Getting Started

Open or clone a repository, review changes, stage your first commit, and synchronize with a remote in GitComet.

After installing GitComet, open a repository and work through a review, stage, and commit cycle.

Check Git and your identity

GitComet requires Git 2.50 or newer. Open Settings with Cmd+, on macOS or Ctrl+, on Windows and Linux, then select Git executable to see the detected version and path. Choose a custom executable if your preferred Git installation is not on the application's PATH.

Git uses your configured name and email for commits. If you have not set them, run these commands inside your repository to configure them for that repository:

git config user.name "Your Name"
git config user.email "you@example.com"

Use git config --global instead if you want the same identity as the default for all your repositories.

Open or clone a repository

Open an existing repository: press Cmd+O or Ctrl+O and choose its folder. You can also drag a repository folder into GitComet.
Clone a remote repository: open the command palette with Cmd+P or Ctrl+P, choose Clone Repository, and enter the remote URL and destination. The clone dialog shows progress and lets you cancel.
Start a new repository: follow Init, then open the folder in GitComet.

If the gitcomet command is available in your terminal, you can open a repository directly:

gitcomet /path/to/repo

GitComet opens repositories in tabs. Use Cmd+Shift+O or Ctrl+Shift+O to find open and recently closed repositories.

Find your way around

Area	What you use it for
Repository tabs	Switch between projects without opening another application.
Sidebar	Browse branches, remotes, tags, worktrees, submodules, and files.
History	Select a commit to inspect its message and changed files.
Working copy and staged files	Review current edits and choose what belongs in your next commit.
Diff panel	Read changes, stage selected parts, edit a file, or resolve conflicts.
Terminal	Run shell commands in the repository alongside the graphical workflow.

The command palette also provides actions such as Create Branch, Fetch All, Reload Repository, and Open Settings. Context menus on files, commits, and branches expose actions for the selected item.

Make your first commit

Edit a file in your usual editor, or open a working-tree file in GitComet and press Option+E on macOS or Alt+E on Windows and Linux to enter the built-in editor. Save with Cmd+S or Ctrl+S while the editor has focus.
Select the changed file in the working copy and review its diff.
Stage the file, or use the diff gutter to stage only the hunks or lines that belong together. In a working-tree diff, Space stages or unstages the current file and advances to an adjacent file.
Review the staged diff. This is the content Git will commit; later unstaged edits remain outside the commit.
Enter a commit message and choose Commit. With the message input focused, Cmd+Enter or Ctrl+Enter activates Commit when it is enabled.

See Reviewing Changes for partial staging, comparisons, previews, and blame.

Synchronize with a remote

Fetch downloads remote history so you can review incoming changes. Pull integrates remote changes into your current branch; GitComet offers merge, rebase, and fast-forward policies. Push publishes your local commits to the configured remote.

GitComet uses your Git authentication setup and can show credential, SSH passphrase, and host-verification prompts in the app. See SSH Keys for SSH remotes and Fetch, pull, and push for the differences between these operations.