🐙 GitHub Desktop for VS Code

GitHub Desktop for VS Code

Bring GitHub Desktop's complete workflow experience directly into VS Code

Modern React UI • Multi-Account Support • Advanced Git Operations • Seamless GitHub Integration

✨ What You Get

🎨 GitHub Desktop-style interface right in your VS Code sidebar 👥 Multiple GitHub accounts with one-click switching 📝 Visual commit history with user avatars and detailed file changes 🌿 Advanced branch management with activity tracking 🔄 Smart sync operations with visual feedback ⚡ Native VS Code integration using built-in diff viewer

📸 Examples

Main Interface

Timeline and Changes View

Timeline View

✨ Features

🎨 Modern React-Based Interface

GitHub Desktop-style UI with clean, responsive design
Material-UI components styled with VS Code theming
Avatar integration with user profile pictures
Dark/Light theme support matching VS Code
Responsive layout that adapts to panel sizes

📝 Advanced Commit Management

Interactive commit history with detailed commit cards
Commit detail panel opening in separate webview with file changes
Right-click context menu on commits with full Git operations:
- Reset to commit
- Checkout commit
- Revert changes
- Create branch from commit
- Create tags
- Cherry-pick commits
- Copy SHA/commit info
- View on GitHub
File diff viewer integrated with VS Code's native diff editor
Commit statistics showing additions/deletions per file

🌿 Branch Operations

Advanced branch dropdown with grouping (Default/Recent/Other)
Branch activity tracking with last commit dates
Branch creation from any commit
Branch merging with merge dialog
Branch switching with visual feedback

👥 Multi-Account Support

Multiple GitHub accounts with visual indicators and easy switching
Secure token storage using VS Code Secret Storage API
GitHub CLI integration with automatic account detection
One-click account switching directly from accounts panel
Account-specific operations with proper isolation
Smart CLI account selection with guided switching process

🔄 Repository Management

Auto-detection of workspace repositories with Git integration
Repository cloning with account selection and progress tracking
Private repository support with proper authentication
Repository switching within VS Code without window changes
GitHub integration for direct repository links and issue creation

📱 Changes & History Panel

VS Code Source Control UI - Exact replica of native source control
Collapsible sections for staged and unstaged changes
File staging/unstaging with individual file controls
Commit message editing with keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+Enter)
Smart action buttons (Stage All, Unstage All, Commit, Sync)
Real-time updates with file watching and auto-refresh

🎛️ Timeline Header

Dynamic sync status showing Push/Pull/Fetch operations
Interactive branch switching with current branch display
Sync counters showing commits ahead/behind
Contextual actions (Force Push, Fetch Origin) when available
GitHub Desktop-style layout with proper spacing and icons

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install the Extension

Search for "GitHub Desktop" in VS Code Extensions
Click Install and you're ready to go!

Look for the 🐙 icon in VS Code's activity bar
Click "Add Account" or use Command Palette: GitHub Desktop: Sign In
Choose your preferred method:
- Browser Sign-in (Recommended) - Uses VS Code's built-in GitHub authentication
- GitHub CLI - If you have gh installed
- Personal Access Token - For manual setup
- Enterprise Server - For GitHub Enterprise users

3. Start Using

Any Git repository in your workspace is automatically detected
Use the sidebar to view commit history, manage branches, and stage changes
Right-click commits for advanced Git operations
Switch between accounts instantly from the Accounts panel

💡 Pro Tip: The extension works seamlessly with VS Code's built-in Source Control - no configuration needed!

