Go Git It
Version control for people who just want to build things.
Go Git It wraps Git in plain English — no terminal, no jargon, no learning curve. A friendly sidebar panel keeps your work safe with snapshots, GitHub backups, and risk-free experiments.
Why Go Git It?
Most developers take version control for granted. Everyone else either skips it entirely (and loses work), or spends hours learning Git commands that feel like a foreign language.
Go Git It fixes that. It's Git — but every action has a name you actually understand.
| You want to… |
Go Git It calls it… |
| Save your progress |
Take a snapshot |
| Back up online |
Send to GitHub |
| Get someone else's changes |
Get latest |
| Try something risky |
Start an experiment |
| Keep the experiment |
Finish experiment |
| Scrap the experiment |
Abandon experiment |
| Undo to a past moment |
Go back to this snapshot |
Installation
From the VS Code Marketplace
- Open VS Code
- Click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar (or press
Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X)
- Search "Go Git It"
- Click Install
Or install directly: Go Git It on the VS Code Marketplace
Requirements
- VS Code 1.85 or newer
- Git — free, must be installed (download here)
- GitHub CLI (optional) — needed only for automatic GitHub repo creation (download here)
Don't have Git? Go Git It detects this on startup and walks you through installing it.
Getting Started
- Open any folder in VS Code
- Click the ⎇ branch icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar)
- The Go Git It panel opens — everything is right there
Starting a brand new project?
Click 🏗️ Build a new project — the wizard creates your folder, sets up version control, writes a README, and optionally connects to GitHub in under a minute.
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ GO GIT IT 🌿 Main line │ ← current branch
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ ✅ Everything saved │ ← live status
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ YOUR WORK │
│ ┌───────────┬───────────┐ │
│ │ 📸 │ ☁️ │ │
│ │ Snapshot │ GitHub │ │
│ ├───────────┼───────────┤ │
│ │ ⬇️ │ 🧪 │ │
│ │ Get Latest│ Experiment│ │
│ └───────────┴───────────┘ │
│ │
│ PROJECTS │
│ 🏗️ Build a new project │
│ 📂 Open a different project│
│ 📖 How does this work? │
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ TIMELINE · 3 snapshots │
│ ● Added the hero section │
│ ● Fixed nav links │
│ ● 🎉 Started My Portfolio │
└─────────────────────────────┘
Status indicators
| Status |
Meaning |
| ✅ Everything saved & backed up |
All work committed and pushed to GitHub |
| 🔵 Saved here, not on GitHub yet |
Committed locally, not pushed |
| 🟡 You have unsaved changes |
Files changed since last snapshot |
| ⚠️ Not connected to GitHub |
No remote configured yet |
Timeline dots
| Color |
Meaning |
| 🟢 Green |
Committed and backed up to GitHub |
| 🔵 Blue |
Committed, not on GitHub yet |
| 🟡 Pulsing yellow |
Unsaved changes right now |
| 🔵 Teal |
Commits on an experiment branch |
Click any dot to see what changed at that point, or go back to that exact moment.
Snapshots
A snapshot saves your project at this exact moment — like a save point in a video game.
- Take one whenever something is working
- Add an optional note like "Added the contact form"
- They stack up in the timeline so you can always go back
The timeline updates automatically whenever you save, commit from the terminal, switch branches, or pull from GitHub.
Experiments
Experiments let you try risky ideas without touching your main work.
Start experiment → work freely → Finish (keep it) or Abandon (delete it)
- While on an experiment, Finish and Abandon buttons appear in the panel
- Finish merges all experiment changes into your main line
- Abandon deletes the branch entirely — your main work is completely untouched
- You can take snapshots inside an experiment just like normal
Error Explanations
When something goes wrong, Go Git It never shows raw Git output. Every error has a plain-English explanation and a one-click fix.
| Situation |
Plain English |
Fix |
| Unsaved changes before getting latest |
Your edits could get overwritten |
Snapshot first, then get latest |
| Merge conflict |
Two changes touched the same spot |
Undo the merge and try again |
| Not connected to GitHub |
Project isn't linked to a repo yet |
Connect to GitHub (one-time setup) |
| Nothing changed since last snapshot |
Nothing new to save |
Keep working, snapshot later |
| Git not installed |
Git isn't on this computer |
Download Git (link provided) |
FAQ
Do I need a GitHub account?
No. Snapshot and experiment features work completely offline. GitHub is only needed for "Send to GitHub."
Do I need to know Git?
No. Go Git It is designed specifically for people who don't know (or don't want to know) Git.
What if I already have a Git repo?
Just open the folder in VS Code — Go Git It detects it automatically and shows your existing commit history in the timeline.
Can I still use the terminal alongside this?
Yes. The timeline refreshes automatically when you run Git commands in the terminal.
What is an "experiment" under the hood?
A Git branch named experiment/<your-name>. If you're curious, you can see it with git branch in the terminal.
What if Git isn't installed?
Go Git It detects this on startup, shows a clear message, and gives you a direct link to download Git.
Feedback & Issues
Found a bug or have an idea? Open an issue on GitHub — all feedback is welcome.
