Change of Default Branch

Overview

You may change the default branch on your Version Control System (VCS) provider, and sometimes that change won't be reflected on CircleCI. This can cause issues with features that rely on knowing which branch is the default, such as GitHub status checks and Build Only Pull Requests.

How to Check the Current Default Branch

To view the current default branch for your project, use the following API endpoint:

Example

GET https://circleci.com/api/v1.1/project/{VCS}/{ORGNAME}/{PROJECT}/info

To retrieve the default branch information for a public CircleCI project, you can use this example:

GET https://circleci.com/api/v1.1/project/github/CircleCI-Public/circleci-cli/info

Updating the Default Branch

GitHub

CircleCI automatically checks the default branch and updates it for your project upon each commit pushed.
If you change the default branch in your GitHub settings, it will be updated on the next commit push to CircleCI.

Bitbucket

Currently, to update the default branch in a Bitbucket project, we have to manually refresh the project's information on your behalf.
Please submit a support ticket to request this update.

Note: This API endpoint is not supported for standalone organizations; those set up using the CircleCI GitHub App integration and CircleCI GitLab integration. 

Additional Resources: 

• How to allowlist additional branches for Only Build Pull Requests
• Why can't I find one of the branches on the branch filter drop-down?