GitLess
Git in VSCode with less bloat.
GitLess is a minimal VSCode extension for Git integration. The built-in Git features don't do enough, but other extensions do too much. GitLess provides a focused set of features for everyday Git workflows.
Features
Command Palette
Access these commands from the VSCode command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):
| Command |
Description |
| GitLess: Copy link to repository |
Copy the remote repository URL |
| GitLess: Copy remote file URL |
Copy the URL of the current file on the remote |
| GitLess: Copy remote file URL from |
Copy the file URL for a specific branch or tag |
| GitLess: Copy remote commit URL |
Copy the URL of the current commit |
| GitLess: Copy remote commit URL from |
Copy the commit URL from a specific remote |
| GitLess: Copy SHA |
Copy the full commit SHA |
| GitLess: Copy short SHA |
Copy the short commit SHA |
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
- Branches - View local and remote branches
- Remotes - Inspect configured remotes and their branches
- Stashes - Manage stashed changes
- Tags - Browse tags and their associated commits
- Worktrees - View and manage Git worktrees
Commit Hover Actions
Hover over a commit to reveal inline buttons:
| Button |
Action |
Alt/Option Action |
| Open all changes |
Open diffs for all files |
Open all changes against working tree |
| Compare |
Compare to/from HEAD |
Compare working tree to this commit |
| Copy SHA |
Copy the full commit SHA |
Copy the commit message |
| Open on remote |
Open the commit on the web |
Copy the remote commit URL to clipboard |
File Hover Actions
Expand a commit to see its files, then hover for inline buttons:
| Button |
Action |
Alt/Option Action |
| Open file at revision |
Open the file at this commit |
Open the working tree file |
| Open changes |
Diff against working file |
|
| Open file on remote |
Open the file on the web |
Copy the remote file URL |
Tag Hover Actions
| Button |
Action |
Alt/Option Action |
| Checkout |
Checkout this tag |
|
| Compare |
Compare to/from HEAD |
Compare working tree to this tag |
Right-click on items for additional actions:
- Commits: Copy SHA, Copy message, Share > Copy remote commit URL
- Files: Share > Copy link to commit, Copy link to file, Copy link at revision
- Tags: Copy tag name, Copy tag message
- Branches: Copy branch name, Share > Copy remote branch URL
- Stashes: Apply stash, Drop stash, Copy stash message
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 & Compare - Search commits by message or compare two refs
Remote Provider Support
GitLess generates correct URLs for:
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Bitbucket
- Azure DevOps
- Gitea (including Codeberg)
Configuration
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
gitless.shortShaLength |
7 |
Length of short commit SHAs (5 - 40) |
gitless.views.commits.showBranchComparison |
true |
Show branch comparison in Commits view |
gitless.defaultDateFormat |
null |
Date format (dayjs tokens) |
gitless.defaultDateStyle |
"relative" |
Date style: relative or absolute |
gitless.views.branches.layout |
"tree" |
Branch view layout: list or tree |
Development
Prerequisites
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 (runs in VS Code test host)
pnpm run test:e2e # E2E tests (Playwright)
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
The extension is published via GitHub Actions workflows:
- CI (
.github/workflows/ci.yml) - Runs on push and PR to main. Lints, builds, and runs unit tests.
- Publish (
.github/workflows/publish.yml) - Triggered by version tags (v*.*.*). Publishes to both the VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX (for VSCodium and other non-Microsoft distributions).
License
MIT
