diff --git a/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm b/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
index 2b3ca282..73b54874 100644
--- a/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
+++ b/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 namespace eval punk::mix::commandset::repo {
     namespace export *
     proc tickets {{project ""}} {
+        #todo
         set result ""
         if {[string length $project]} {
             puts stderr "project status unimplemented"
diff --git a/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm b/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
index e056b14a..4e0217b0 100644
--- a/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
+++ b/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
@@ -346,6 +346,11 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
     #does a dual git/fossil repo make sense if both are committing??
     # see: https://fossil-scm.org/home/doc/trunk/www/inout.wiki for bidirectional sync info
     proc workingdir_state {{abspath {}} args} {
+
+        #we should try to minimize executable calls
+        #an extra git/fossil executable call required for tags
+        #git seems to require more executable calls 
+
         set defaults [list\
             -repotypes [list fossil git]\
             -repopaths ""\
@@ -408,6 +413,8 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         set revision ""
         set revision_iso8601 ""
         set pathdict [dict create]
+        set branch ""
+        set tags ""
 
         if {![llength $repotypes_to_query]} {
             error "No tracking information available for project at $repodir with the chosen repotypes '$opt_repotypes'. Ensure project workingdir is a fossil (or git) checkout"
@@ -437,6 +444,38 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 }
                 set revision_iso8601 "${revision_ymd}T${revision_hms}${revision_tz}"
 
+                #REVIEW! what are the semantic difference between tags in fossil v git?
+                #fossil has tagtypes such as propagated and singleton(onetime)
+                #if we get all tag info for the revision - we can get the current branch (branch=somename tag) at the same time
+                #by retrieving with --raw - we have to process some prefixes such as sym- but probably best not done here
+                #we will return all tags that apply to the current revision and let the caller decide the meanings
+                if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$fossil_cmd tag ls --raw $revision]} cmdresult]} {
+                    set branchinfo [lindex [grep {branch=*} $cmdresult] 0] ;#first line match - should only be one
+                    set branch [lindex [split $branchinfo =] 1] 
+                    set tags [list]
+                    foreach ln [split $cmdresult \n] {
+                        if {[string trim $ln] eq ""} {
+                            continue
+                        }
+                        lappend tags [string trim $ln]
+                    }
+                }
+
+                #set tags_info [lindex [grep {tags:*} $fossilstate 0] ;#first line match - should only be one
+                #we get lines like:
+                #tags:      trunk, main
+                #tags:      trunk
+                #set rawtags [lrange $tags_info 1 end] ;#REVIEW
+                #set tags [list]
+                #foreach t $rawtags {
+                #    lappend tags [string trimright $t ,]
+                #}
+
+
+                #if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$fossil_cmd branch current]} cmdresult]} {
+                #    set branch $cmdresult ;#command result doesn't include newline etc
+                #}
+
 
                 dict set resultdict ahead ""
                 dict set resultdict behind ""
@@ -490,6 +529,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 set git_cmd [auto_execok git]
                 # -uno =  suppress ? lines.
                 # -b = show ranch and tracking info
+                #our basic parsing/grepping assumes --porcelain=2
                 if {[catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$git_cmd status --porcelain=2 -b -- $abspath]} gitstate]} {
                     error "workingdir_state error: Unable to retrieve workingdir state using git. Errormsg: $gitstate"
                 }
@@ -499,6 +539,13 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                     puts stderr "workingdir_state: git revision is (initial) - no file state to gather"
                     break
                 }
+                # line: # branch.head somebranchname
+                set branch [lindex [grep {# branch.head *} $gitstate] 0 2]
+
+                if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$git_cmd describe --exact-match --tags]} cmdresult]} {
+                    set tags $cmdresult ;#review - we have short tags vs longer.. e.g v0.1a vs v0.1a-184-g856fab4 - which is returned?  Also how are multiple separated?
+                }
+                #often there will be no tag - so the common case is actually an error "fatal: not ag exactly matchs 'xxxx...'"
 
