GitNova - Enterprise Git Integration for VS Code

Visualize and manage your Git workflow with a rhythm. The heartbeat of your codebase.

Features • Enterprise Features • Installation • Configuration • Commands

A comprehensive, enterprise-grade Git plugin for Visual Studio Code that provides advanced git operations through an intuitive, performant, and modern user interface. Built for teams that demand reliability, observability, and professional-grade tooling.

Features

Core Git Operations

Branch Management: Create, delete, rename, switch, and compare branches with ease
Commit History: View and search commit history with detailed information
Diff Viewer: Side-by-side and unified diff views with syntax highlighting
Stash Management: Create, apply, pop, and drop stashes
Interactive Rebase: Drag-and-drop commit reordering with conflict resolution
Merge Conflict Resolution: Side-by-side conflict view with merge strategies
Remote Operations: Fetch, pull, push, and manage remotes
Tag Management: Create, delete, and push tags
Status Bar Integration: Quick access to branch, status, and sync information
Tree Views: Native VSCode tree views for branches, commits, stashes, remotes, and tags

Enterprise Features

🔒 Branch Protection

Protect critical branches from accidental changes:

Configurable protected branch patterns (main, master, develop, release/, hotfix/)
Warning prompts before operations on protected branches
Admin override capability for authorized users
Branch naming convention enforcement

📝 Commit Templates

Streamline your commit workflow with templates:

Pre-configured conventional commit templates
Custom template creation and management
Interactive commit message wizard
Placeholder system for dynamic content
Breaking change support

👥 Git Blame

Inline blame annotations for code authorship:

Line-by-line blame information
Hover details with commit info
Recent commit highlighting
Configurable date formats (relative, short, full)
Toggle inline blame on/off

🌳 Worktree Management

Parallel development with Git worktrees:

List, create, and remove worktrees
Open worktrees in new VS Code windows
Lock/unlock worktrees
Move worktrees to new locations
Status bar integration

📦 Submodule Support

Enterprise-grade submodule management:

Initialize submodules recursively
Update submodules with various strategies
Add new submodules with branch tracking
Remove submodules cleanly
Sync submodule URLs
Status tracking and notifications

📁 Git LFS Support

Large File Storage for enterprise workflows:

Install and configure Git LFS
Track/untrack file patterns
Pull LFS objects with progress
Prune old LFS objects
Storage statistics and status

📊 Performance Monitoring

Enterprise observability features:

Operation timing metrics
Cache hit/miss statistics
Slow operation warnings
Performance reports

🔍 Enhanced Logging

Professional-grade logging:

VS Code Output Channel integration
Configurable log levels (trace, debug, info, warn, error)
Performance timing utilities
Log rotation support

📈 Telemetry

Usage analytics (respects VS Code settings):

Command usage tracking
Feature adoption metrics
Error tracking
Performance analytics

🛡️ Error Handling

Robust error management:

Centralized error handling
Error classification and categorization
Recovery strategies
User-friendly error messages
Retry mechanisms

Premium Features

Interactive Git Graph

Visualize your entire repository history with a native SVG-based branch graph:

Branch lanes with color-coded commit paths
Click any commit for details, right-click for actions (cherry-pick, revert, create branch)
Search and filter by message, author, or SHA
Pagination for large repositories

File History tree view in the sidebar showing all commits for the active file
Line History (Ctrl+Alt+H): Select lines to see how they evolved across commits
Revision Navigation: Step through file revisions with Alt+[ and Alt+]

Commit Details Panel

Rich webview showing full commit info, file tree with status icons, stats bar, and action buttons (cherry-pick, revert, checkout, copy SHA).

Search & Compare

Search commits by message, author, or file content (pickaxe)
Compare any two branches, tags, or commits side by side with a file diff list

Interactive Rebase UI

Drag-and-drop commit reordering with per-commit action dropdowns (pick, reword, edit, squash, fixup, drop) and a preview panel.

Merge Conflict Resolution UI

3-panel merge editor (Ours / Result / Theirs) with per-block Accept Current, Accept Incoming, and Accept Both actions.

Multi-Repository Support

Auto-discovers all Git repositories in workspace folders
Auto-switches active repo based on which file you're editing
Repository picker (GitNova: Switch Repository) for manual switching
Status bar shows repo name when multiple repos are open

Auto-Fetch with Notifications

Periodic background fetch with configurable interval. Notifies you when new remote commits are available with Pull and View actions.

