simple-git

A minimal, native macOS Git client — multi-repo sidebar, a hand-drawn commit graph, and just Fetch / Pull / Push / Merge.

Why

Most Git GUIs (SourceTree, Fork, …) pile on every feature imaginable. If you let an AI agent write most of your code, you don't need most of that — you need to see the tree and occasionally sync. simple-git keeps exactly that: a multi-repo sidebar, a readable commit graph, and the few buttons you actually press. Nothing else.

Features

• Multi-repo sidebar — add a local repo or clone a URL; the list persists. Hover a repo for quick actions: open in Finder, hide/show its name, remove (with confirmation).
• Hand-drawn commit graph — swim-lane layout with colored chips for local / remote branches and tags, plus author, relative time, and short hash.
• Working-tree node — uncommitted changes show as a node at the tip; click any file to see its diff (new / untracked files included).
• Read-only diffs — view commit and working-tree diffs; non-ASCII (e.g. Chinese) paths render correctly.
• Core actions only — Fetch (--all --prune), Pull, Push (auto -u on first push), Merge a selected commit, Refresh (⌘R).
• Live auto-refresh — an FSEvents watcher on .git updates the UI the moment you commit / switch branches / fetch from a terminal or AI agent — no manual refresh.
• Jump to HEAD — click the branch in the status bar to scroll to and select the latest commit on your branch.
• Friendly feedback — readable error messages (no raw git hint: dumps) and top toasts for in-progress / success.
• Privacy masking — hide a repo's name (s•••t) for screen-sharing or screenshots.
• One-click launchers — open the current repo in Codex, Claude, or VS Code.
• Native & light — SwiftUI + AppKit, all git via the git CLI, zero third-party dependencies.

Read-only by design

simple-git shows you state and runs sync commands; it does not stage or create commits from the UI — you do that in your terminal or via an AI agent, then watch the graph update live. Merge conflicts are surfaced but resolved in the terminal.

Requirements

• macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer
• git available on your PATH
• Swift 5.9+ / Xcode 15+ to build from source

Build & Run

Run from source:

swift run

Or build a double-clickable, ad-hoc-signed app and install it:

./Assets/make_app.sh /Applications   # omit the path to only build into dist/

Easiest Way To Use

Open this project with Codex or Claude Code and ask the agent to build and run it:

Build this project into simple-git.app and run it.

The agent can run Assets/make_app.sh and open the generated app.

App Icon

The icon comes from a single SVG source — don't hand-edit the generated PNG / icns:

./Assets/generate_icon.sh

This regenerates app-icon-1024.png, AppIcon.icns, and AppIcon.appiconset from Assets/icon.svg.

Architecture

SwiftUI + AppKit. All git operations shell out to the git CLI via Foundation.Process (reads run with GIT_OPTIONAL_LOCKS=0, so the app never writes to .git).

Sources/SimpleGit/
  App.swift              # @main App + AppDelegate (window focus, Dock icon)
  AppStore.swift         # @MainActor state hub; reload() is the single load entry
  Models.swift           # Repository / Commit / Branch / RepoStatus / graph model
  Git/
    GitRunner.swift      # async Process wrapper around `git`
    GitService.swift     # high-level commands: log / status / refs / diff / sync
    GraphLayout.swift    # commit-graph swim-lane assignment
    RepoWatcher.swift    # FSEvents watcher on .git → auto-refresh
  Views/                 # ContentView / SidebarView / RepoDetailView /
                         # CommitGraphView / WorkingChangesPanel / DiffView / …

Known Limitations

• No stage / commit UI (intentional — commit from the terminal or an agent).
• Merge conflicts must be resolved in the terminal.
• The graph loads the most recent 400 commits (--all --topo-order).

FAQ

Is this a lightweight alternative to SourceTree on macOS? Yes — it deliberately drops most features and keeps a multi-repo view, a commit graph, and Fetch / Pull / Push / Merge.

Will it change my repository? Only when you press Fetch / Pull / Push / Merge. Everything else is read-only, and reads run with GIT_OPTIONAL_LOCKS=0 so they don't even touch .git.

Does it auto-update when I commit from a terminal or an AI agent? Yes. It watches .git with FSEvents and refreshes the graph and status automatically.

Any third-party dependencies or telemetry? None. It only runs the local git you already have.

简体中文

simple-git 是一个极简的原生 macOS Git 客户端:左侧多仓库切换,右侧自绘 commit graph,工具栏只保留 Fetch / Pull / Push / Merge。它面向"代码主要交给 AI 写、人只需要看 tree 状态并偶尔同步"的工作方式,刻意不做 SourceTree 那一大堆功能。

所有 git 操作通过本地 git 命令完成,无第三方依赖、无遥测;读操作带 GIT_OPTIONAL_LOCKS=0,不会写 .git。在终端或 agent 里 commit 后,界面通过监听 .git 自动刷新。还支持:把仓库名打码用于截图、一键用 Codex / Claude / VS Code 打开当前仓库、点状态栏分支名跳到最新提交。

构建运行见上方 Build & Run;或用 Codex / Claude Code 打开本项目,让 agent 直接帮你 Assets/make_app.sh 打包运行。

License

MIT © 2026 wangxi