                 # -- --- --- --- --- 
                 #could use %ci for ISO8601 data - see git-show manpage, but this will be in timezone of developer's machine - we need it in UTC for comparison to fossil outputs and other devs
@@ -600,9 +647,11 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 puts stderr "workingdir_state - repotype $rt not supported"
             }
         }
-        dict set resultdict revision $revision
-        dict set resultdict revision_iso8601 $revision_iso8601
-        dict set resultdict paths $pathdict
+        dict set resultdict branch              $branch
+        dict set resultdict tags                $tags
+        dict set resultdict revision            $revision
+        dict set resultdict revision_iso8601    $revision_iso8601
+        dict set resultdict paths               $pathdict
         return $resultdict
     }
     proc workingdir_state_summary {repostate args} {
@@ -610,8 +659,13 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
             error "workingdir_state_summary error repostate doesn't appear to be a repostate dict. (use workingdir_state <path> to create)"
         }
         package require overtype
+
+        #the revision branch and tags are highly relevant to the file state - and workingdir_state currently retrieves them anyway
+        # - so we'll include them in the defaults
+        # - when we are including working dir state as part of other output - we could be duplicating branch/tag retrievals
+        # - todo - flags to stop duplicating effort ??
         set defaults [dict create\
-            -fields {ahead behind unchanged changed new missing extra}\
+            -fields {revision branch tags ahead behind unchanged changed new missing extra}\
         ]
         set opts [dict merge $defaults $args]
         # -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
@@ -625,6 +679,8 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
             subpath     subpath\
             revision    revision\
             revision_iso8601    revision_iso8601\
+            branch      branch\
+            tags        tags\
             ahead       ahead\
             behind      behind\
             repotype    repotype\
@@ -662,13 +718,15 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         set result [string trimright $result \n]
         return $result
     }
+
+    #todo - describe purpose and possibly rename
     proc workingdir_state_summary_dict {repostate} {
         if {![dict exists $repostate repotype] || ![dict exists $repostate paths]} {
             error "workingdir_state_summary_dict error repostate doesn't appear to be a repostate dict. (use workingdir_state <path> to create)"
         }
         set filestates [dict values [dict get $repostate paths]]
         set path_count_fields [list unchanged changed new missing extra]
-        set state_fields [list ahead behind repodir subpath repotype revision revision_iso8601]
+        set state_fields [list ahead behind repodir subpath repotype revision revision_iso8601 branch tags]
         set dresult [dict create]
         if {[dict exists $repostate error]} {
             foreach f $state_fields {
@@ -1182,7 +1240,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
 
     #------------------------------------
     #limit to exec so full punk shell not required in scripts
-    proc git_revision {{path {}}} {
+    proc git_revision {{path ""}} {
         if {$path eq {}} { set path [pwd] }
         # ::kettle::path::revision.git
         do_in_path $path {
@@ -1196,7 +1254,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         }
         return [string trim $v]
     }
-    proc git_remote {{path {{}}}} {
+    proc git_remote {{path ""}} {
         if {$path eq {}} { set path [pwd] }
         do_in_path $path {
             try {
diff --git a/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.project-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm b/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.project-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
index 2b3ca282..73b54874 100644
--- a/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.project-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
+++ b/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.project-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 namespace eval punk::mix::commandset::repo {
     namespace export *
     proc tickets {{project ""}} {
+        #todo
         set result ""
         if {[string length $project]} {
             puts stderr "project status unimplemented"
diff --git a/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.project-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm b/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.project-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
index e056b14a..4e0217b0 100644
--- a/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.project-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
+++ b/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.project-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
@@ -346,6 +346,11 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
     #does a dual git/fossil repo make sense if both are committing??
     # see: https://fossil-scm.org/home/doc/trunk/www/inout.wiki for bidirectional sync info
     proc workingdir_state {{abspath {}} args} {
+
+        #we should try to minimize executable calls
+        #an extra git/fossil executable call required for tags
+        #git seems to require more executable calls 
+
         set defaults [list\
             -repotypes [list fossil git]\
             -repopaths ""\
@@ -408,6 +413,8 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         set revision ""
         set revision_iso8601 ""
         set pathdict [dict create]
+        set branch ""
+        set tags ""
 
         if {![llength $repotypes_to_query]} {
             error "No tracking information available for project at $repodir with the chosen repotypes '$opt_repotypes'. Ensure project workingdir is a fossil (or git) checkout"
@@ -437,6 +444,38 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 }
                 set revision_iso8601 "${revision_ymd}T${revision_hms}${revision_tz}"
 
