrompt", () => {
 
     // Should contain new branch instructions
     expect(prompt).toContain(
-      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/pr-555-20240101_150000)",
+      "You are already on the correct branch (claude/pr-555-20240101-1500)",
     );
     expect(prompt).toContain("Create a PR](https://github.com/");
     expect(prompt).toContain("Reference to the original PR");
@@ -683,7 +683,7 @@ describe("getEventTypeAndContext", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "999",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-999-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-999-20240101-1200",
         assigneeTrigger: "claude-bot",
       },
     };
@@ -705,7 +705,7 @@ describe("getEventTypeAndContext", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "888",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-888-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-888-20240101-1200",
         labelTrigger: "claude-task",
       },
     };
@@ -728,7 +728,7 @@ describe("getEventTypeAndContext", () => {
         isPR: false,
         issueNumber: "999",
         baseBranch: "main",
-        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-999-20240101_120000",
+        claudeBranch: "claude/issue-999-20240101-1200",
         // No assigneeTrigger when using directPrompt
       },
     };

test/prepare-context.test.ts

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
         process.env = {
           ...BASE_ENV,
           BASE_BRANCH: "main",
-          CLAUDE_BRANCH: "claude/issue-67890-20240101_120000",
+          CLAUDE_BRANCH: "claude/issue-67890-20240101-1200",
         };
       });
 
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
           mockIssueCommentContext,
           "12345",
           "main",
-          "claude/issue-67890-20240101_120000",
+          "claude/issue-67890-20240101-1200",
         );
 
         expect(result.repository).toBe("test-owner/test-repo");
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
           expect(result.eventData.issueNumber).toBe("55");
           expect(result.eventData.commentId).toBe("12345678");
           expect(result.eventData.claudeBranch).toBe(
-            "claude/issue-67890-20240101_120000",
+            "claude/issue-67890-20240101-1200",
           );
           expect(result.eventData.baseBranch).toBe("main");
           expect(result.eventData.commentBody).toBe(
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
             mockIssueCommentContext,
             "12345",
             undefined,
-            "claude/issue-67890-20240101_120000",
+            "claude/issue-67890-20240101-1200",
           ),
         ).toThrow("BASE_BRANCH is required for issue_comment event");
       });
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
       process.env = {
         ...BASE_ENV,
         BASE_BRANCH: "main",
-        CLAUDE_BRANCH: "claude/issue-42-20240101_120000",
+        CLAUDE_BRANCH: "claude/issue-42-20240101-1200",
       };
     });
 
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
         mockIssueOpenedContext,
         "12345",
         "main",
-        "claude/issue-42-20240101_120000",
+        "claude/issue-42-20240101-1200",
       );
 
       expect(result.eventData.eventName).toBe("issues");
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
         expect(result.eventData.issueNumber).toBe("42");
         expect(result.eventData.baseBranch).toBe("main");
         expect(result.eventData.claudeBranch).toBe(
-          "claude/issue-42-20240101_120000",
+          "claude/issue-42-20240101-1200",
         );
       }
     });
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
         mockIssueAssignedContext,
         "12345",
         "main",
-        "claude/issue-123-20240101_120000",
+        "claude/issue-123-20240101-1200",
       );
 
       expect(result.eventData.eventName).toBe("issues");
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
         expect(result.eventData.issueNumber).toBe("123");
         expect(result.eventData.baseBranch).toBe("main");
         expect(result.eventData.claudeBranch).toBe(
-          "claude/issue-123-20240101_120000",
+          "claude/issue-123-20240101-1200",
         );
         expect(result.eventData.assigneeTrigger).toBe("@claude-bot");
       }
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
           mockIssueOpenedContext,
           "12345",
           undefined,
-          "claude/issue-42-20240101_120000",
+          "claude/issue-42-20240101-1200",
         ),
       ).toThrow("BASE_BRANCH is required for issues event");
     });
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
         contextWithDirectPrompt,
         "12345",
         "main",
-        "claude/issue-123-20240101_120000",
+        "claude/issue-123-20240101-1200",
       );
 
       expect(result.eventData.eventName).toBe("issues");
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ describe("parseEnvVarsWithContext", () => {
           contextWithoutTriggers,
           "12345",
           "main",
-          "claude/issue-123-20240101_120000",
+          "claude/issue-123-20240101-1200",
         ),
       ).toThrow("ASSIGNEE_TRIGGER is required for issue assigned event");
     });