Git Pull Agent
A frictionless, read-only Git auto-pull companion built specifically for workshop students and learners.
When following along with a live coding session, a bootcamp, or a workshop, you shouldn't have to constantly switch to the terminal to type git pull just to see the instructor's latest code. Git Pull Agent runs quietly in the background, keeping your local workspace perfectly in sync with the remote repository so you can focus entirely on learning the code.
⚡ Quick Start
- Install Git Pull Agent from the VS Code Marketplace.
- Clone your instructor's or project's Git repository.
- Click the
auto-pull: OFF status bar button to toggle it ON.
- Watch your files update in real-time as the instructor pushes new code!
🚀 Installation
OR
- Open VS Code
- Go to Extensions
- Search for
git pull agent and select this extension
- Click Install
The Perfect Companion for Instructors:
Are you an instructor or workshop host?
Use Git Snapshots
to easily broadcast your code to the remote repository, while your students use
Git Pull Agent to seamlessly receive it.
✨ Features
Git Pull Agent keeps things incredibly simple. It does one thing and does it perfectly: keeps your local repo in sync with the remote.
Auto-Pull Interval | use status bar icon auto-pull: ON
Continuously polls the remote repository and pulls down new code automatically.
Pull Now ( Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P ) | use status bar icon Pull Now
Forces an immediate sync with the remote repository. Resets the interval timer so you never get overlapping pulls.
Smart Local Protection
If you experiment and change code locally, the agent won't blindly overwrite your work. It detects local changes and prompts you to either protect your work or overwrite it with the instructor's latest state.
Status bar icons
Visual shortcuts for all actions — you instantly know if the agent is actively listening for updates.
⚙️ Configuration
Extension settings [ ctrl + , ] / gitPullAgent
gitPullAgent.intervalEnabled: Enable or disable auto-pulling on interval. [default: false]gitPullAgent.intervalMs: Polling interval in milliseconds (minimum 1000ms). [default: 5000]gitPullAgent.overrideLocal: If true, forcefully overwrites any local changes you make without asking. If false, prompts you to overwrite or skip. [default: false]
🚀 Usage
- Open the cloned workshop folder in VS Code.
- Look at the bottom left of your VS Code Status Bar.
- Click
auto-pull: OFF to turn the agent ON. The icon will turn green.
- If you need to force an update instantly, click
Pull Now icon.
🛡️ Smart Protection & Conflicts
During a workshop, you might want to type along or test a piece of code yourself. If the instructor pushes an update while you have uncommitted changes in your editor, a standard git pull would normally crash or create messy merge conflicts.
Git Pull Agent handles this gracefully:
- If
overrideLocal is false (Default): You will get a friendly warning asking if you want to Overwrite Local (discarding your experiments to catch up with the instructor) or Skip (keeping your changes, but pausing the updates).
- If
overrideLocal is true: The agent assumes the instructor's code is the absolute source of truth and will automatically reset your local folder to perfectly match the remote branch.
⚠️ Important Setup Tip for Instructors
Because Git Pull Agent saves its "ON/OFF" toggle state directly to the VS Code workspace configuration, it automatically modifies the .vscode/settings.json file.
If the .vscode folder is tracked by Git, the moment a student turns the agent ON, Git will see it as a "local change," and the Smart Protection feature will block the auto-pull!
How to fix: Always ensure you add .vscode*/ to your workshop repository's .gitignore file before the session begins.
🛠️ Troubleshoot
Pull Failed / Connection Error
Error:
Git Pull Agent: Connection or pull failed. Check remote repository.
→ Fix: Ensure you have internet connectivity and that the repository you cloned still exists or hasn't changed its access permissions.
Local changes detected
Warning:
Local changes detected. Cannot apply instructor updates.
→ Fix: You have typed code into a file that the instructor is also modifying. Choose Overwrite Local to catch up to the instructor, or Skip if you want to preserve your local experiments.
☑️ Requirements
- VS Code v1.85.0 or higher.
- Git installed on your system.
⚖️ License
MIT
🏠 Home
GitHub