+                #REVIEW! what are the semantic difference between tags in fossil v git?
+                #fossil has tagtypes such as propagated and singleton(onetime)
+                #if we get all tag info for the revision - we can get the current branch (branch=somename tag) at the same time
+                #by retrieving with --raw - we have to process some prefixes such as sym- but probably best not done here
+                #we will return all tags that apply to the current revision and let the caller decide the meanings
+                if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$fossil_cmd tag ls --raw $revision]} cmdresult]} {
+                    set branchinfo [lindex [grep {branch=*} $cmdresult] 0] ;#first line match - should only be one
+                    set branch [lindex [split $branchinfo =] 1] 
+                    set tags [list]
+                    foreach ln [split $cmdresult \n] {
+                        if {[string trim $ln] eq ""} {
+                            continue
+                        }
+                        lappend tags [string trim $ln]
+                    }
+                }
+
+                #set tags_info [lindex [grep {tags:*} $fossilstate 0] ;#first line match - should only be one
+                #we get lines like:
+                #tags:      trunk, main
+                #tags:      trunk
+                #set rawtags [lrange $tags_info 1 end] ;#REVIEW
+                #set tags [list]
+                #foreach t $rawtags {
+                #    lappend tags [string trimright $t ,]
+                #}
+
+
+                #if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$fossil_cmd branch current]} cmdresult]} {
+                #    set branch $cmdresult ;#command result doesn't include newline etc
+                #}
+
 
                 dict set resultdict ahead ""
                 dict set resultdict behind ""
@@ -490,6 +529,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 set git_cmd [auto_execok git]
                 # -uno =  suppress ? lines.
                 # -b = show ranch and tracking info
+                #our basic parsing/grepping assumes --porcelain=2
                 if {[catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$git_cmd status --porcelain=2 -b -- $abspath]} gitstate]} {
                     error "workingdir_state error: Unable to retrieve workingdir state using git. Errormsg: $gitstate"
                 }
@@ -499,6 +539,13 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                     puts stderr "workingdir_state: git revision is (initial) - no file state to gather"
                     break
                 }
+                # line: # branch.head somebranchname
+                set branch [lindex [grep {# branch.head *} $gitstate] 0 2]
+
+                if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$git_cmd describe --exact-match --tags]} cmdresult]} {
+                    set tags $cmdresult ;#review - we have short tags vs longer.. e.g v0.1a vs v0.1a-184-g856fab4 - which is returned?  Also how are multiple separated?
+                }
+                #often there will be no tag - so the common case is actually an error "fatal: not ag exactly matchs 'xxxx...'"
 
                 # -- --- --- --- --- 
                 #could use %ci for ISO8601 data - see git-show manpage, but this will be in timezone of developer's machine - we need it in UTC for comparison to fossil outputs and other devs
@@ -600,9 +647,11 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 puts stderr "workingdir_state - repotype $rt not supported"
             }
         }
-        dict set resultdict revision $revision
-        dict set resultdict revision_iso8601 $revision_iso8601
-        dict set resultdict paths $pathdict
+        dict set resultdict branch              $branch
+        dict set resultdict tags                $tags
+        dict set resultdict revision            $revision
+        dict set resultdict revision_iso8601    $revision_iso8601
+        dict set resultdict paths               $pathdict
         return $resultdict
     }
     proc workingdir_state_summary {repostate args} {
@@ -610,8 +659,13 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
             error "workingdir_state_summary error repostate doesn't appear to be a repostate dict. (use workingdir_state <path> to create)"
         }
         package require overtype
+
+        #the revision branch and tags are highly relevant to the file state - and workingdir_state currently retrieves them anyway
+        # - so we'll include them in the defaults
+        # - when we are including working dir state as part of other output - we could be duplicating branch/tag retrievals
+        # - todo - flags to stop duplicating effort ??
         set defaults [dict create\
-            -fields {ahead behind unchanged changed new missing extra}\
+            -fields {revision branch tags ahead behind unchanged changed new missing extra}\
         ]
         set opts [dict merge $defaults $args]
         # -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
@@ -625,6 +679,8 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
             subpath     subpath\
             revision    revision\
             revision_iso8601    revision_iso8601\
+            branch      branch\
+            tags        tags\
             ahead       ahead\
             behind      behind\
             repotype    repotype\
@@ -662,13 +718,15 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         set result [string trimright $result \n]
         return $result
     }
+
+    #todo - describe purpose and possibly rename
     proc workingdir_state_summary_dict {repostate} {
         if {![dict exists $repostate repotype] || ![dict exists $repostate paths]} {
             error "workingdir_state_summary_dict error repostate doesn't appear to be a repostate dict. (use workingdir_state <path> to create)"
         }
         set filestates [dict values [dict get $repostate paths]]
         set path_count_fields [list unchanged changed new missing extra]
-        set state_fields [list ahead behind repodir subpath repotype revision revision_iso8601]
+        set state_fields [list ahead behind repodir subpath repotype revision revision_iso8601 branch tags]
         set dresult [dict create]
         if {[dict exists $repostate error]} {
             foreach f $state_fields {
@@ -1182,7 +1240,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
 
