Git Pull Agent
A frictionless, read-only Git auto-pull companion built specifically for workshop students and learners.
When following along with a live coding session, a bootcamp, or a workshop, you shouldn't have to constantly switch to the terminal to type git pull just to see the instructor's latest code. Git Pull Agent runs quietly in the background, keeping your local workspace perfectly in sync with the remote repository so you can focus entirely on learning the code.
⚡ Quick Start
- Install Git Pull Agent from IDE's Extensions Panel.
- Clone your instructor's or project's Git repository.
- Click the
auto-pull: OFF status bar button to open the quick settings menu and select a polling interval (e.g., 5 seconds).
- Watch your files update in real-time as the instructor pushes new code!
🚀 Installation
- Open Your IDE: VS Code / Antigravity / Cursor / Windsurf / VSCodium
- Go to Extensions
- Search for
git pull agent and select this extension
- Click Install
OR
The Perfect Companion for Instructors:
Are you an instructor or workshop host?
Use Git Snapshots - VS Marketplace | Open VSX Registry
to easily broadcast your code to the remote repository, while your students use
Git Pull Agent to seamlessly receive it.
🌐 Prefer the Browser? Try Git Live File Viewer
Don't want to clone an entire repository just to keep an eye on a single file? If you are following a webinar, a quick demo, or simply want to monitor a specific file without opening your editor, check out our companion browser extension.
Git Live File Viewer is a lightweight Chrome extension that transforms any standard GitHub file page into a real-time, auto-updating presentation monitor.
Why use the Chrome Extension?
- Zero Local Setup: No cloning, no terminal, and no VS Code / IDE workspace required. Just open the GitHub URL.
- Laser Focus: Perfect for tracking a single, rapidly changing file (Live Coding Demo) in a secondary monitor.
- Presenter-Ready UI: Instantly expands into a sleek, dark-themed, full-screen overlay with syntax highlighting and a 1-click copy button.
👉 Download Git Live File Viewer from the Chrome Web Store
✨ Git Pull Agent Features
Git Pull Agent keeps things incredibly simple. It does one thing and does it perfectly: keeps your local repo in sync with the remote.
- Interactive Settings Menu: Click the
auto-pull status bar icon to open a quick menu where you can set your exact polling interval or toggle advanced overrides.
- Pull Now ( Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P ): Click the
Pull Now status bar icon to force an immediate sync with the remote repository. Resets the interval timer so you never get overlapping pulls.
- Smart Local Protection: If you experiment and change code locally, the agent won't blindly overwrite your work. It detects local changes and prompts you to either protect your work or overwrite it with the instructor's latest state.
- Force Overwrite (Override Local): Need the extension to act strictly as a read-only mirror? Toggle the Override Local setting ON from the status bar menu. The agent will aggressively update your workspace and visually warn you with an orange
Pull Now icon.
- Editor Agnostic: All settings are saved securely in your repository's
.git/config file, meaning the extension works perfectly without polluting your workspace .vscode settings.
⚙️ Configuration & Usage
Git Pull Agent configures itself directly per-repository.
- Open a cloned Git repository in your editor.
- Look at the bottom left of your Status Bar.
- Click
auto-pull: OFF to open the Quick Pick settings menu.
- Select your desired polling interval (e.g.,
5 seconds, 10 seconds, etc.). The icon will turn green to indicate it is actively listening.
- If you want the agent to forcefully overwrite local changes without asking, select
Force Pull (Override local) - ON from the same menu.
- If you need to force an update instantly, click the
Pull Now icon.
🛡️ Smart Protection & Conflicts
During a workshop, you might want to type along or test a piece of code yourself. If the instructor pushes an update while you have uncommitted changes in your editor, a standard git pull would normally crash or create messy merge conflicts.
Git Pull Agent handles this gracefully:
- If Override Local is OFF (Default): You will get a friendly warning asking if you want to Overwrite Local (discarding your experiments to catch up with the instructor) or Skip (keeping your changes, but pausing the updates).
- If Override Local is ON: The agent assumes the instructor's code is the absolute source of truth and will automatically reset your local folder to perfectly match the remote branch.
🛠️ Troubleshoot
Pull Failed / Connection Error
Error:
Git Pull Agent: Connection or pull failed. Check remote repository.
→ Fix: Ensure you have internet connectivity and that the repository you cloned still exists or hasn't changed its access permissions.
Local changes detected
Warning:
Local changes detected. Cannot apply instructor updates.
→ Fix: You have typed code into a file that the instructor is also modifying. Choose Overwrite Local to catch up to the instructor, or Skip if you want to preserve your local experiments.
☑️ Requirements
- VS Code v1.85.0 or higher (or compatible editors like Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity).
- Git installed on your system.
⚖️ License
MIT
🏠 Home
GitHub
