GitHub - Auto-Explore/GitComet: GitComet is fastest open source user interface for GIT workflows

GitComet

Fastest Open Source Git GUI

GitComet is built for teams that want fast Git operations with local-first privacy, familiar workflows, and open source freedom.

Available for Linux, Windows, and macOS.

Download

Download the latest prebuilt binaries/installers from GitHub Releases.

Homebrew (macOs / Linux)

install app from tap (recommended):

brew tap auto-explore/gitcomet
brew install --cask gitcomet

optional CLI install:

brew install gitcomet-cli

AUR (Arch Linux)

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/gitcomet.git
cd gitcomet && makepkg -si

GURU (Gentoo Linux)

emerge --ask dev-vcs/gitcomet

apt (Debian/Ubuntu)

curl -fsSL https://apt.gitcomet.dev/gitcomet-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/gitcomet-archive-keyring.gpg >/dev/null
curl -fsSL https://apt.gitcomet.dev/gitcomet.sources | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gitcomet.sources >/dev/null
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gitcomet

Requirements

GitComet requires a local Git installation of 2.50 or newer.

Fast, Free, Familiar

Fast: Built end-to-end in Rust for speed and efficiency using smol, gix, and gpui.
Free: Free to use for individuals and organizations.
Familiar: Familiar history browsing and drop-in git difftool and git mergetool compatibility.

Why GitComet

GitComet started from frustration with existing tools on huge codebases like Chromium. We could not find a product that stays responsive and functional when browsing large repositories and file diffs.

Chromium benchmark snapshot

Tool	Version	Time to open Chromium repo	Memory while opening
GitComet	v0.2.0	1s	265MB
GitFiend	v0.45.3	1s	289MB
SourceGit	v2026.6	3.5s	301MB
SmartGit	v25.1.110	18s	4.8GB
GitKraken	v11.10.0	25s	2GB
Megit	v0.10.0	29s	14.4GB
Gittyup	v2.0.0	43s	2.5GB + 1.5GB indexer

Measured on Linux 6.19.6-zen (x64), Ryzen 5950x, 128GB DDR4. Detailed test steps will be published.

Editions (planned)

Open Source

Price: €0 forever
Usage: Free for personal and commercial use
Includes:
- Full local-first desktop workflow
- Git remotes, pull/push, staging, commits
- Worktrees, branching, and full history
- Multi-repository browsing
- Inline and side-by-side diffs
- 2-way and 3-way merge tools

Professional

Price: €20 lifetime access (limited-time early adopter offer)
Includes everything in Open Source, plus:
- Claude Code, Codex, and GitHub CLI integrations
- Code test coverage workflows
- GitHub and Azure DevOps integrations
- Priority improvements during early access
Join waitlist: gitcomet.dev/#pricing

Build from source

cargo build -p gitcomet --features ui-gpui,gix
cargo run -p gitcomet --features ui-gpui,gix -- /path/to/repo

Contributing

Developer setup, workspace layout, testing, and coverage docs live in CONTRIBUTING.md.

Using as a Git difftool / mergetool

GitComet can be used as a standalone diff and merge tool invoked by git difftool and git mergetool. It supports both headless (algorithm-only) and GUI (interactive GPUI window) modes.

Setup / uninstall (recommended)

# Configure Git globally to use GitComet for both difftool + mergetool
gitcomet setup

# Remove GitComet integration safely
gitcomet uninstall

Use --local to target only the current repository instead of global config.
Use --dry-run to print the commands before applying changes.

This setup registers both headless and GUI variants with guiDefault=auto, so Git chooses GUI when display is available and falls back to headless otherwise. setup/uninstall are designed to be idempotent.