     #------------------------------------
     #limit to exec so full punk shell not required in scripts
-    proc git_revision {{path {}}} {
+    proc git_revision {{path ""}} {
         if {$path eq {}} { set path [pwd] }
         # ::kettle::path::revision.git
         do_in_path $path {
@@ -1196,7 +1254,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         }
         return [string trim $v]
     }
-    proc git_remote {{path {{}}}} {
+    proc git_remote {{path ""}} {
         if {$path eq {}} { set path [pwd] }
         do_in_path $path {
             try {
diff --git a/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.shell-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm b/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.shell-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
index 2b3ca282..73b54874 100644
--- a/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.shell-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
+++ b/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.shell-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 namespace eval punk::mix::commandset::repo {
     namespace export *
     proc tickets {{project ""}} {
+        #todo
         set result ""
         if {[string length $project]} {
             puts stderr "project status unimplemented"
diff --git a/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.shell-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm b/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.shell-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
index e056b14a..4e0217b0 100644
--- a/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.shell-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
+++ b/src/project_layouts/custom/_project/punk.shell-0.1/src/bootsupport/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
@@ -346,6 +346,11 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
     #does a dual git/fossil repo make sense if both are committing??
     # see: https://fossil-scm.org/home/doc/trunk/www/inout.wiki for bidirectional sync info
     proc workingdir_state {{abspath {}} args} {
+
+        #we should try to minimize executable calls
+        #an extra git/fossil executable call required for tags
+        #git seems to require more executable calls 
+
         set defaults [list\
             -repotypes [list fossil git]\
             -repopaths ""\
@@ -408,6 +413,8 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         set revision ""
         set revision_iso8601 ""
         set pathdict [dict create]
+        set branch ""
+        set tags ""
 
         if {![llength $repotypes_to_query]} {
             error "No tracking information available for project at $repodir with the chosen repotypes '$opt_repotypes'. Ensure project workingdir is a fossil (or git) checkout"
@@ -437,6 +444,38 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 }
                 set revision_iso8601 "${revision_ymd}T${revision_hms}${revision_tz}"
 
+                #REVIEW! what are the semantic difference between tags in fossil v git?
+                #fossil has tagtypes such as propagated and singleton(onetime)
+                #if we get all tag info for the revision - we can get the current branch (branch=somename tag) at the same time
+                #by retrieving with --raw - we have to process some prefixes such as sym- but probably best not done here
+                #we will return all tags that apply to the current revision and let the caller decide the meanings
+                if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$fossil_cmd tag ls --raw $revision]} cmdresult]} {
+                    set branchinfo [lindex [grep {branch=*} $cmdresult] 0] ;#first line match - should only be one
+                    set branch [lindex [split $branchinfo =] 1] 
+                    set tags [list]
+                    foreach ln [split $cmdresult \n] {
+                        if {[string trim $ln] eq ""} {
+                            continue
+                        }
+                        lappend tags [string trim $ln]
+                    }
+                }
+
+                #set tags_info [lindex [grep {tags:*} $fossilstate 0] ;#first line match - should only be one
+                #we get lines like:
+                #tags:      trunk, main
+                #tags:      trunk
+                #set rawtags [lrange $tags_info 1 end] ;#REVIEW
+                #set tags [list]
+                #foreach t $rawtags {
+                #    lappend tags [string trimright $t ,]
+                #}
+
+
+                #if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$fossil_cmd branch current]} cmdresult]} {
+                #    set branch $cmdresult ;#command result doesn't include newline etc
+                #}
+
 
