Direct Answer
No. Sourcetree’s clone dialog does not provide a shallow-clone depth input, there is no documented hidden preference or configuration file that sets a default depth, and the dialog cannot be extended with a native depth field without command-line interaction. Atlassian has not publicly committed to adding this option to the GUI, so any future roadmap support remains speculative until release notes confirm it.
Likely Explanation vs. Confirmed Facts
Confirmed: The standard clone dialog exposes only the destination path and bookmark name. No visible or documented preference controls clone depth.
Likely explanation: Sourcetree intentionally keeps the clone workflow minimal and delegates advanced Git flags—such as --depth—to the command line or scripted custom actions. This design choice explains why the depth setting is absent from the GUI rather than hidden elsewhere.
Supported Workaround for Repeatable Shallow Clones
Because the GUI cannot set depth, use one of the following approaches:
- Git CLI: Run
git clone --depth <n> <repository-url> in a terminal, then open the resulting repository in Sourcetree.
- Custom action: Define a Sourcetree custom action that executes a shell script invoking
git clone --depth. This keeps the workflow inside the app, though custom action paths and behavior vary by operating system and Sourcetree version.
Verification Steps
- Open the clone dialog in your installed Sourcetree version and confirm that no depth field is present.
- Compare a full clone with a
--depth 1 clone by checking .git directory size and git log --oneline | wc -l.
- Review the release notes for your Sourcetree version for any mention of shallow clone support.
Important Caveats
Do not edit undocumented configuration files to force a depth setting; doing so may break bookmarks or repository detection. Also remember that shallow clones can complicate later history operations such as fetching, pushing, or working with submodules, so ensure your automation accounts for those limits.
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