Show detailed setup/uninstall behavior and manual commands

Built-in setup writes these Git config entries:

GITCOMET_BIN="/absolute/path/to/gitcomet"

# Headless tool: algorithm-only merge/diff for CI, scripts, and no-display environments
git config --global merge.tool gitcomet
git config --global mergetool.gitcomet.cmd \
  "'$GITCOMET_BIN' mergetool --base \"\$BASE\" --local \"\$LOCAL\" --remote \"\$REMOTE\" --merged \"\$MERGED\""
git config --global mergetool.trustExitCode true
git config --global mergetool.gitcomet.trustExitCode true
git config --global mergetool.prompt false

git config --global diff.tool gitcomet
git config --global difftool.gitcomet.cmd \
  "'$GITCOMET_BIN' difftool --local \"\$LOCAL\" --remote \"\$REMOTE\" --path \"\$MERGED\""
git config --global difftool.trustExitCode true
git config --global difftool.gitcomet.trustExitCode true
git config --global difftool.prompt false

# GUI tool: opens focused GPUI windows for interactive diff/merge
git config --global merge.guitool gitcomet-gui
git config --global mergetool.gitcomet-gui.cmd \
  "'$GITCOMET_BIN' mergetool --gui --base \"\$BASE\" --local \"\$LOCAL\" --remote \"\$REMOTE\" --merged \"\$MERGED\""
git config --global mergetool.gitcomet-gui.trustExitCode true

git config --global diff.guitool gitcomet-gui
git config --global difftool.gitcomet-gui.cmd \
  "'$GITCOMET_BIN' difftool --gui --local \"\$LOCAL\" --remote \"\$REMOTE\" --path \"\$MERGED\""
git config --global difftool.gitcomet-gui.trustExitCode true

# Auto-select GUI tool when DISPLAY is available, headless otherwise
git config --global mergetool.guiDefault auto
git config --global difftool.guiDefault auto

Built-in setup stores previous user values for shared generic keys under gitcomet.backup.* (when needed).
Built-in uninstall restores those backups only when the key still has the setup-managed value. If the user changed a setting after setup, uninstall preserves that user-edited value and then removes GitComet-specific keys.

CLI modes

Difftool:

gitcomet difftool --local <path> --remote <path> [--path <display_name>] [--label-left <label>] [--label-right <label>]

Also reads LOCAL/REMOTE from environment as a fallback when invoked by Git.

Mergetool:

gitcomet mergetool --local <path> --remote <path> --merged <path> [--base <path>] [--label-local <label>] [--label-remote <label>] [--label-base <label>]

Also reads LOCAL/REMOTE/MERGED/BASE from environment. Base is optional for add/add conflicts.

Compatibility

KDiff3 and Meld invocation forms are supported (--L1/--L2/--L3, -o/--output/--out, --base, positional arguments), so GitComet can be a drop-in replacement.

Themes

GitComet supports built-in themes and user-provided custom themes.

Themes are loaded from JSON bundle files. GitComet ships with built-in themes and copies them into your per-user themes directory.

GitComet loads custom themes from JSON bundle files in your per-user themes directory.

Theme File Location

GitComet only loads .json files from the user themes directory:

Platform	Themes directory
Linux	`$XDG_DATA_HOME/gitcomet/themes` or `~/.local/share/gitcomet/themes`
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/gitcomet/themes`
Windows	`%LOCALAPPDATA%\\gitcomet\\themes` or `%APPDATA%\\gitcomet\\themes`

JSON Schema

Disclaimer: The theme JSON format may change as GitComet's UI is still actively being developed.

Each theme file is a bundle with a bundle name and one or more themes. The example below includes every currently supported field:

