GitLess

Git in VSCode with less bloat.

Description

GitLess is a minimal VSCode Git extension. The built-in Git features don't do enough, but other extensions do too much. GitLess strikes a balance, providing a focused set of features for everyday Git workflows.

What GitLess does not do:

• GitLess does not collect telemetry.
• GitLess does not expire extension versions or disable functionality until you update.
• GitLess does not require a separate account, subscription, or cloud service.
• GitLess does not turn your Source Control panel into a full workflow dashboard.
• GitLess does not run heavyweight background services just to show Git history.

Features

Command Palette

Access common commands from the VSCode command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

Command	Description
GitLess: Copy link to repository	Copy the remote repository URL
GitLess: Copy remote file URL	Copy the URL of the current file on the remote
GitLess: Copy remote file URL from	Copy the file URL for a specific branch or tag
GitLess: Copy remote commit URL	Copy the URL of the current commit
GitLess: Copy remote commit URL from	Copy the commit URL from a specific remote
GitLess: Copy SHA	Copy the full commit SHA
GitLess: Copy short SHA	Copy the short commit SHA
GitLess: Open file on remote	Open the current file on the remote
GitLess: Open commit on remote	Open the current commit on the remote
GitLess: Select Repository	Switch the active repository in multi-repo workspaces
GitLess: Search Commits	Search commits by message, author, SHA (short or full), file, or changes
GitLess: Compare References	Compare branches, tags, or refs

Source Control Panel

GitLess adds a grouped section to the Source Control panel with toggle buttons to switch between views:

• Commits - Browse the commit history with expandable file trees
• Tags - Browse tags and their associated commits
• Branches - View local and remote branches and inspect recent commits
• Remotes - Inspect configured remotes and remote branches
• Stashes - Inspect stashed changes
• Worktrees - View Git worktrees and inspect recent commits

Commit Hover Actions

Hover over a commit to reveal inline buttons:

Button	Action	Alt/Option Action
Open all changes	Open diffs for all files	Open all changes against working tree
Compare	Compare to/from HEAD	Compare working tree to this commit
Copy SHA	Copy the full commit SHA	Copy the commit message
Open on remote	Open the commit on the web	Copy the remote commit URL to clipboard

Commit tooltips autolink common references in commit summaries and bodies, including:

• Raw http and https URLs
• Commit references, including short SHAs (a05b1ad, 1765166), full SHAs, and owner/repo@SHA
• GitHub autolinked references like GH-123, #123, and owner/repo#123
• GitLab crosslinks like GL-123, !123, and owner/repo!123
• Forgejo and Codeberg references

Provider-specific tooltip links prefer a recognized upstream remote, then origin, then the first recognized remote so forked checkouts can link references to the source repository. Remote open and copy commands still use the command preferred remote, choosing origin first and then the first recognized remote.

File Hover Actions

Expand a commit to see its files, then hover for inline buttons:

Button	Action	Alt/Option Action
Open file at revision	Open the file at this commit	Open the working tree file
Open changes	Diff against working file	Open changes with working file
Open file on remote	Open the file on the web	Copy the remote file URL

Tag Hover Actions

Button	Action	Alt/Option Action
Checkout	Checkout this tag
Compare	Compare to/from HEAD	Compare working tree to this tag

Context Menus

Right-click on items for additional actions:

• Commits: Copy SHA, Copy short SHA, Copy message, Share > Copy remote commit URL
• Files: Share > Copy link to commit, Copy link to commit at revision, Copy remote file URL, Copy remote file URL at revision
• Tags: Copy tag name, Copy tag message
• Branches: Compare with HEAD, Share > Copy link to repository
• Stashes: Copy SHA, Copy message
• Remotes: Copy link to repository, Open current file on remote

GitLess Inspect Panel

The GitLess Inspect sidebar panel provides:

• File History - View the commit history of the active file
• Line History - View the commit history of selected lines
• Search and Compare - Search commits by message, author, SHA (short or full), file, or changes; compare branches, tags, or refs

Remote Provider Support

GitLess generates correct URLs for:

• GitHub
• GitLab
• Forgejo (including Codeberg)
• Azure DevOps
• Bitbucket

Configuration

Available settings:

Setting	Default	Description
gitless.shortShaLength	7	Length of short commit SHAs (5 - 40)
gitless.repositoryScanMaxDepth	1	Depth used when scanning workspace folders for Git repositories (-1 no limit)
gitless.views.commits.showBranchComparison	true	Show branch comparison in Commits view
gitless.defaultDateFormat	null	Date format (Day.js format tokens)
gitless.defaultDateStyle	"relative"	Date style: relative or absolute
gitless.views.branches.layout	"tree"	Branch view layout: list or tree

Notes:

• gitless.defaultDateFormat uses Day.js format tokens.
  • YYYY-MM-DD renders 2026-04-11.
  • MMM D, YYYY renders Apr 11, 2026.
  • YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm renders 2026-04-11 14:30.
  • null will use the default date formatting.
• gitless.repositoryScanMaxDepth controls how many levels of subdirectories GitLess traverses when scanning workspace folders for Git repositories. Equivalent to git.repositoryScanMaxDepth. For the best multi-repo workspace experience, set both git.repositoryScanMaxDepth and gitless.repositoryScanMaxDepth to the same number.

Set custom values in your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "gitless.defaultDateFormat": "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm",
  "gitless.defaultDateStyle": "absolute",
  "gitless.repositoryScanMaxDepth": 5,
  "git.repositoryScanMaxDepth": 5,
}

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22+
• pnpm 10+

Setup

pnpm install

Build

pnpm run build       # Production build
pnpm run build:dev   # Development build (with sourcemaps)
pnpm run watch       # Watch mode

Test

pnpm run test        # Unit tests (VS Code test host)
pnpm run test:e2e    # E2E tests (VS Code test host)

Lint and Format

pnpm run lint        # Check formatting
pnpm run format      # Fix formatting

Debug

Launch the Extension Development Host by pressing F5 or running "Debug: Start Debugging" from the command palette. This opens a second VSCode window with the extension loaded. After making code changes, run "Developer: Reload Window" in the Extension Development Host to pick up the new build. See .vscode/launch.json for debug configurations.

Package

pnpm run package     # Create .vsix file

Publishing

Publishing is fully automated with semantic-release. When commits are pushed to main, semantic-release analyzes the commit messages to determine the next version, generates a changelog, publishes to both the VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX (for VSCodium and other non-Microsoft distributions), and creates a GitHub release.

License

MIT