diff --git a/app/lib/builtin/git/src/extension.dart b/app/lib/builtin/git/src/extension.dart
index cba94db6..606778f2 100644
--- a/app/lib/builtin/git/src/extension.dart
+++ b/app/lib/builtin/git/src/extension.dart
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import 'package:clide_app/builtin/git/src/git_panel_view.dart';
+import 'package:clide_app/builtin/git/src/git_status_item.dart';
 import 'package:clide_app/extension/extension.dart';
 import 'package:clide_app/kernel/kernel.dart';
 
@@ -23,5 +24,10 @@ class GitExtension extends ClideExtension {
           priority: -80,
           build: (_) => const GitPanelView(),
         ),
+        StatusItemContribution(
+          id: 'git.branch',
+          priority: 10,
+          build: (_) => const GitStatusItem(),
+        ),
       ];
 }
diff --git a/app/lib/builtin/git/src/git_status_item.dart b/app/lib/builtin/git/src/git_status_item.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a86ba36d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/lib/builtin/git/src/git_status_item.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,257 @@
+import 'dart:async';
+
+import 'package:clide_app/kernel/kernel.dart';
+import 'package:clide_app/widgets/widgets.dart';
+import 'package:flutter/widgets.dart';
+
+class GitStatusItem extends StatefulWidget {
+  const GitStatusItem({super.key});
+
+  @override
+  State<GitStatusItem> createState() => _GitStatusItemState();
+}
+
+class _GitStatusItemState extends State<GitStatusItem> {
+  String? _branch;
+  int _ahead = 0;
+  int _behind = 0;
+  StreamSubscription<DaemonEvent>? _sub;
+
+  @override
+  void didChangeDependencies() {
+    super.didChangeDependencies();
+    if (_sub != null) return;
+    final kernel = ClideKernel.of(context);
+    _sub = kernel.events.on<DaemonEvent>().listen(_onEvent);
+    unawaited(_load(kernel.ipc));
+  }
+
+  Future<void> _load(DaemonClient ipc) async {
+    final r = await ipc.request('git.status');
+    if (!r.ok || !mounted) return;
+    setState(() {
+      _branch = r.data['branch'] as String?;
+      _ahead = (r.data['ahead'] as num?)?.toInt() ?? 0;
+      _behind = (r.data['behind'] as num?)?.toInt() ?? 0;
+    });
+  }
+
+  void _onEvent(DaemonEvent e) {
+    if (e.subsystem != 'git' || e.kind != 'git.changed') return;
+    final kernel = ClideKernel.of(context);
+    unawaited(_load(kernel.ipc));
+  }
+
+  @override
+  void dispose() {
+    _sub?.cancel();
+    super.dispose();
+  }
+
+  void _openBranchPicker() {
+    final kernel = ClideKernel.of(context);
+    kernel.dialog.show<String>(
+      (ctx, dismiss) => _BranchPicker(
+        ipc: kernel.ipc,
+        currentBranch: _branch,
+        onDismiss: dismiss,
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final tokens = ClideTheme.of(context).surface;
+    if (_branch == null) return const SizedBox.shrink();
+    final parts = <String>[_branch!];
+    if (_ahead > 0) parts.add('↑$_ahead');
+    if (_behind > 0) parts.add('↓$_behind');
+    return Semantics(
+      button: true,
+      label: 'switch branch — $_branch',
+      child: GestureDetector(
+        onTap: _openBranchPicker,
+        child: MouseRegion(
+          cursor: SystemMouseCursors.click,
+          child: Padding(
+            padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 8),
+            child: Row(
+              mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
+              children: [
+                ClideIcon(
+                  const GitBranchIcon(),
+                  size: 12,
+                  color: tokens.statusBarForeground,
+                ),
+                const SizedBox(width: 4),
+                ClideText(
+                  parts.join(' '),
+                  fontSize: clideFontCaption,
+                  color: tokens.statusBarForeground,
+                ),
+              ],
+            ),
+          ),
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+class _BranchPicker extends StatefulWidget {
+  const _BranchPicker({
+    required this.ipc,
+    required this.currentBranch,
+    required this.onDismiss,
+  });
+
+  final DaemonClient ipc;
+  final String? currentBranch;
+  final void Function([String?]) onDismiss;
+
+  @override
+  State<_BranchPicker> createState() => _BranchPickerState();
+}
+
+class _BranchPickerState extends State<_BranchPicker> {
+  List<Map<String, Object?>> _branches = const [];
+  bool _loading = true;
+
+  @override
+  void initState() {
+    super.initState();
+    unawaited(_load());
+  }
+
+  Future<void> _load() async {
+    final r = await widget.ipc.request('git.branches');
+    if (!mounted) return;
+    setState(() {
+      _loading = false;
+      if (r.ok) {
+        _branches = [
+          for (final b in (r.data['branches'] as List? ?? const []))
+            (b as Map).cast<String, Object?>(),
+        ];
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
+  Future<void> _checkout(String branch) async {
+    await widget.ipc.request('git.checkout', args: {'branch': branch});
+    widget.onDismiss();
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final tokens = ClideTheme.of(context).surface;
+    return Container(
+      width: 320,
+      constraints: const BoxConstraints(maxHeight: 320),
+      decoration: BoxDecoration(
+        color: tokens.dropdownBackground,
+        border: Border.all(color: tokens.dropdownBorder),
+        borderRadius: BorderRadius.circular(6),
+      ),
+      child: Column(
+        mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
+        crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.stretch,
+        children: [
+          Padding(
+            padding: const EdgeInsets.all(12),
+            child: ClideText(
+              'Switch branch',
+              fontSize: clideFontCaption,
+              color: tokens.globalTextMuted,
+              fontFamily: clideMonoFamily,
+            ),
+          ),
+          if (_loading)
+            const Padding(
+              padding: EdgeInsets.all(12),
+              child: ClideText('Loading…', muted: true),
+            ),
+          Flexible(
+            child: ListView.builder(
+              shrinkWrap: true,
+              padding: EdgeInsets.zero,
+              itemCount: _branches.length,
+              itemBuilder: (ctx, i) {
+                final b = _branches[i];
+                final name = b['name'] as String? ?? '';
+                final current = b['current'] as bool? ?? false;
+                return _BranchRow(
+                  name: name,
+                  current: current,
+                  onTap: current ? null : () => unawaited(_checkout(name)),
+                );
+              },
+            ),
+          ),
+        ],
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+class _BranchRow extends StatefulWidget {
+  const _BranchRow({
+    required this.name,
+    required this.current,
+    this.onTap,
+  });
+
+  final String name;
+  final bool current;
+  final VoidCallback? onTap;
+
+  @override
+  State<_BranchRow> createState() => _BranchRowState();
+}
+
+class _BranchRowState extends State<_BranchRow> {
+  bool _hover = false;
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final tokens = ClideTheme.of(context).surface;
+    return MouseRegion(
+      cursor:
+          widget.onTap != null ? SystemMouseCursors.click : MouseCursor.defer,
+      onEnter: (_) => setState(() => _hover = true),
+      onExit: (_) => setState(() => _hover = false),
+      child: GestureDetector(
+        onTap: widget.onTap,
+        child: Container(
+          color: _hover ? tokens.listItemHoverBackground : null,
+          padding: const EdgeInsets.symmetric(horizontal: 12, vertical: 6),
+          child: Row(
+            children: [
+              if (widget.current)
+                Padding(
+                  padding: const EdgeInsets.only(right: 8),
+                  child: ClideIcon(
+                    const CheckIcon(),
+                    size: 12,
+                    color: tokens.statusSuccess,
+                  ),
+                )
+              else
+                const SizedBox(width: 20),
+              Expanded(
+                child: ClideText(
+                  widget.name,
+                  fontFamily: clideMonoFamily,
+                  fontSize: clideFontMono,
+                  color: widget.current
+                      ? tokens.globalForeground
+                      : tokens.listItemForeground,
+                ),
+              ),
+            ],
+          ),
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/src/daemon/git_commands.dart b/lib/src/daemon/git_commands.dart
index b7903a81..0c4fca61 100644
--- a/lib/src/daemon/git_commands.dart
+++ b/lib/src/daemon/git_commands.dart
@@ -218,6 +218,37 @@ void registerGitCommands(
       return _gitError(req.id, e);
     }
   });
+
+  d.register('git.branches', (req) async {
+    final branches = await gitBranches(workDir);
+    return IpcResponse.ok(id: req.id, data: {
+      'branches': [
+        for (final b in branches)
+          {'name': b.name, 'current': b.current},
+      ],
+    });
+  });
+
+  d.register('git.checkout', (req) async {
+    final branch = req.args['branch'] as String?;
+    if (branch == null || branch.isEmpty) {
+      return IpcResponse.err(
+        id: req.id,
+        error: IpcError(
+          code: IpcExitCode.userError,
+          kind: IpcErrorKind.userError,
+          message: 'git.checkout requires a branch',
+        ),
+      );
+    }
+    try {
+      await gitCheckout(workDir, branch);
+      _emitChanged(events);
+      return IpcResponse.ok(id: req.id, data: {'branch': branch});
+    } on GitException catch (e) {
+      return _gitError(req.id, e);
+    }
+  });
 }
 
