diff --git a/spcd.sh b/spcd.sh
index 66b6ffe..c039494 100644
--- a/spcd.sh
+++ b/spcd.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #! /usr/bin/env sh
 
 # defaults
+[ -n "${SPCD_BRANCH_RELEASE}" ] || SPCD_BRANCH_RELEASE="main"
+[ -n "${SPCD_BRANCH_STAGING}" ] || SPCD_BRANCH_STAGING="dev"
 [ -n "${SPCD_DNS}" ] || SPCD_DNS="\
 9.9.9.9 \
 "