                 dict set resultdict ahead ""
                 dict set resultdict behind ""
@@ -490,6 +529,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 set git_cmd [auto_execok git]
                 # -uno =  suppress ? lines.
                 # -b = show ranch and tracking info
+                #our basic parsing/grepping assumes --porcelain=2
                 if {[catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$git_cmd status --porcelain=2 -b -- $abspath]} gitstate]} {
                     error "workingdir_state error: Unable to retrieve workingdir state using git. Errormsg: $gitstate"
                 }
@@ -499,6 +539,13 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                     puts stderr "workingdir_state: git revision is (initial) - no file state to gather"
                     break
                 }
+                # line: # branch.head somebranchname
+                set branch [lindex [grep {# branch.head *} $gitstate] 0 2]
+
+                if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$git_cmd describe --exact-match --tags]} cmdresult]} {
+                    set tags $cmdresult ;#review - we have short tags vs longer.. e.g v0.1a vs v0.1a-184-g856fab4 - which is returned?  Also how are multiple separated?
+                }
+                #often there will be no tag - so the common case is actually an error "fatal: not ag exactly matchs 'xxxx...'"
 
                 # -- --- --- --- --- 
                 #could use %ci for ISO8601 data - see git-show manpage, but this will be in timezone of developer's machine - we need it in UTC for comparison to fossil outputs and other devs
@@ -600,9 +647,11 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 puts stderr "workingdir_state - repotype $rt not supported"
             }
         }
-        dict set resultdict revision $revision
-        dict set resultdict revision_iso8601 $revision_iso8601
-        dict set resultdict paths $pathdict
+        dict set resultdict branch              $branch
+        dict set resultdict tags                $tags
+        dict set resultdict revision            $revision
+        dict set resultdict revision_iso8601    $revision_iso8601
+        dict set resultdict paths               $pathdict
         return $resultdict
     }
     proc workingdir_state_summary {repostate args} {
@@ -610,8 +659,13 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
             error "workingdir_state_summary error repostate doesn't appear to be a repostate dict. (use workingdir_state <path> to create)"
         }
         package require overtype
+
+        #the revision branch and tags are highly relevant to the file state - and workingdir_state currently retrieves them anyway
+        # - so we'll include them in the defaults
+        # - when we are including working dir state as part of other output - we could be duplicating branch/tag retrievals
+        # - todo - flags to stop duplicating effort ??
         set defaults [dict create\
-            -fields {ahead behind unchanged changed new missing extra}\
+            -fields {revision branch tags ahead behind unchanged changed new missing extra}\
         ]
         set opts [dict merge $defaults $args]
         # -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
@@ -625,6 +679,8 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
             subpath     subpath\
             revision    revision\
             revision_iso8601    revision_iso8601\
+            branch      branch\
+            tags        tags\
             ahead       ahead\
             behind      behind\
             repotype    repotype\
@@ -662,13 +718,15 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         set result [string trimright $result \n]
         return $result
     }
+
+    #todo - describe purpose and possibly rename
     proc workingdir_state_summary_dict {repostate} {
         if {![dict exists $repostate repotype] || ![dict exists $repostate paths]} {
             error "workingdir_state_summary_dict error repostate doesn't appear to be a repostate dict. (use workingdir_state <path> to create)"
         }
         set filestates [dict values [dict get $repostate paths]]
         set path_count_fields [list unchanged changed new missing extra]
-        set state_fields [list ahead behind repodir subpath repotype revision revision_iso8601]
+        set state_fields [list ahead behind repodir subpath repotype revision revision_iso8601 branch tags]
         set dresult [dict create]
         if {[dict exists $repostate error]} {
             foreach f $state_fields {
@@ -1182,7 +1240,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
 