Statistics Dashboard

Contributors tab: commit counts, rankings
Activity tab: commit frequency data
Code tab: language breakdown, most-modified files

Gutter Change Indicators

Color-coded indicators in the editor gutter: green for added lines, blue for modified, red for deleted. Updates in real-time as you type.

CodeLens Blame

See the last author and commit message above every function and class, powered by CodeLens.

Enhanced Branch Quick Picks

Branch picker with "Recent", "Local Branches", and "Remote Branches" sections, ahead/behind badges, and codicon icons.

Welcome Walkthrough

6-step onboarding guide that opens on first install, covering the sidebar, commits, branches, git graph, blame, and stash.

Technology Stack

TypeScript 5.x - Type-safe development
VSCode Extension API - Native integration with VSCode
Simple-git 3.x - Git operations wrapper
React 18.x - Modern UI components for webviews
Zustand 4.x - Lightweight state management
esbuild - Fast bundling and compilation

Installation

From VSCode Marketplace

Search for GitNova in the VS Code Extensions sidebar, or visit the Marketplace page.

From Source

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/sitharaj88/git-nova.git
cd git-nova

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the extension:

npm run compile

Run in development mode:

npm run watch

Press F5 in VSCode to launch the Extension Development Host

Commands

Branch Commands

Command	Description
`GitNova: Create Branch`	Create a new branch
`GitNova: Delete Branch`	Delete a branch
`GitNova: Switch Branch`	Switch to another branch
`GitNova: Rename Branch`	Rename the current branch
`GitNova: Merge Branch`	Merge a branch into current
`GitNova: Compare Branches`	Compare two branches

Commit Commands

Command	Description
`GitNova: Create Commit`	Create a new commit
`GitNova: View Commit History`	View commit history
`GitNova: Insert Commit Template`	Use a commit template
`GitNova: Commit Template Wizard`	Interactive template wizard

Stash Commands

Command	Description
`GitNova: Create Stash`	Create a new stash
`GitNova: Apply Stash`	Apply a stash
`GitNova: Pop Stash`	Pop a stash
`GitNova: Drop Stash`	Delete a stash

Enterprise Commands

Command	Description
`GitNova: Toggle Inline Blame`	Toggle inline blame annotations
`GitNova: Show File Blame`	Show blame for current file
`GitNova: List Worktrees`	List all worktrees
`GitNova: Create Worktree`	Create a new worktree
`GitNova: Initialize Submodules`	Initialize all submodules
`GitNova: Update Submodules`	Update all submodules
`GitNova: Add Submodule`	Add a new submodule
`GitNova: Install Git LFS`	Install LFS in repository
`GitNova: Track Files with LFS`	Track file patterns with LFS
`GitNova: Show Logs`	Open GitNova log output
`GitNova: Show Performance Report`	View performance metrics

Premium Commands

Command	Description
`GitNova: Open Git Graph`	Open the interactive git graph
`GitNova: Show File History`	Show commit history for the active file
`GitNova: Show Line History`	Show history for selected lines
`GitNova: Previous Revision`	Navigate to previous file revision
`GitNova: Next Revision`	Navigate to next file revision
`GitNova: Pick Revision`	Pick a specific file revision
`GitNova: Toggle Gutter Indicators`	Toggle gutter change indicators
`GitNova: Toggle CodeLens`	Toggle CodeLens blame annotations
`GitNova: Search & Compare`	Open search and compare panel
`GitNova: Show Commit Detail`	Show detailed commit info
`GitNova: Interactive Rebase`	Open interactive rebase UI
`GitNova: Resolve Merge Conflicts`	Open merge conflict resolution UI
`GitNova: Show Repository Statistics`	Open statistics dashboard
`GitNova: Switch Repository`	Switch active repository (multi-repo)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Command
`Ctrl+Alt+B` / `Cmd+Alt+B`	Toggle Inline Blame
`Alt+[`	Previous File Revision
`Alt+]`	Next File Revision
`Ctrl+Alt+H` / `Cmd+Alt+H`	Show Line History
`Ctrl+Alt+T` / `Cmd+Alt+T`	Insert Commit Template
`Ctrl+Alt+W` / `Cmd+Alt+W`	List Worktrees
`Ctrl+Alt+L` / `Cmd+Alt+L`	Show Logs

Configuration

The extension can be configured through VSCode settings:

General Settings

{
  "gitNova.autoRefresh": true,
  "gitNova.refreshInterval": 60000,
  "gitNova.showStatusBar": true,
  "gitNova.defaultBranchName": "main",
  "gitNova.showRemoteBranches": true,
  "gitNova.branchSortOrder": "recent"
}

