GitAxis — Multi-Profile Git & GitHub Manager for VS Code
GitAxis is a dedicated multi-account control center for Visual Studio Code and VS Code Insiders. It gives you a clean, unified dashboard to organize, switch, and automate multiple Git and GitHub profiles (Work, Personal, Open Source, Client, Freelance) without terminal gymnastics or configuration drift.
Demo
Why GitAxis?
Modern developers frequently work across more than one GitHub account on the same machine. Managing them manually requires constant .gitconfig edits, juggling SSH keys, and dealing with credential conflicts.
GitAxis gives you a dedicated management layer right inside VS Code:
- Centralized Profile Hub: Store and organize all your GitHub accounts in one place with custom labels, author signatures, authentication methods, and SSH keys.
- Context-Aware Switching: Switch your entire Git environment (author name, email, remote URLs, and credential helper) per repository in a single click or with
Ctrl+Alt+G.
- Automated Directory Routing: Define folder rules (e.g.
~/work/** for Work, ~/personal/** for Personal) so VS Code automatically activates the correct identity the moment you open a project.
- Clean Identity Isolation: Keep credentials, SSH keys, and tokens strictly isolated so each account operates independently without cross-contamination.
Quick Start (30 Seconds)
- Open GitAxis: Click the GitAxis icon in the Activity Bar or press
Ctrl+Alt+G / Alt+G (Cmd+Alt+G on macOS).
- Add or Import Profiles: Click + Add Profile to configure author details, or click the search icon to scan and import existing machine accounts with 1 click.
- Switch & Code: Click [Switch] on any profile. GitAxis updates the repository identity, aligns HTTPS remotes and credential helpers, and displays the active profile in the bottom status bar.
Core Capabilities
- Unified Account Management: Maintain as many GitHub profiles as you need (Work, Personal, Open Source, Client, Bot) with independent author names, emails, and credentials.
- Fast Profile Switching: Switch identities on the fly via the sidebar, the dynamic status bar item, or the global
Ctrl+Alt+G shortcut.
- Automated Directory Routing ("Set-and-Forget"): Map directories to profiles using Git's native
includeIf mechanism, ensuring automatic identity assignment by folder structure.
- Isolated Authentication & SSH: Securely stores Personal Access Tokens in VS Code's hardware-backed
SecretStorage. Injects -o IdentitiesOnly=yes into SSH commands so ssh-agent always presents the correct key.
- Integrated Commit & Push Safety: Built-in verification guards check author and remote ownership before committing or pushing, preventing accidental identity mismatches.
- Seamless Native SCM Integration: Integrates directly with VS Code's built-in Source Control. GitAxis prepares the identity and credential layer so native commit and push actions work seamlessly.
Commands & Shortcuts
| Command |
Shortcut |
Description |
GitAxis: Switch Profile |
Ctrl+Alt+G or Alt+G (Cmd+Alt+G) |
QuickPick to switch active profile |
GitAxis: Open Control Center |
— |
Focus the GitAxis sidebar |
GitAxis: Show Effective Identity |
— |
Inspect resolved Git author, SSH, and GCM config |
GitAxis: Configure Folder Rules |
— |
Manage includeIf directory bindings |
GitAxis: Scan Existing Accounts |
— |
Discover local Git and GitHub CLI logins |
GitAxis: Verify Profile Authentication |
— |
Test profile GitHub credentials on demand |
GitAxis: Create Profile |
— |
Open the form to add a new profile |
GitAxis: Manage Profiles |
— |
List and edit existing profile configurations |
GitAxis: Remove All GitAxis Config |
— |
Safe 1-click cleanup of all GitAxis include files |
Configuration Settings
Configure via VS Code Settings (Ctrl+, / Cmd+,, search GitAxis):
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
gitaxis.guard.mode |
"warn" |
Safety level ("block", "warn", "off") for pre-commit and pre-push guards. |
gitaxis.confirmDestructiveOperations |
true |
Confirmation for destructive Git commands (force push, rebase, hard reset). |
gitaxis.autoDetectProfile |
true |
Auto-detect and prompt profile switch based on repository remote. |
gitaxis.promptScanOnFirstLaunch |
true |
Prompt to scan local accounts on initial launch. |
gitaxis.advanced.allowGlobalScope |
false |
Enable global scope option (modifies machine-wide ~/.gitconfig). |
Security & Privacy
- 100% Local Execution: Runs entirely inside your local VS Code instance. Zero telemetry, zero analytics tracking, and no external servers.
- OS-Encrypted Tokens: Personal Access Tokens (PATs) are encrypted via VS Code's native
SecretStorage API (Windows Credential Manager, macOS Keychain, Linux Secret Service).
- Non-Destructive by Default: Never touches machine-wide
~/.gitconfig settings unless global scope is explicitly enabled.
Installation
- From VS Code: Press
Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P), run ext install mshrinath.gitaxis, and press Enter.
- From Command Line:
code --install-extension mshrinath.gitaxis
- From Marketplace: Visual Studio Marketplace
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
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