     #------------------------------------
     #limit to exec so full punk shell not required in scripts
-    proc git_revision {{path {}}} {
+    proc git_revision {{path ""}} {
         if {$path eq {}} { set path [pwd] }
         # ::kettle::path::revision.git
         do_in_path $path {
@@ -1196,7 +1254,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         }
         return [string trim $v]
     }
-    proc git_remote {{path {{}}}} {
+    proc git_remote {{path ""}} {
         if {$path eq {}} { set path [pwd] }
         do_in_path $path {
             try {
diff --git a/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm b/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
index 2b3ca282..73b54874 100644
--- a/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
+++ b/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/mix/commandset/repo-0.1.0.tm
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 namespace eval punk::mix::commandset::repo {
     namespace export *
     proc tickets {{project ""}} {
+        #todo
         set result ""
         if {[string length $project]} {
             puts stderr "project status unimplemented"
diff --git a/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/repl-0.1.tm b/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/repl-0.1.tm
index 48f10610..eef8799d 100644
--- a/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/repl-0.1.tm
+++ b/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/repl-0.1.tm
@@ -609,9 +609,19 @@ proc repl::newout2 {} {
 proc repl::doprompt {prompt {col {green bold}}} {
     #prompt to stderr. 
     #We can pipe commands into repl's stdin without the prompt interfering with the output.
-    #Although all command output for each line goes to stdout - not just what is emmited with puts
+    #Although all command output for each line goes to stdout - not just what is emitted with puts
     
     if {$::tcl_interactive} {
+        flush stdout; #we are writing this prompt on stderr, but stdout could still be writing to screen
+        #our first char on stderr is based on the 'lastchar' of stdout  which we have recorded but may not have arrived on screen.
+        #The issue we're trying to avoid is the (stderr)prompt arriving midway through a large stdout chunk
+        #REVIEW - this basic attempt to get stderr/stdout to cooperate is experimental and unlikely to achieve the desired effect
+        #note that our 'flush stdout' tcl call does not wait if stdout is non-blocking 
+        #todo - investigate if the overhead is reasonable for a special channel that accepts stdout and stderr records with a reader to send to console in chunk-sizes we know will be emitted correctly
+        #  - reader of such channel could be ok to be blocking (on read? on write to real channels?)... except everything still needs to be interruptable by things like signals?
+        #? - we want ordinary puts to stderr to be prioritized? to arrive on-screen - just not at arbitrary locations within stdout, and still must be correctly ordered wrt all other stderr
+        #  - in our repl and code threads we don't want to put stderr/stdout writes in blocking mode and have code waiting on it
+
         set last_char_info [screen_last_char_getinfo]
         if {![llength $last_char_info]} {
             set needs_clearance 1
@@ -1364,24 +1374,53 @@ proc repl::repl_handler {inputchan prompt_config} {
                         lassign [dict get $outconf -winsize] cols rows 
                     } else {
                         #fallback - try external executable. Which is a bit ugly
-                        #tput can work on windows too if it's installed e.g from msys2
+                        #tput can't seem to get dimensions (on FreeBSD at least) when not run interactively - ie via exec. (always returns 80x24 no matter if run with <@stdin)
+
+                        #bizarrely - tput can work with exec on windows if it's installed e.g from msys2
                         #but can be *slow* compared to unix e.g 400ms+ vs <2ms on FreeBSD !
-                        set tputcmd [auto_execok tput]
-                        if {$tputcmd ne ""} {
-                            if {![catch {exec {*}$tputcmd cols lines} values} {
-                                lassign $values cols rows
-                            }        
+                        #stty -a is 400ms+ vs 500us+ on FreeBSD
+                        
+                        if {"windows" eq $::tcl_platform(platform)} {
+                            set tputcmd [auto_execok tput]
+                            if {$tputcmd ne ""} {
+                                if {![catch {exec {*}$tputcmd cols lines} values]} {
+                                    lassign $values cols rows
+                                }        
+                            }
+                        }
+
+                        if {![string is integer -strict $cols] || ![string is integer -strict $rows]} {
+                            #same for all platforms? tested on windows, wsl, FreeBSD
+                            #exec stty -a gives a result on the first line like:
+                            #speed xxxx baud; rows rr; columns cc;
+                            #review - more robust parsing - do we know it's first line?
+                            set sttycmd [auto_execok stty]
+                            if {$sttycmd ne ""} {
+                                #the more parseable: stty -g  doesn't give rows/columns
+                                if {![catch {exec {*}$sttycmd -a} result]} {
+                                    lassign [split $result \n] firstline
+                                    set lineparts [split $firstline {;}] ;#we seem to get segments that look well behaved enough to be treated as tcl lists - review - regex? 
+                                    set rowinfo [lsearch -index end -inline $lineparts rows]
+                                    if {[llength $rowinfo] == 2} {
+                                        set rows [lindex $rowinfo 0]
+                                    }
+                                    set colinfo [lsearch -index end -inline $lineparts columns]
+                                    if {[llength $colinfo] == 2} {
+                                        set cols [lindex $colinfo 0]
+                                    }
+                                }
+                            }
                         }
                     }
                     if {[string is integer -strict $cols] && [string is integer -strict $rows]} {
                         #got_dimensions - todo - try spinner?
                         #puts -nonewline stdout [punk::ansi::move $rows 4]$msg
                         #use cursorsave_ version which avoids get_cursor_pos_list call
+                        set msglen [ansistring length $msg]
                         punk::console::cursorsave_move_emitblock_return $rows [expr {$cols - $msglen -1}] $msg 
                     } else {
                         #no mechanism to get console dimensions 
                         #we are reduced to continuously spewing lines.
-                        set msglen [ansistring length $msg]
                         puts stderr $msg
                     }
 
