Subject: Re: [PATCH v27 2/2] status: add status.compareBranches config for multiple branch comparisons

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:36:52 -0800

Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]> writes:

> Harald Nordgren <[email-masked]> writes:
>
>>> For example, writing "v2.52.0" there to see how far we came since
>>> the last release would become impossible if we always force prepend
>>> "refs/remotes/".  I wonder if we can reuse already existing DWIMmery
>>> that uses refs.c::ref_rev_parse_rules[], which should allow such use
>>> case, while still allowing you to write "origin/master"?
>>
>> Sounds like a follow-up rather of doing now, right? 🤗
>>
>> Since the inteface won't change, just adding more functionality a new
>> feature, we should be able to fix this behind the scenes later.
> ...
> So, no, I wouldn't recommend it as a follow-up.  We should decide to
> do so now or declare that we would never do so.

Alternatively, if we remove the "a string that is not @{upstream} or
@{push} gets refs/remotes/ prefixed" altogether, then "the interface
won't change, just adding more functionality" would become true.

It is not my itch, so I can go either way, but I'd prefer not to see
us take the "declare we will never use the unified ref DIWMmery
rules here" route, if we can.