diff --git a/docs/development.md b/docs/development.md
index 5db7fb973..f976549ef 100644
--- a/docs/development.md
+++ b/docs/development.md
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ Desktop dev launches its desktop-managed daemon with `PASEO_NODE_ENV=development
 so development-only providers such as Mock Load Test are available. Packaged
 desktop launches always force the daemon to production mode.
 
+The web and desktop dev launchers pass the current Git branch to Metro as
+`EXPO_PUBLIC_PASEO_DEV_BUILD_LABEL`. The expanded desktop sidebar shows it in
+the titlebar row. Production builds leave the variable unset and show no label.
+
 `npm run dev` is only a shorthand for `npm run dev:server`. Keep `127.0.0.1:6767` for the packaged app and production-style `~/.paseo` state.
 
 ## Nix desktop package
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/left-sidebar.tsx b/packages/app/src/components/left-sidebar.tsx
index bfb75a08e..9c0b2dd18 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/left-sidebar.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/left-sidebar.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { router, usePathname } from "expo-router";
 import {
   CalendarClock,
   FolderPlus,
+  GitBranch,
   History,
   Home,
   Plus,
@@ -77,6 +78,8 @@ import { SidebarWorkspaceList } from "./sidebar-workspace-list";
 
 type SidebarTheme = ReturnType<typeof useUnistyles>["theme"];
 
+const DEV_BUILD_LABEL = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_PASEO_DEV_BUILD_LABEL?.trim() || null;
+
 interface SidebarSharedProps {
   theme: SidebarTheme;
   statusGroups: StatusGroup[];
@@ -853,9 +856,22 @@ function DesktopSidebar({
     >
       <View style={desktopSidebarBorderStyle}>
         <View style={styles.sidebarDragArea}>
-          {ownsTopLeft ? (
+          {ownsTopLeft || DEV_BUILD_LABEL ? (
             <View style={styles.desktopChromeRow}>
               <TitlebarDragRegion />
+              {DEV_BUILD_LABEL ? (
+                <View
+                  pointerEvents="none"
+                  style={styles.devBuildBadge}
+                  testID="dev-build-label"
+                  accessibilityLabel={`Development build: ${DEV_BUILD_LABEL}`}
+                >
+                  <GitBranch size={12} color={theme.colors.accentForeground} />
+                  <Text numberOfLines={1} ellipsizeMode="tail" style={styles.devBuildBadgeText}>
+                    {DEV_BUILD_LABEL}
+                  </Text>
+                </View>
+              ) : null}
             </View>
           ) : (
             <TitlebarDragRegion />
@@ -1080,9 +1096,28 @@ const styles = StyleSheet.create((theme) => ({
     height: HEADER_INNER_HEIGHT,
     flexDirection: "row",
     alignItems: "center",
+    justifyContent: "flex-end",
+    paddingHorizontal: theme.spacing[3],
     borderBottomWidth: theme.borderWidth[1],
     borderBottomColor: "transparent",
   },
+  devBuildBadge: {
+    maxWidth: "60%",
+    flexDirection: "row",
+    alignItems: "center",
+    gap: theme.spacing[1],
+    paddingHorizontal: theme.spacing[2],
+    paddingVertical: 2,
+    borderRadius: theme.borderRadius.full,
+    backgroundColor: theme.colors.accent,
+  },
+  devBuildBadgeText: {
+    minWidth: 0,
+    flexShrink: 1,
+    color: theme.colors.accentForeground,
+    fontSize: theme.fontSize.xs,
+    fontWeight: theme.fontWeight.medium,
+  },
   sidebarFooter: {
     flexDirection: "row",
     alignItems: "center",
diff --git a/packages/desktop/scripts/dev-runner.mjs b/packages/desktop/scripts/dev-runner.mjs
index ac96fee5a..c653f31b3 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/scripts/dev-runner.mjs
+++ b/packages/desktop/scripts/dev-runner.mjs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 import net from "node:net";
 import path from "node:path";
-import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
+import { execFileSync, spawn } from "node:child_process";
 import { createRequire } from "node:module";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import { createElectronSpawnOptions, resolveChildKillTarget } from "./dev-runner-config.mjs";
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ const colorEnv = {
   FORCE_COLOR: process.env.FORCE_COLOR || "1",
   npm_config_color: process.env.npm_config_color || "always",
 };
+const devBuildLabel = execFileSync("git", ["branch", "--show-current"], {
+  cwd: rootDir,
+  encoding: "utf8",
+}).trim();
 
 const children = new Map();
 let stopping = false;
@@ -166,6 +170,7 @@ spawnChild("metro", "npx", ["expo", "start", "--port", String(expoPort)], {
     ...colorEnv,
     BROWSER: "none",
     APP_VARIANT: "development",
+    EXPO_PUBLIC_PASEO_DEV_BUILD_LABEL: devBuildLabel,
     PASEO_WEB_PLATFORM: "electron",
   },
 });
diff --git a/packages/desktop/scripts/dev.ps1 b/packages/desktop/scripts/dev.ps1
index 81f8e4ab6..edb532f86 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/scripts/dev.ps1
+++ b/packages/desktop/scripts/dev.ps1
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ try {
 
 # Set EXPO_DEV_URL in the environment so Electron inherits it
 $env:EXPO_DEV_URL = "http://localhost:$($env:EXPO_PORT)"
+$env:EXPO_PUBLIC_PASEO_DEV_BUILD_LABEL = (git -C $RootDir branch --show-current).Trim()
 
 $env:PASEO_DEV_ROOT = $RootDir
 $env:PASEO_DEV_RUNTIME_FALLBACK_ROOT = $RootDir
diff --git a/scripts/dev-app.sh b/scripts/dev-app.sh
index be9857af6..a594f344f 100755
--- a/scripts/dev-app.sh
+++ b/scripts/dev-app.sh
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ configure_dev_paseo_home
 
 EXPO_PORT="${EXPO_PORT:-8081}"
 DAEMON_ENDPOINT="$(resolve_dev_daemon_endpoint)"
+DEV_BUILD_LABEL="$(git -C "$ROOT_DIR" branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || true)"
 
 echo "══════════════════════════════════════════════════════"
 echo "  Paseo App Dev"
@@ -24,5 +25,6 @@ echo "════════════════════════
 exec cross-env \
   BROWSER="${BROWSER:-none}" \
   APP_VARIANT=development \
+  EXPO_PUBLIC_PASEO_DEV_BUILD_LABEL="$DEV_BUILD_LABEL" \
   EXPO_PUBLIC_LOCAL_DAEMON="$DAEMON_ENDPOINT" \
   npm run start:expo --workspace=@getpaseo/app -- --port "$EXPO_PORT"
diff --git a/scripts/dev.ps1 b/scripts/dev.ps1
index 5b390407b..0e3be90c9 100644
--- a/scripts/dev.ps1
+++ b/scripts/dev.ps1
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ $env:PASEO_CORS_ORIGINS = "*"
 # Configure the app to auto-connect to this daemon on localhost
 $env:APP_VARIANT = "development"
 $env:EXPO_PUBLIC_LOCAL_DAEMON = "localhost:6768"
+$env:EXPO_PUBLIC_PASEO_DEV_BUILD_LABEL = (git branch --show-current).Trim()
 $env:PASEO_LISTEN = "127.0.0.1:6768"
 $env:BROWSER = "none"