diff --git a/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm b/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
index e056b14a..4e0217b0 100644
--- a/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
+++ b/src/vfs/_vfscommon/modules/punk/repo-0.1.1.tm
@@ -346,6 +346,11 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
     #does a dual git/fossil repo make sense if both are committing??
     # see: https://fossil-scm.org/home/doc/trunk/www/inout.wiki for bidirectional sync info
     proc workingdir_state {{abspath {}} args} {
+
+        #we should try to minimize executable calls
+        #an extra git/fossil executable call required for tags
+        #git seems to require more executable calls 
+
         set defaults [list\
             -repotypes [list fossil git]\
             -repopaths ""\
@@ -408,6 +413,8 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         set revision ""
         set revision_iso8601 ""
         set pathdict [dict create]
+        set branch ""
+        set tags ""
 
         if {![llength $repotypes_to_query]} {
             error "No tracking information available for project at $repodir with the chosen repotypes '$opt_repotypes'. Ensure project workingdir is a fossil (or git) checkout"
@@ -437,6 +444,38 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 }
                 set revision_iso8601 "${revision_ymd}T${revision_hms}${revision_tz}"
 
+                #REVIEW! what are the semantic difference between tags in fossil v git?
+                #fossil has tagtypes such as propagated and singleton(onetime)
+                #if we get all tag info for the revision - we can get the current branch (branch=somename tag) at the same time
+                #by retrieving with --raw - we have to process some prefixes such as sym- but probably best not done here
+                #we will return all tags that apply to the current revision and let the caller decide the meanings
+                if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$fossil_cmd tag ls --raw $revision]} cmdresult]} {
+                    set branchinfo [lindex [grep {branch=*} $cmdresult] 0] ;#first line match - should only be one
+                    set branch [lindex [split $branchinfo =] 1] 
+                    set tags [list]
+                    foreach ln [split $cmdresult \n] {
+                        if {[string trim $ln] eq ""} {
+                            continue
+                        }
+                        lappend tags [string trim $ln]
+                    }
+                }
+
+                #set tags_info [lindex [grep {tags:*} $fossilstate 0] ;#first line match - should only be one
+                #we get lines like:
+                #tags:      trunk, main
+                #tags:      trunk
+                #set rawtags [lrange $tags_info 1 end] ;#REVIEW
+                #set tags [list]
+                #foreach t $rawtags {
+                #    lappend tags [string trimright $t ,]
+                #}
+
+
+                #if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$fossil_cmd branch current]} cmdresult]} {
+                #    set branch $cmdresult ;#command result doesn't include newline etc
+                #}
+
 
