Description

The git configuration branch.autoSetupMerge = always causes incorrect upstream tracking when creating branches from local branches.

Current Behavior

In dot_gitconfig.tmpl:71:

[branch]
    autoSetupMerge = always

When you create a new branch from a local branch:

git checkout -b feature-b feature-a

The upstream is set to the local branch feature-a instead of a remote branch.

Problem

This conflicts with push.autoSetupRemote = true workflow and causes confusion about where branches should push.

Proposed Fix

Change to:

[branch]
    autoSetupMerge = simple

With simple, upstream is only set when the start point is a remote-tracking branch (e.g., origin/main), which keeps the push.autoSetupRemote=true workflow intact.

References

• Git branch.autoSetupMerge documentation
• Current file: dot_gitconfig.tmpl:71