Diff Settings

{
  "gitNova.diffViewMode": "unified",
  "gitNova.ignoreWhitespace": false,
  "gitNova.showLineNumbers": true
}

Branch Protection

{
  "gitNova.branchProtection.enabled": true,
  "gitNova.branchProtection.protectedPatterns": [
    "main", "master", "develop", "release/*", "hotfix/*"
  ],
  "gitNova.branchProtection.requirePullRequest": true
}

Branch Naming Conventions

{
  "gitNova.branchNaming.enabled": true,
  "gitNova.branchNaming.pattern": "^(feature|bugfix|hotfix|release|chore)/[a-z0-9-]+$",
  "gitNova.branchNaming.prefixes": [
    "feature/", "bugfix/", "hotfix/", "release/", "chore/"
  ],
  "gitNova.branchNaming.requireTicketNumber": false
}

Commit Message Settings

{
  "gitNova.commitMessage.maxSubjectLength": 72,
  "gitNova.commitMessage.requireType": false,
  "gitNova.commitMessage.allowedTypes": [
    "feat", "fix", "docs", "style", "refactor", "perf", "test", "build", "ci", "chore", "revert"
  ]
}

Blame Settings

{
  "gitNova.blame.enabled": true,
  "gitNova.blame.dateFormat": "relative",
  "gitNova.blame.highlightRecent": true,
  "gitNova.blame.recentDays": 7
}

Performance Settings

{
  "gitNova.performance.enableMetrics": true,
  "gitNova.performance.slowOperationThreshold": 3000,
  "gitNova.performance.showCacheStats": false
}

Logging Settings

{
  "gitNova.logging.level": "info",
  "gitNova.logging.includeTimestamp": true
}

Project Structure

git-nova/
├── src/                    # Main source code
│   ├── commands/          # Command handlers
│   ├── core/              # Core services (GitService, RepositoryManager, EventBus)
│   ├── models/            # Data models and interfaces
│   ├── providers/         # Tree data providers
│   ├── services/          # Enterprise services
│   │   ├── telemetryService.ts
│   │   ├── errorHandler.ts
│   │   ├── performanceMonitor.ts
│   │   ├── workspaceStateManager.ts
│   │   ├── branchProtectionManager.ts
│   │   ├── commitTemplateManager.ts
│   │   ├── worktreeManager.ts
│   │   ├── gitBlameService.ts
│   │   ├── submoduleManager.ts
│   │   └── lfsManager.ts
│   ├── views/             # Webview panel managers
│   └── utils/             # Utility functions
├── webviews/              # React webview source
├── test/                  # Test files
│   └── unit/             # Unit tests
└── resources/             # Icons and schemas

Architecture

The plugin follows a layered architecture with event-driven communication:

Presentation Layer: Tree views, webviews, and status bar
Command Layer: Command handlers for user actions
Service Layer: GitService, RepositoryManager, EventBus, and Enterprise Services
Data Layer: Models, interfaces, and cache

Enterprise Service Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     Extension Entry                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                              │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐         │
│  │   Logger    │  │  Telemetry  │  │   Error     │         │
│  │             │  │   Service   │  │  Handler    │         │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘         │
│                                                              │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐         │
│  │ Performance │  │  Workspace  │  │   Branch    │         │
│  │   Monitor   │  │   State     │  │ Protection  │         │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘         │
│                                                              │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐         │
│  │   Commit    │  │  Worktree   │  │  Git Blame  │         │
│  │  Templates  │  │   Manager   │  │   Service   │         │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘         │
│                                                              │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐                          │
│  │  Submodule  │  │    LFS      │                          │
│  │   Manager   │  │   Manager   │                          │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘                          │
│                                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Available Scripts

npm run compile - Build the extension
npm run watch - Build and watch for changes
npm run lint - Run ESLint
npm run lint:fix - Fix ESLint issues
npm run test - Run tests
npm run package - Package the extension for distribution

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes using conventional commits (git commit -m 'feat: add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

Commit Message Guidelines

We follow Conventional Commits:

feat: - New features
fix: - Bug fixes
docs: - Documentation changes
style: - Code style changes (formatting, etc.)
refactor: - Code refactoring
perf: - Performance improvements
test: - Test additions or modifications
build: - Build system changes
ci: - CI configuration changes
chore: - Other changes

License

Apache-2.0 License - see LICENSE file for details

Support

Made with ❤️ for developers who love Git

GitNova

sitharaj