                 dict set resultdict ahead ""
                 dict set resultdict behind ""
@@ -490,6 +529,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 set git_cmd [auto_execok git]
                 # -uno =  suppress ? lines.
                 # -b = show ranch and tracking info
+                #our basic parsing/grepping assumes --porcelain=2
                 if {[catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$git_cmd status --porcelain=2 -b -- $abspath]} gitstate]} {
                     error "workingdir_state error: Unable to retrieve workingdir state using git. Errormsg: $gitstate"
                 }
@@ -499,6 +539,13 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                     puts stderr "workingdir_state: git revision is (initial) - no file state to gather"
                     break
                 }
+                # line: # branch.head somebranchname
+                set branch [lindex [grep {# branch.head *} $gitstate] 0 2]
+
+                if {![catch {punk::mix::util::do_in_path $repodir [list exec {*}$git_cmd describe --exact-match --tags]} cmdresult]} {
+                    set tags $cmdresult ;#review - we have short tags vs longer.. e.g v0.1a vs v0.1a-184-g856fab4 - which is returned?  Also how are multiple separated?
+                }
+                #often there will be no tag - so the common case is actually an error "fatal: not ag exactly matchs 'xxxx...'"
 
                 # -- --- --- --- --- 
                 #could use %ci for ISO8601 data - see git-show manpage, but this will be in timezone of developer's machine - we need it in UTC for comparison to fossil outputs and other devs
@@ -600,9 +647,11 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
                 puts stderr "workingdir_state - repotype $rt not supported"
             }
         }
-        dict set resultdict revision $revision
-        dict set resultdict revision_iso8601 $revision_iso8601
-        dict set resultdict paths $pathdict
+        dict set resultdict branch              $branch
+        dict set resultdict tags                $tags
+        dict set resultdict revision            $revision
+        dict set resultdict revision_iso8601    $revision_iso8601
+        dict set resultdict paths               $pathdict
         return $resultdict
     }
     proc workingdir_state_summary {repostate args} {
@@ -610,8 +659,13 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
             error "workingdir_state_summary error repostate doesn't appear to be a repostate dict. (use workingdir_state <path> to create)"
         }
         package require overtype
+
+        #the revision branch and tags are highly relevant to the file state - and workingdir_state currently retrieves them anyway
+        # - so we'll include them in the defaults
+        # - when we are including working dir state as part of other output - we could be duplicating branch/tag retrievals
+        # - todo - flags to stop duplicating effort ??
         set defaults [dict create\
-            -fields {ahead behind unchanged changed new missing extra}\
+            -fields {revision branch tags ahead behind unchanged changed new missing extra}\
         ]
         set opts [dict merge $defaults $args]
         # -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
@@ -625,6 +679,8 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
             subpath     subpath\
             revision    revision\
             revision_iso8601    revision_iso8601\
+            branch      branch\
+            tags        tags\
             ahead       ahead\
             behind      behind\
             repotype    repotype\
@@ -662,13 +718,15 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         set result [string trimright $result \n]
         return $result
     }
+
+    #todo - describe purpose and possibly rename
     proc workingdir_state_summary_dict {repostate} {
         if {![dict exists $repostate repotype] || ![dict exists $repostate paths]} {
             error "workingdir_state_summary_dict error repostate doesn't appear to be a repostate dict. (use workingdir_state <path> to create)"
         }
         set filestates [dict values [dict get $repostate paths]]
         set path_count_fields [list unchanged changed new missing extra]
-        set state_fields [list ahead behind repodir subpath repotype revision revision_iso8601]
+        set state_fields [list ahead behind repodir subpath repotype revision revision_iso8601 branch tags]
         set dresult [dict create]
         if {[dict exists $repostate error]} {
             foreach f $state_fields {
@@ -1182,7 +1240,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
 
     #------------------------------------
     #limit to exec so full punk shell not required in scripts
-    proc git_revision {{path {}}} {
+    proc git_revision {{path ""}} {
         if {$path eq {}} { set path [pwd] }
         # ::kettle::path::revision.git
         do_in_path $path {
@@ -1196,7 +1254,7 @@ namespace eval punk::repo {
         }
         return [string trim $v]
     }
-    proc git_remote {{path {{}}}} {
+    proc git_remote {{path ""}} {
         if {$path eq {}} { set path [pwd] }
         do_in_path $path {
             try {