{
  "name": "My Theme Pack",
  "author": "Example Author",                           // Optional
  "themes": [
    {
      "key": "my_theme_dark",
      "name": "My Theme Dark",
      "appearance": "dark",
      "colors": {
        "window_bg": "#10131aff",
        "surface_bg": "#171b24ff",
        "surface_bg_elevated": "#1d2230ff",
        "active_section": "#262c3bff",
        "border": "#2c3445ff",
        "tooltip_bg": "#0b0e14ff",                      // Optional
        "tooltip_text": "#f5f7fbff",                    // Optional
        "text": "#edf1f7ff",
        "text_muted": "#9ea7b8ff",
        "accent": "#59b7ffff",
        "hover": "#222839ff",
        "active": { "hex": "#3a4560ff", "alpha": 0.85 },
        "focus_ring": { "hex": "#59b7ffff", "alpha": 0.55 },
        "focus_ring_bg": { "hex": "#59b7ffff", "alpha": 0.16 },
        "scrollbar_thumb": { "hex": "#9ea7b8ff", "alpha": 0.30 },
        "scrollbar_thumb_hover": { "hex": "#9ea7b8ff", "alpha": 0.42 },
        "scrollbar_thumb_active": { "hex": "#9ea7b8ff", "alpha": 0.52 },
        "danger": "#f16b73ff",
        "warning": "#ffc06aff",
        "success": "#9edb63ff",
        "diff_add_bg": "#163322ff",                     // Optional
        "diff_add_text": "#b9f2c0ff",                   // Optional
        "diff_remove_bg": "#40171dff",                  // Optional
        "diff_remove_text": "#ffc4ccff",                // Optional
        "input_placeholder": "#ffffff59",               // Optional
        "accent_text": "#08111cff",                     // Optional
        "graph_lane_palette": [                         // Optional
          "#ff6b6bff",
          "#ffd166ff",
          "#06d6a0ff",
          "#4dabf7ff"
        ],
        "graph_lane_hues": [                            // Optional
          0.00,
          0.18,
          0.42,
          0.63
        ]
      },
      "syntax": {                                       // Optional
        "comment": "#7f8aa1ff",                         // Optional
        "comment_doc": "#91a0b8ff",                     // Optional
        "keyword": "#7ec5ffff",                         // Optional
        "keyword_control": "#8fd8ffff",                 // Optional
        "number": "#9edb63ff",                          // Optional
        "boolean": "#b4e07aff",                         // Optional
        "function": "#78c4ffff",                        // Optional
        "function_method": "#87d0ffff",                 // Optional
        "function_special": "#96dbffff",                // Optional
        "type": "#ffc06aff",                            // Optional
        "type_builtin": "#ffce87ff",                    // Optional
        "type_interface": "#ffd9a3ff",                  // Optional
        "variable": "#f3f6fbff",                        // Optional
        "variable_parameter": "#c7d0deff",              // Optional
        "variable_special": "#70c5ffff",                // Optional
        "property": "#66c2ffff",                        // Optional
        "constant": "#9edb63ff",                        // Optional
        "operator": "#c5ceddff",                        // Optional
        "punctuation": "#b4beceff",                     // Optional
        "punctuation_bracket": "#c2cadaff",             // Optional
        "punctuation_delimiter": "#a9b4c7ff",           // Optional
        "string": "#ffd27aff",                          // Optional
        "string_escape": "#8ce3b4ff",                   // Optional
        "tag": "#ffc06aff",                             // Optional
        "attribute": "#74caffff",                       // Optional
        "lifetime": "#80d2ffff"                         // Optional
      },
      "radii": {
        "panel": 2.0,
        "pill": 2.0,
        "row": 2.0
      }
    }
  ]
}

In normal use, provide either graph_lane_palette or graph_lane_hues. The example shows both only so every supported field is visible in one place.

One file can define multiple themes. Theme keys must be unique within the file.

Required Theme Fields

Each entry in themes must include:

Field	Type	Notes
`key`	string	Stable internal identifier used in settings and persistence
`name`	string	User-facing label shown in the UI
`appearance`	string	Must be `light` or `dark`
`colors`	object	Theme color definitions
`radii`	object	Radius values for UI surfaces

The bundle root supports:

Field	Type	Notes
`name`	string	Required. Bundle name
`author`	string	Optional
`themes`	array	Required. One or more theme entries

