Git Navigator

Transform your Git workflow with an intuitive, visual interface that makes complex operations simple.

Git Navigator brings the power of Git into a beautiful, interactive visualization directly in VS Code. Whether you're managing commits, resolving conflicts, or rebasing branches, everything is just a click or drag away.

✨ Features

📊 Visual Commit Graph

See your entire project history at a glance with an interactive, tree-based commit visualization. The graph shows:

• Parent-child relationships between commits
• Branch and tag labels displayed inline
• "You are here" indicator for your current position
• Orphaned branches highlighted for easy cleanup

One-click checkout - Simply click any commit to check it out and explore your project's history.

🔄 Drag-and-Drop Rebase

Rebase commits visually without memorizing complex commands. Drag any commit onto another to preview and execute rebase operations instantly. Visual feedback shows you exactly what will happen before you commit.

✅ Intelligent Commit Management

Take control of your commits with granular precision:

• Stage/unstage files with one click
• Line-level selection - Include or exclude specific code blocks from your commits
• Amend - Update the last commit with additional changes
• Uncommit - Remove the last commit completely

⚔️ Visual Conflict Resolution

No more hunting for <<<<<<< markers. Git Navigator provides a dedicated conflict resolution interface that:

• Detects conflicts during rebase, merge, or cherry-pick operations
• Shows all conflicted files in one place with clear conflict types (both modified, deleted by us/them, etc.)
• Offers quick resolution: Keep Ours, Keep Theirs, or Delete
• Advanced block-level resolution - Choose specific code sections from each side
• View staged and unstaged files alongside conflicts for context

📦 Branch & Tag Management

• Create branches and tags anywhere with click selection (from graph)
• Delete branches with optional force
• View orphaned refs (disconnected branches/tags) that need attention

🚀 Sync & Collaboration

Stay in sync with your team effortlessly:

• Push changes with a single click
• Force push when needed (with confirmation)
• Pull with automatic rebase
• Fetch from remotes or fetch-and-rebase in one action
• Push to specific commit - Share work at any point in history

🧹 Stash Management

Quickly save and restore work-in-progress:

• Create stashes with optional messages
• Include untracked files
• Pop and drop stashes as needed

📊 Commit Analytics

See exactly what changed in every commit with file statistics showing:

• Number of lines added
• Number of lines deleted
• File modification status (added, modified, deleted, renamed)

🎯 Advanced Git Operations

• Split commits - Break a large commit into smaller, focused commits by selecting individual hunks
• Merge commits - Combine multiple commits into one with a custom message
• Uncommit - Undo the last commit and return changes to working directory
• Fetch and checkout - Get and switch to remote branches
• History (reflog) - View recent HEAD movements to recover lost work

💡 Use Cases

Rebase like a pro "Drag commit A onto commit B to rebase, see the preview, and execute. No more git rebase --onto commands."

Split overgrown commits "Realized your last commit has three different changes? Split it into three focused commits with just a few clicks."

Resolve conflicts without stress "Rebase conflict? See all conflicted files in one view, choose 'Keep Theirs' for one file, and manually resolve another block-by-block."

Explore history "Click through commit history to understand when a bug was introduced, then checkout that commit to investigate."

🆚 Git Navigator vs. Alternatives

Choosing the right Git tool depends on your workflow. Git Navigator provides a focused, visual approach to Git operations in VS Code, hiding historical noise so you can concentrate on your current work.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature Comparison Table

Feature-Level Breakdowns

Commit Graph Visualization

• Git Navigator: Clean, focused graph that automatically hides historical commits to show only what's relevant to your current work; includes expandable placeholders to peek at history without checking out
• Sapling: Automatically elides thousands of commits to show just relevant ones; hidden commits cannot be expanded - must manually checkout to see them
• Lazygit: Terminal-based graph view
• Fork: Shows all commits by default; collapsible graph lets you manually hide merge commits/branches to reduce clutter
• GitKraken: Shows all commits by default; solo/filter features let you manually isolate branches or filter by author

