GitLess

Git in VSCode with less bloat.

Description

GitLess is a minimal VSCode Git extension. The built-in Git features don't do enough, but other extensions do too much. GitLess strikes a balance, providing a focused set of features for everyday Git workflows.

What GitLess does not do:

• GitLess does not collect telemetry.
• GitLess does not expire extension versions or disable functionality until you update.
• GitLess does not require a separate account, subscription, or cloud service.
• GitLess does not turn your Source Control panel into a full workflow dashboard.
• GitLess does not run heavyweight background services just to show Git history.

Features

Command Palette

Access common commands from the VSCode command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

Source Control Panel

GitLess adds a grouped section to the Source Control panel with toggle buttons to switch between views:

• Commits - Browse the commit history with expandable file trees
• Tags - Browse tags and their associated commits
• Branches - View local and remote branches and inspect recent commits
• Remotes - Inspect configured remotes and remote branches
• Stashes - Inspect stashed changes
• Worktrees - View Git worktrees and inspect recent commits

Commit Hover Actions

Hover over a commit to reveal inline buttons:

Commit tooltips autolink common references in commit summaries and bodies, including:

• Raw http and https URLs
• Commit references, including short SHAs (a05b1ad, 1765166), full SHAs, and owner/repo@SHA
• GitHub autolinked references like GH-123, #123, and owner/repo#123
• GitLab crosslinks like GL-123, !123, and owner/repo!123
• Forgejo and Codeberg references

Provider-specific tooltip links prefer a recognized upstream remote, then origin, then the first recognized remote so forked checkouts can link references to the source repository. Remote open and copy commands still use the command preferred remote, choosing origin first and then the first recognized remote.

File Hover Actions

Expand a commit to see its files, then hover for inline buttons:

Tag Hover Actions

Context Menus

Right-click on items for additional actions:

• Commits: Copy SHA, Copy short SHA, Copy message, Share > Copy remote commit URL
• Files: Share > Copy link to commit, Copy link to commit at revision, Copy remote file URL, Copy remote file URL at revision
• Tags: Copy tag name, Copy tag message
• Branches: Compare with HEAD, Share > Copy link to repository
• Stashes: Copy SHA, Copy message
• Remotes: Copy link to repository, Open current file on remote

GitLess Inspect Panel

The GitLess Inspect sidebar panel provides:

• File History - View the commit history of the active file
• Line History - View the commit history of selected lines
• Search and Compare - Search commits by message, author, SHA (short or full), file, or changes; compare branches, tags, or refs

Remote Provider Support

GitLess generates correct URLs for:

• GitHub
• GitLab
• Forgejo (including Codeberg)
• Azure DevOps
• Bitbucket

Configuration

Available settings:

Notes:

• gitless.defaultDateFormat uses Day.js format tokens.
  • YYYY-MM-DD renders 2026-04-11.
  • MMM D, YYYY renders Apr 11, 2026.
  • YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm renders 2026-04-11 14:30.
  • null will use the default date formatting.
• gitless.repositoryScanMaxDepth controls how many levels of subdirectories GitLess traverses when scanning workspace folders for Git repositories. Equivalent to git.repositoryScanMaxDepth. For the best multi-repo workspace experience, set both git.repositoryScanMaxDepth and gitless.repositoryScanMaxDepth to the same number.

Set custom values in your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "gitless.defaultDateFormat": "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm",
  "gitless.defaultDateStyle": "absolute",
  "gitless.repositoryScanMaxDepth": 5,
  "git.repositoryScanMaxDepth": 5,
}

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22+
• pnpm 10+

Setup

pnpm install

Build

pnpm run build       # Production build
pnpm run build:dev   # Development build (with sourcemaps)
pnpm run watch       # Watch mode

Test

pnpm run test        # Unit tests (VS Code test host)
pnpm run test:e2e    # E2E tests (VS Code test host)

Lint and Format

pnpm run lint        # Check formatting
pnpm run format      # Fix formatting

Debug

Launch the Extension Development Host by pressing F5 or running "Debug: Start Debugging" from the command palette. This opens a second VSCode window with the extension loaded. After making code changes, run "Developer: Reload Window" in the Extension Development Host to pick up the new build. See .vscode/launch.json for debug configurations.

Package

pnpm run package     # Create .vsix file

Publishing

Publishing is fully automated with semantic-release. When commits are pushed to main, semantic-release analyzes the commit messages to determine the next version, generates a changelog, publishes to both the VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX (for VSCodium and other non-Microsoft distributions), and creates a GitHub release.

License

MIT