Colors Schema

Required color fields

window_bg, surface_bg, surface_bg_elevated, active_section, border, text, text_muted, accent, hover, active, focus_ring, focus_ring_bg, scrollbar_thumb, scrollbar_thumb_hover, scrollbar_thumb_active, danger, warning, success

Optional color fields

tooltip_bg, tooltip_text, diff_add_bg, diff_add_text, diff_remove_bg, diff_remove_text, input_placeholder, accent_text, graph_lane_palette, graph_lane_hues

Color value format

Most color fields accept either:

a hex RGBA string such as #0d1016ff
an object with hex plus alpha, for example { "hex": "#5ac1feff", "alpha": 0.60 }

Use graph_lane_palette for an explicit list of colors, or graph_lane_hues for a list of hue values that GitComet turns into graph lane colors automatically.

If you omit optional diff colors, tooltip colors, placeholder color, accent text color, or syntax colors, GitComet falls back to built-in defaults.

More generally, omitted optional values are either derived from the theme's base colors or filled with built-in defaults, depending on the field.

Syntax Schema

The syntax object is optional. Supported keys are:

comment, comment_doc, string, string_escape, keyword, keyword_control, number, boolean, function, function_method, function_special, type, type_builtin, type_interface, variable, variable_parameter, variable_special, property, constant, operator, punctuation, punctuation_bracket, punctuation_delimiter, tag, attribute, lifetime

Use type in JSON for the main type-name color.

Radii Schema

The radii object is required and must include:

panel
pill
row

These values are numeric and control the corner radius used by major UI elements.

Overrides And Validation Behavior

GitComet loads every .json file in the themes directory.
A runtime theme can override a bundled theme by reusing the same key.
A file that cannot be read or parsed is ignored.
GitComet does not expose a separate machine-readable JSON Schema file today; the implementation in GitComet/crates/gitcomet-ui-gpui/src/theme.rs is the source of truth.

Crash logs

If the app crashes due to a Rust panic, GitComet writes a crash log to:

Linux: $XDG_STATE_HOME/gitcomet/crashes/ (fallback: ~/.local/state/gitcomet/crashes/)
macOS: ~/Library/Logs/gitcomet/crashes/
Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\gitcomet\crashes\ (fallback: %APPDATA%\gitcomet\crashes\)

On next startup, GitComet can prompt you to report the crash as a prefilled GitHub issue in Auto-Explore/GitComet, including app version, platform, panic details, and a trimmed backtrace.

Prior work and ideas inspired by:

SourceTree, GitKraken, Zed, GPUI, KDiff3, Meld, Github Desktop, Git, Gix, Rust, Smol, and many more.

This project has been created with the help of AI tools, including OpenAI Codex and Claude Code.

Star History

License

GitComet is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License Version 3 (AGPL-3.0-only). See LICENSE-AGPL-3.0.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 335 Commits
.cargo		.cargo
.github		.github
assets		assets
crates		crates
docs		docs
scripts		scripts
test_data		test_data
.gitignore		.gitignore
.rustfmt.toml		.rustfmt.toml
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
Cargo.lock		Cargo.lock
Cargo.toml		Cargo.toml
LICENSE-AGPL-3.0		LICENSE-AGPL-3.0
NOTICE		NOTICE
README.md		README.md
clippy.toml		clippy.toml
rust-toolchain.toml		rust-toolchain.toml

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GitComet

Download

Homebrew (macOs / Linux)

AUR (Arch Linux)

GURU (Gentoo Linux)

apt (Debian/Ubuntu)

Requirements

Fast, Free, Familiar

Why GitComet

Chromium benchmark snapshot

Editions (planned)

Open Source

Professional

Build from source

Contributing

Using as a Git difftool / mergetool

Setup / uninstall (recommended)

CLI modes

Compatibility

Themes

Theme File Location

JSON Schema

Required Theme Fields

Colors Schema

Required color fields

Optional color fields

Color value format

Syntax Schema

Radii Schema

Overrides And Validation Behavior

Crash logs

Prior work and ideas inspired by:

Star History

License

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