💡 Key Features in Action

Multi-Account Support

Add multiple GitHub accounts (personal, work, enterprise)
Switch between accounts with a single click
Each account maintains its own repositories and settings

Visual Git Operations

Commit History: Timeline view with user avatars and commit details
File Changes: Click any commit to see detailed file diffs
Branch Management: Visual branch dropdown with recent/active branches
Right-click Context: Access all Git operations via context menus

Seamless Workflow

Auto-detection: Any Git repo in your workspace appears automatically
Stage & Commit: VS Code Source Control-style interface for staging files
Sync Operations: Push/pull with visual feedback and conflict detection
GitHub Integration: Direct links to view commits/repos on GitHub

🎛️ Available Commands

Access these commands via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

GitHub Desktop: Sign In - Add a new GitHub account
GitHub Desktop: Switch Active Account - Switch between your accounts
GitHub Desktop: Clone Repository - Clone a repo with account selection
GitHub Desktop: Open Repository - Open any tracked repository
GitHub Desktop: Create Issue - Create GitHub issues directly
GitHub Desktop: Refresh Views - Refresh all panels

🎨 Keyboard & Mouse Shortcuts

Ctrl+Enter - Commit staged changes
Click any account - Switch to that account instantly
Right-click commits - Access Git operations menu
Click commit - View detailed file changes
Click branch name - Open branch selector

🔒 Security & Privacy

Your data is safe with us:

Encrypted storage: All GitHub tokens stored securely using VS Code's Secret Storage
Local processing: Everything runs locally on your machine
No data collection: We don't collect or transmit your personal data
Account isolation: Each GitHub account's data is completely separated
Open source: Full transparency - inspect the code yourself

⚙️ Requirements

VS Code: Version 1.84.0 or higher
Git: Must be installed and accessible in PATH
GitHub Account: For full functionality (free accounts work perfectly)

Personal Access Token Scopes (if using manual token setup)

When creating a personal access token, ensure these scopes:

repo - Repository access
read:org - Organization membership
user:email - User email access

🆘 Need Help?

Common Issues & Solutions

🔐 Can't sign in?

Try "Browser Sign-in" first (recommended method)
For tokens: Ensure scopes include repo, read:org, user:email
For GitHub CLI: Run gh auth status to verify authentication

📂 Repository not showing?

Make sure the folder contains a .git directory
Use GitHub Desktop: Refresh Views command
Check that you have access to the repository

🔄 Sync not working?

Verify you have push permissions to the repository
Check your internet connection
For organization repos, ensure proper access rights

🐛 Found a Bug?

Report issues on GitHub - we fix them fast!

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

For Users

⭐ Star the repository if you find it useful
🐛 Report bugs on our GitHub Issues
💡 Suggest features via GitHub Discussions
📝 Write reviews and share your experience

For Developers

🔧 Fix bugs or add features via pull requests
📚 Improve documentation
🧪 Add tests for better reliability
🎨 Enhance UI/UX to match GitHub Desktop even closer

Visit our GitHub repository to get started!

🎯 What's Coming Next

We're constantly improving! Here's what's on our roadmap:

🚀 Upcoming Features

📝 Pull Request Management - View, create, and review PRs directly in VS Code
🔔 GitHub Notifications - Get notified about mentions, reviews, and issues
✅ Status Checks - See CI/CD pipeline status right in the extension
📦 Stash Management - Visual Git stash operations
🤝 Conflict Resolution - Better merge conflict resolution tools
📊 Repository Insights - Contribution graphs and repository statistics

🎉 Recently Added

✅ Multi-account support with secure token storage
✅ Right-click context menus for all Git operations
✅ VS Code native diff integration
✅ GitHub CLI integration with account detection
✅ Branch activity tracking and smart grouping
✅ Dynamic sync status and operations

🌟 Why Choose This Extension?

vs. GitLens: We provide a dedicated GitHub Desktop-style interface, while GitLens focuses on inline annotations and blame features.

vs. GitHub Pull Requests: We offer complete Git workflow management with multi-account support, while GitHub PR extension focuses specifically on pull request operations.

vs. Built-in Source Control: We enhance VS Code's native Git support with GitHub-specific features, visual commit history, and multi-account management.

Our Unique Value: The only extension that brings the complete GitHub Desktop experience into VS Code with full multi-account support.

Made with ❤️ for the VS Code and GitHub communities

🚀 Happy coding with GitHub Desktop for VS Code! 🚀

⭐ Star on GitHub • 🐛 Report Issues • 💡 Discussions

GitHub Desktop

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