Git List
A VS Code activity bar view for Git repositories in your workspace. Inspect commits, local branches, remotes (remote-tracking branches), and stashes in the sidebar. Expand an entry to see changed files; click a file to open a diff in the built-in editor. Optional per-author colors for commit icons are remembered until you clear them.
Author note: The capabilities here are ones I use regularly in my day-to-day work. If you need extra features or changes, email 949257333@qq.com.
Features
| Area |
What you get |
| Commits |
Paginated history from HEAD, expandable file list, open diff per file. Section-level refresh. |
| Branches |
Paginated local branches (git branch), each branch shows paginated git log for that ref. Branches not merged into current HEAD use a red branch icon (from git for-each-ref … --no-merged HEAD); the label is the plain branch name. Context: switch to branch (git switch), merge into current branch when unmerged (git merge), delete local branch (git branch -d). ⋯ (right of refresh) opens a Quick Pick: show repository status (git status in the Git List output channel), abort merge / abort rebase (with confirmation when MERGE_HEAD / REBASE_HEAD exists), and bulk-delete locals whose tip is older than 6 months (with progress). |
| Remotes |
Paginated remote names (git remote). Each remote lists remote-tracking branches (refs/remotes/…). Same log/diff behavior as Branches; unmerged-into-HEAD styling and merge when applicable. Context: switch — tries git switch <name>, then git switch -c <name> <remote/ref> if no local branch exists. Section and per-remote refresh. Section title is plain English (Remotes). |
| Stash |
Paginated stash list, expandable patch tree, open diffs. Apply or drop stash from context menu. |
| Global |
Refresh button on the view title. Optional auto-refresh when the built-in Git extension reports repo or state changes (workspace-scoped). |
| Author icons |
Command Git List: Clear Saved Author Icon Colors resets stored colors for commit avatars. |
Commands
Commands are also available from the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) unless noted.
| Command |
Description |
Typical access |
| Refresh |
Reload the whole Git List tree. |
View title bar |
| Refresh commits list |
Reset commits paging and refresh Commits. |
Commits section row (inline) |
| Refresh stash list |
Reset stash paging and refresh Stash. |
Stash section row (inline) |
| Refresh branch list |
Reset local branch paging and refresh Branches. |
Branches section row (inline, left) |
| More branch actions… |
Opens a Quick Pick on the Branches section row (ellipsis ⋯ icon): repository status, abort merge/rebase, and bulk-delete old locals (see Branches row above). |
Branches section row (inline, right of refresh); Command Palette |
| Git List: Show Repository Status |
Runs git status, prints it to Output → Git List, and notes merge/rebase-in-progress when detected. |
Quick Pick from More branch actions…; Command Palette |
| Git List: Abort Merge |
git merge --abort after confirmation (only if a merge is in progress). |
Quick Pick from More branch actions…; Command Palette |
| Git List: Abort Rebase |
git rebase --abort after confirmation (only if a rebase is in progress). |
Quick Pick from More branch actions…; Command Palette |
| Delete local branches older than 6 months… |
Deletes local branches whose tip committer date is older than 6 months (git branch -d each); never deletes the checked-out branch; unmerged branches are left and summarized. Progress in a notification while running. |
Quick Pick from More branch actions…; Command Palette |
| Refresh commits under this branch |
Reset commit paging for that branch only. |
Local or remote-tracking branch row (inline) |
| Refresh remotes list |
Reset remote-name paging and refresh Remotes. |
Remotes section row (inline) |
| Refresh branches under this remote |
Reset branch paging under that remote. |
Remote row (e.g. origin, inline) |
| Git List: Clear Saved Author Icon Colors |
Clear persisted author icon colors. |
Command Palette |
| Create Branch from Commit… |
Create and check out a new branch at the selected commit. |
Commit row (context) |
| Apply Stash |
git stash apply for the selected entry. |
Stash row (context) |
| Drop Stash… |
git stash drop after confirmation. |
Stash row (context) |
| Switch to This Branch |
Local: git switch <branch>. Remote-tracking: git switch <shortname> or create from ref with git switch -c <shortname> <ref>. |
Branch row under Branches or Remotes (context) |
| Merge into Current Branch… |
Confirms then runs git merge <ref> for branches marked not fully merged (red branch icon; local or remote-tracking). Failures show summary plus Git output in the notification and the same text in Output → Git List (button to open the log). Not offered on detached HEAD. |
Unmerged branch row (context); Command Palette |
| Delete Branch… |
git branch -d for a local branch only (remote-tracking rows show a hint to use the server or local list). |
Local branch row (context) |
Load more rows appear when a list has more items than the current page size; each section uses the relevant setting below.
Configuration
All settings are under Git List in VS Code Settings. Range is 1–500 unless noted.
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
git-list.commitsPageSize |
40 |
Commits loaded when Commits is expanded and for each Load more under the root commit list or under a branch. |
git-list.stashPageSize |
40 |
Stashes loaded when Stash is expanded and for each Load more. |
git-list.branchesPageSize |
40 |
Local branches when Branches is expanded; remote-tracking branches under each remote; Load more step in both places. |
git-list.remotesPageSize |
10 |
Remote names when Remotes is expanded and for each Load more in that list only (not the branch list under a remote). |
Requirements
| Requirement |
Notes |
| Git |
Must be on your PATH so the extension can run git. |
| VS Code |
1.73 or newer (engines.vscode in package.json; aligns with vscode.l10n localization). |
| Built-in Git |
Recommended: enables smoother auto-refresh when repositories open, close, or change. |
Usage
- Open a folder or multi-root workspace that contains a Git repository.
- Click Git List in the Activity Bar.
- Expand Commits, Branches, Remotes, or Stash.
- Expand a commit or stash to see files; click a file to open a diff. Use Load more when it appears.
- Under Branches or under a remote, expand a branch to page through its commits the same way.
- On the Branches section row, click ⋯ (right of refresh) for repository status, abort merge/rebase, or bulk-delete locals whose tip is older than six months.
- Right-click a branch row to switch, merge (if it is not fully merged into
HEAD — red branch icon), or delete (local only).
Status bar branch and “!”
If the built-in Git extension shows a warning next to the current branch in the status bar, the repo often has dirty state, conflicts, or an unfinished merge/rebase/cherry-pick. Run Git List: Show Repository Status (or Branches → ⋯ → Show repository status) to see git status in Output → Git List; use abort merge or abort rebase from the same menu only when you intend to cancel that operation.
Git errors and the Git List output channel
When a Git List action fails (merge, checkout, branch delete, stash, etc.), the notification includes summary and Git output; the same text is appended to Output → Git List, and you can open that panel from the notification when offered.
If this extension is useful to you, you can support further development using the QR codes below (images from the Gitee main branch).
| WeChat |
Alipay |
 |
 |
Development
npm install
npm run compile
Press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host. After changing media/icon.svg, run npm run render-icon.
Publishing
See the official guide: Publishing Extensions. Package locally with npm run package (produces git-list-<version>.vsix). Use plain English displayName and description in package.json for the Marketplace listing.
License
MIT — see LICENSE.