 List<String> _pathList(Object? raw) {
diff --git a/lib/src/git/operations.dart b/lib/src/git/operations.dart
index c14a0e8d..9965285a 100644
--- a/lib/src/git/operations.dart
+++ b/lib/src/git/operations.dart
@@ -194,6 +194,37 @@ Future<String> gitPush(
   return ((r.stdout as String) + (r.stderr as String)).trim();
 }
 
+/// List local branches. Returns (name, isCurrent) pairs.
+Future<List<({String name, bool current})>> gitBranches(
+    Directory workDir) async {
+  final r = await Process.run(
+    'git',
+    ['branch', '--format=%(refname:short)\x00%(HEAD)'],
+    workingDirectory: workDir.path,
+  );
+  if (r.exitCode != 0) return const [];
+  final out = <({String name, bool current})>[];
+  for (final line in (r.stdout as String).split('\n')) {
+    if (line.trim().isEmpty) continue;
+    final parts = line.split('\x00');
+    if (parts.length < 2) continue;
+    out.add((name: parts[0], current: parts[1].trim() == '*'));
+  }
+  return out;
+}
+
+/// Checkout a branch.
+Future<void> gitCheckout(Directory workDir, String branch) async {
+  final r = await Process.run(
+    'git',
+    ['checkout', branch],
+    workingDirectory: workDir.path,
+  );
+  if (r.exitCode != 0) {
+    throw GitException('git checkout failed', stderr: r.stderr as String);
+  }
+}
+
 /// Get the current branch name.
 Future<String?> gitCurrentBranch(Directory workDir) async {
   final r = await Process.run(