Line-Level Selection & Split Commits

• Git Navigator: Visual UI for selecting hunks/lines; split commits by choosing specific code blocks
• Sapling: CLI-only line selection via sl split prompt
• Lazygit: Excellent keyboard-driven hunk mode with interactive selection
• Fork: Available via diff view (not primary feature)
• GitKraken: No line-level staging capability

Conflict Resolution

• Git Navigator: Block-level with "Keep Ours/Keep Theirs/Delete" buttons
• Sapling: Shows unresolved conflicts; requires manual marker editing in files
• Lazygit: Good terminal-based conflict resolution
• Fork: Merge conflict helper with external tool support
• GitKraken: Advanced 3-way merge editor tool

Stash & Tags

• Git Navigator: Full git stash support (create, pop, drop, include untracked); local + remote tag management
• Sapling: No true git stash (has sl shelve which creates temp commits; file watching breaks with git stash); remote tags only, no local tags in Git compatibility mode
• Lazygit: Full stash and tag management
• Fork: Stash and tag support
• GitKraken: Stash and tag support

Branches & Rebase

• Git Navigator: Traditional Git branch model; drag-and-drop rebase
• Sapling: Bookmark paradigm (local bookmarks discouraged); drag-and-drop in ISL
• Lazygit: Traditional branches; interactive rebase
• Fork: Traditional branches; interactive rebase with drag-drop
• GitKraken: Traditional branches; interactive rebase

Performance & Scalability

• Git Navigator: Optimized for typical workflows with large-repo support (parses first 1000 commits, expandable for more)
• Sapling: ⭐ Best-in-class for massive repositories (Meta-scale, 100k+ commits, written in Rust)
• Lazygit: Fast for most repos
• Fork: Handles large repos well
• GitKraken: Can be heavy on large repos

When to Choose Git Navigator

Choose Git Navigator if you:

• Want full Git power without leaving VS Code
• Need visual commit graph with drag-and-drop rebase
• Want to split commits by selecting specific code blocks
• Prefer a clean, focused graph that hides historical noise but can expand when needed
• Work with complex rebase workflows and conflicts
• Need block-level conflict resolution with quick actions
• Rely on stash and local tags (native Git features)

Consider Sapling if you:

• Work with massive repositories (100k+ commits)
• Need stacking workflows for PR-heavy teams
• Are open to learning a new VCS paradigm
• Use Meta's tooling ecosystem
• Don't depend heavily on Git-specific features like stash and local tags

Consider Lazygit if you:

• Live in the terminal and want powerful Git UI there
• Prefer keyboard shortcuts over mouse
• Want excellent line-level selection with keyboard-driven workflow
• Need fast, lightweight TUI with full Git operations
• Don't need VS Code integration

Consider Fork if you:

• Manage many repositories
• Need a dedicated Git client
• Work on Mac or Windows
• Prefer desktop app over editor integration
• Need repository manager features and merge conflict helper

Consider GitKraken if you:

• Need team collaboration features
• Want AI assistance
• Require enterprise integrations
• Need visual branching across multiple platforms
• Have budget for Pro features

Summary: Git Navigator's Unique Strengths

• Git that stays out of your way - Intuitive visual operations, invisible Git complexity
• Deep VS Code Integration - No context switching, uses your theme
• Visual Operations - Drag-and-drop, click interactions, no command memorization
• Advanced Commit Control - Split commits, line selection, uncommit, squash
• Block-Level Conflict Resolution - Quick actions (Keep Ours/Theirs/Delete) with granular block selection
• Full Git Feature Support - Complete stash (true git stash), tag (local + remote), and branch management
• Focused Commit Graph - Hides historical noise, expandable placeholders to explore history
• Free & Lightweight - No subscriptions, no external dependencies

⌨️ Commands

• Git Navigator: Open - Open the Git Navigator panel
• Git Navigator: Refresh - Refresh the commit graph and file status

🎨 Integration

Git Navigator integrates seamlessly with VS Code:

• Uses your current theme for consistent appearance
• Opens files in your editor when clicked
• Leverages VS Code's built-in diff viewer for changes
• Works alongside the built-in Git source control panel

📦 Requires

• VS Code version 1.85.0 or higher
• A Git repository in your workspace

Built with ❤️ for developers who love Git but hate memorizing commands.