diff --git a/editor/js/ui/projects.js b/editor/js/ui/projects.js
index 0493bad0a..903ead70b 100644
--- a/editor/js/ui/projects.js
+++ b/editor/js/ui/projects.js
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
                         }
                     }
                 ]
-                
+
             }
         }
     }
@@ -852,7 +852,6 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
         var branchFilterTerm = "";
         var branchFilterCreateItem;
         var branches = [];
-        var currentBranch;
         var branchPrefix = "";
         var container = $('<div class="projects-branch-list">').appendTo(options.container);
 
@@ -882,15 +881,15 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
             scrollOnAdd: false,
             addItem: function(row,index,entry) {
                 var container = $('<div class="sidebar-version-control-branch-list-entry">').appendTo(row);
-                if (typeof entry !== "string") {
+                if (!entry.hasOwnProperty('commit')) {
                     branchFilterCreateItem = container;
                     $('<i class="fa fa-code-fork"></i>').appendTo(container);
                     $('<span>').text("Create branch:").appendTo(container);
                     $('<div class="sidebar-version-control-branch-list-entry-create-name" style="margin-left: 10px;">').text(entry.name).appendTo(container);
                 } else {
                     $('<i class="fa fa-code-fork"></i>').appendTo(container);
-                    $('<span>').text(entry).appendTo(container);
-                    if (currentBranch === entry) {
+                    $('<span>').text(entry.name).appendTo(container);
+                    if (entry.current) {
                         container.addClass("selected");
                         $('<span class="current"></span>').text(options.currentLabel||"current").appendTo(container);
                     }
@@ -901,7 +900,7 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
                         return;
                     }
                     var body = {};
-                    if (typeof entry !== "string") {
+                    if (!entry.hasOwnProperty('commit')) {
                         body.name = branchFilter.val();
                         body.create = true;
                         if (options.remote) {
@@ -911,7 +910,7 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
                         if ($(this).hasClass('selected')) {
                             body.current = true;
                         }
-                        body.name = entry;
+                        body.name = entry.name;
                     }
                     if (options.onselect) {
                         options.onselect(body);
@@ -919,7 +918,7 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
                 });
             },
             filter: function(data) {
-                var isCreateEntry = (typeof data !=="string");
+                var isCreateEntry = (!data.hasOwnProperty('commit'));
                 return (
                             isCreateEntry &&
                             (
@@ -929,7 +928,7 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
                      ) ||
                      (
                          !isCreateEntry &&
-                         data.indexOf(branchFilterTerm) !== -1
+                         data.name.indexOf(branchFilterTerm) !== -1
                      );
             }
         });
@@ -939,14 +938,12 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
                 branchList.editableList('empty');
                 var start = Date.now();
                 var spinner = addSpinnerOverlay(container).addClass("projects-dialog-spinner-contain");
-                currentBranch = options.current();
                 if (options.remote) {
                     branchPrefix = options.remote()+"/";
                 } else {
                     branchPrefix = "";
                 }
 
-
                 sendRequest({
                     url: url,
                     type: "GET",
@@ -972,7 +969,7 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
                     }
                 })
             },
-            addItem: function(data) { branchList.editableList('addItem',data) },
+            // addItem: function(data) { branchList.editableList('addItem',data) },
             filter: function() { branchList.editableList('filter') },
             focus: function() { branchFilter.focus() }
         }
diff --git a/editor/js/ui/tab-versionControl.js b/editor/js/ui/tab-versionControl.js
index eefb7e2ba..0c97ca24c 100644
--- a/editor/js/ui/tab-versionControl.js
+++ b/editor/js/ui/tab-versionControl.js
@@ -571,9 +571,6 @@ RED.sidebar.versionControl = (function() {
         $('<div class="sidebar-version-control-slide-box-header"></div>').text("Change local branch").appendTo(localBranchBox);
 
         var localBranchList = utils.createBranchList({
-            current: function() {
-                return  RED.projects.getActiveProject().git.branches.local
-            },
             placeholder: "Find or create a branch",
             container: localBranchBox,
             onselect: function(body) {
@@ -711,9 +708,6 @@ RED.sidebar.versionControl = (function() {
 
         var remoteBranchSubRow = $('<div style="height: 0;overflow:hidden; transition: height 0.2s ease-in-out;"></div>').hide().appendTo(remoteBranchRow);
         var remoteBranchList = utils.createBranchList({
-            current: function() {
-                return  RED.projects.getActiveProject().git.branches.remote
-            },
             placeholder: "Find or create a remote branch",
             currentLabel: "upstream",
             remote: function() {
diff --git a/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/git/index.js b/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/git/index.js
index 2152390e4..96eef3c3a 100644
--- a/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/git/index.js
+++ b/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/git/index.js
@@ -272,17 +272,35 @@ function getRemotes(cwd) {
 }
 
 function getBranches(cwd, remote) {
-    var args = ['branch','--no-color'];
+    var args = ['branch','-vv','--no-color'];
     if (remote) {
         args.push('-r');
     }
+    //TODO: parse out ahead/behind status (currently m[5]  vvv  )
+    var branchRE = /^([ \*] )(\S+) +(\S+)(?: \[(\S+?)(?:: (.*))?\])? (.*)$/;
     return runGitCommand(args,cwd).then(function(output) {
         var branches = [];
         var lines = output.split("\n");
-        branches = lines.map(function(l) { return l.substring(2)})
-                        .filter(function(l) {
-                            return !/HEAD ->/.test(l) && (l.length > 0)
-                        });
+        branches = lines.map(function(l) {
+            var m = branchRE.exec(l);
+            var branch = null;
+            if (m) {
+                branch = {
+                    name: m[2],
+                    remote: m[4],
+                    status: m[5],
+                    commit: {
+                        sha: m[3],
+                        subject: m[6]
+                    }
+                }
+                if (m[1] === '* ') {
+                    branch.current = true;
+                }
+            }
+            return branch;
+        }).filter(function(v) { return !!v && v.commit.sha !== '->' });
+
         return {branches:branches};
     })
 }