Opening a repository
GitCat always works on one repository at a time in a given window. This page covers getting a repo open, switching between them, and pointing GitCat somewhere new.
The first time
On first launch, a short setup wizard appears. It does three things:
- Pick a repository — click to browse for a folder, or drag a folder straight onto the window.
- Check your git identity — the name and email your commits will be signed with. If the repository (or your global config) already has one, it's shown for confirmation; if not, you can set it here.
- Jump into the graph.
The wizard is shown once, not on every launch. You can skip it with Esc and reach everything it does from the normal UI afterwards.
Opening or switching repositories
Any time after the first run, open the Repositories dashboard:
- Press
⌘O(Ctrl+O), or - Click the repository name in the top bar, or
- Choose File ▸ Open Repository…, or the Open a repository… button on the empty-state screen.
The dashboard lists the repositories you've opened before (searchable), each with its current branch and status at a glance, so switching back to something you were working on is one click. To bring in a new one, use + Add repository…, which opens a native folder picker.
Selecting a repository loads it into the current window and takes you to its graph.
Git identity
Your git identity (the name and email on your commits) can be set per repository or globally. To view or change it for the repo that's open:
- Settings ▸ Git Identity (
⌘,opens Settings), or the identity step surfaced by the setup wizard.
GitCat writes a per-repository identity only to that repo's .git/config — your global identity is never touched unless you explicitly edit the Global scope in Settings ▸ Git Config.
Closing and the empty state
File ▸ Close Repository returns GitCat to its empty state — a clean way to step away from the current repo without quitting. From there you can open a different one exactly as above. (You never have to quit and relaunch just to point GitCat somewhere else.)
Submodules
If the open repository has submodules, a slim strip appears under the top bar. From there you can init/update them (including --recursive), add or remove one, and — most usefully — Open a submodule to manage it exactly like a top-level repository, then come back. Submodule status (up to date, needs update, has local edits) is shown so you know what needs attention.
Working on several repos at once
To keep two repositories open side by side, use Window ▸ New Window (⌘N). Each window is fully independent — pick a different repository in each, and an operation in one never affects the other.
Staying in sync with the outside world
Once a repo is open, GitCat keeps up with changes made outside the app — a commit from a terminal, a background fetch, another tool — and refreshes the graph and working-directory view on its own. If you ever want to force a resync, the Refresh button in the top bar (or Repository ▸ Refresh) does a full reload.
Next: Reading the commit graph.