diff --git a/tools/appliance/build.sh b/tools/appliance/build.sh
index a228e266088..db5dcb094b3 100755
--- a/tools/appliance/build.sh
+++ b/tools/appliance/build.sh
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ fi
 build_date=`date +%Y-%m-%d`
 
 # set fixed or leave empty to use git to determine
-branch=master
+branch=
 
 if [ -z "$branch" ] ; then
   branch=`git status | grep '# On branch' | awk '{print $4}'`