Branchline

A local-first Git desktop client. See your commit graph, prepare changes, manage branches, and use a real terminal in one workspace. The current source has native verification lanes for macOS, glibc Linux and Windows on x64 and arm64; see platform scope and acceptance checks. The published download below is the historical macOS Apple Silicon release.

Branchline runs Git on your computer. Its demo is a real, isolated repository with branches, merges, tags, stashes, worktrees, and a local remote, so you can try the workflow before opening your own projects.

What you can do

• Explore the commit graph with complete, wrapping reference chips, inspect formatted commit messages, and search by message, author, or SHA.
• Stage files or individual hunks, compare unified and split diffs, and create commits.
• Work with branches, tags, stashes, remotes, worktrees, and Git's merge, rebase, cherry-pick, revert, and reset operations. Double-click a branch to check it out, or open a commit through an explicit detached-HEAD dialog.
• Resolve conflicts in an editable ours/theirs view, including modify/delete conflicts.
• Compare references, inspect file history and blame, plan an interactive rebase, and import or export patches.
• Use guarded undo/redo, recovery copies for discarded changes, autostash enabled by default for checkout/merge/rebase/pull, and an activity log with command output.
• Open a native terminal, switch themes, and browse pull or merge requests through GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket Cloud/Server, Azure DevOps, Gitea, or Forgejo. Hosting profiles support public services and enterprise servers; issue support depends on the provider.
• Optionally ask an AI model for a commit message or review of a diff. Local models and cloud providers are both configurable; suggestions remain text for you to review.

English is the default interface language. Choose English, Italiano, Español, Français, Deutsch, Português (Brasil), 日本語, or 简体中文 from Preferences → Interface language, the first preference. The language button in the header opens the same selector. Your choice applies immediately and is saved for the next launch.

See the practical guide for examples using the English interface.

View the native preference screen in Deutsch or 简体中文.

Install on macOS

Download Branchline 0.4.0 for Apple Silicon and its SHA-256 checksum. Extract the ZIP, move Branchline.app into Applications, and open it.

To check the download, keep both files in the same folder and run:

shasum -a 256 -c Branchline-0.4.0-mac-arm64.zip.sha256

The release is Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple, with a validated stapled ticket. On 2 October 2026, a public HTTPS download passed checksum, signature, ticket and Gatekeeper checks. A controlled quarantine test then launched the app through the normal macOS Open confirmation. See macOS distribution and the validation record for the exact scope.

Build and run from source

You need a supported macOS, Windows or glibc Linux desktop, Git, Node.js 22.12 or newer, and npm. From the source checkout, install the dependencies and launch the development app:

npm ci
npm run dev

For a production frontend build:

npm run build
npm start

Create a native application package for the current OS and CPU with:

npm run package

The package is written outside the checkout to the OS temporary directory, or to BRANCHLINE_PACKAGE_OUTPUT when set. It checks the actual executable architecture, GPL notices and native PTY runtime. macOS uses ad-hoc signing for local package integrity. Build prerequisites, six native CI targets and verification limits are documented in PLATFORMS.md. npm run package:macos retains the macOS-only cache/signing path.

The separate npm run release:macos workflow uses Developer ID signing and requires Apple notarization, a validated stapled ticket and Gatekeeper assessment before creating its final archive. The real 0.4.0 arm64 release completed these checks. See macOS distribution for the verification process and interactive Keychain setup.

Open the app and choose Explore the demo. The + beside the repository tabs and the command palette also let you open the isolated demo. Existing demo changes are preserved when you reopen it.

Prepare a focused commit

Click a changed file to inspect its diff. Use Stage hunk to prepare only that block, or the file's + button to stage the whole file. Review the staging list, enter a message, and choose Create commit. A commit stays local until you push it.

Hosting profiles

Open Integrations to choose a remote, or Preferences → Hosting profiles to configure an account or enterprise server. Profiles cover GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket Cloud/Server, Azure DevOps, Gitea and Forgejo. Bind a saved profile to each repository/remote pair without changing Git's URL or credentials.

Public access can run without a token. Private access uses encrypted credentials or, for GitHub, the existing GitHub CLI login. Integration lists are read-only; supported issue APIs vary by provider. See the hosting guide for server URLs, authentication modes and limits.

View the read-only GitLab list, retrieved for a public remote attached to the isolated demo.

Optional AI

Configure profiles for OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Google AI Studio, Vertex AI, LiteLLM, Amazon Bedrock, Ollama, or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint such as LM Studio or vLLM. Import .env or JSON settings, discover models where supported, or enter an exact model ID manually.

The app shows the selected destination before generation. A cloud profile sends the chosen diff to that provider when you click Generate suggestion; a local profile uses its configured local endpoint. Git operations work without AI or a cloud account.

Credentials are encrypted through the operating system and kept separately from profile metadata. Saved secrets are never returned to the interface. See AI configuration and data handling for authentication, import formats, limits, and test coverage.

Development and verification

npm test
npm run build

Tests use isolated Git fixtures and mocked AI transports. Passing them does not establish access to every real provider. Native desktop checks, external dependencies, and remaining gaps are recorded in VALIDATION.md.

The renderer uses React and TypeScript. Electron's main process owns Git, filesystem, terminal, and provider access through an isolated IPC bridge. See the API contract, feature scope, and user guide.

Current limits include file/hunk staging rather than individual-line staging, a default graph window of 400 commits with reference-focused navigation, and read-only hosting integrations. Remote Git authentication, GPG signing, Git LFS, and AI providers require their own configuration. See hosting profiles for remote selection, server URLs, and provider capabilities.

License

The current original Branchline source, documentation, translations and assets are licensed under GNU GPL version 3 only, SPDX identifier GPL-3.0-only. Copyright (C) 2026 Davide Leopardi. Distributed modified versions must provide their Corresponding Source under GPL-3.0-only; commercial use and redistribution are permitted. See COPYRIGHT and third-party notices for scope and separate dependency licenses.

The transition applies to the current source and future releases. Previously published versions, including the linked v0.4.0 application and its source tag, remain under MIT; their existing permissions are unchanged. Future GPL binary releases must offer the exact matching source and build scripts alongside their downloads, following macOS distribution.