A lightweight, local-first Git explorer for the VS Code Source Control sidebar.
Browse commits, branches, remotes, stashes, tags, and worktrees — without accounts, subscriptions, or telemetry.
Usage example
Features
Git Explorer sidebar
Opens in the Source Control panel (⌃⇧G). Six collapsible sections, all populated from your local repository:
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Commits | Last 50 commits — hash, subject, author, relative date |
| Branches | Local and remote branches; current branch marked |
| Remotes | Configured remotes with fetch/push URLs |
| Stashes | Full stash list with branch and message |
| Tags | Latest 50 tags sorted by creation date |
| Worktrees | All worktrees with branch and HEAD info |
Actions
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Open commit diff | Click any commit |
| Checkout branch | Click any local branch |
| Copy remote URL | Click any remote URL |
| Show stash diff | Click any stash |
| Apply stash | Right-click stash → Apply Stash |
| Copy tag name | Click any tag |
| Open worktree | Click any worktree (opens in new window) |
| Refresh | Click the ↻ button in the view title bar |
Checkout and stash apply ask for confirmation when the working tree has uncommitted changes. Git errors are summarized in a notification and logged to the Minimal Git Explorer output channel.
Requirements
- Git must be installed and available on
PATH. - VS Code 1.125.0 or newer.
- An open workspace folder. If you run
git initafter opening it, use Refresh to discover the new repository.
No configuration required
This extension works out of the box. There are no settings to configure.
Design principles
- Local-first — all data comes from local
gitcommands. No network calls, no accounts, no cloud APIs. - Read-first — safe exploration over mutation. Destructive actions are deferred to future versions.
- Small surface — every feature maps to a common
gitcommand. - No telemetry — nothing is ever sent anywhere.
Known limitations
- Single-repository focus. Multi-root workspaces use the first folder that resolves to a Git repository.
- External Git operations are not watched automatically. Use the toolbar refresh button after CLI or other-tool changes.
- Stash mutations are limited to apply. Pop and drop are not available.
- No worktree creation/removal. Use the CLI for those.
Release notes
See CHANGELOG.md.