GitContext

100% private codebase context engineering tool
Fully local app to package your codebase files and diffs into LLM-friendly format

Install the desktop app · Try it in your browser · How it works

GitContext turns the part of a repository you care about into one clean prompt for ChatGPT, Claude or any other LLM. Pick two branches, tick the files, and copy a single block with the file tree, the diffs and your instructions, with a live token count against the model's context window.

Everything runs on your machine. There is no server and no upload: the desktop app reads Git through native Rust (libgit2). A web version runs Git in your browser with isomorphic-git if you want to try it before installing.

It is similar to Repomix or GitIngest, with a few differences:

Branch-to-branch diffs, not just whole files, so a review or bug fix prompt carries only what changed
Visual selection: a file tree with add/modify/remove markers instead of CLI glob filters
Token budget up front: per-file and total counts (tiktoken) against the selected model's context window
Prompt templates for common jobs: summarize a branch diff, review changes, suggest tests, draft release notes
Private by construction: local files only, no network calls for your code

Install

The desktop app is the recommended way to use GitContext: native Git through libgit2, direct access to your folders, saved workspaces, and no browser limits on large repositories.

macOS (Homebrew)

brew install --cask kccarlos/tap/gitcontext

The cask installs the same signed and notarized universal DMG (Apple silicon and Intel) that is attached to each GitHub release. Update with brew upgrade --cask gitcontext.

Direct download

Platform	Package
macOS 10.15+	`GitContext_<version>_universal.dmg` (Developer ID signed, notarized)
Windows	`.msi` or `-setup.exe`
Linux	`.AppImage`, `.deb` or `.rpm`

All from the latest release.

Try it in the browser

The web version at kccarlos.github.io/gitcontext is a quick way to try GitContext without installing anything. Your code still never leaves the browser. It needs Chrome or Edge (File System Access API), and it is slower and less robust on large repositories than the desktop app, which is the one to use day to day.

Screenshots

_{Diff preview: unified or side-by-side, with word-level highlights, before you include a file.}	_{Dark mode, following the system or set by hand.}
_{Settings: target model and its context window, prompt templates, file tree and binary options, then one click to copy the whole prompt.}

How it works

flowchart LR
  UI["React UI<br/>(shared @gitcontext/ui)"] --> Engine{{GitEngine interface}}
  Engine -->|desktop| Rust["Tauri commands<br/>Rust + libgit2"]
  Engine -->|web| Worker["Web Worker<br/>isomorphic-git + LightningFS"]
  Rust --> Repo[(Local repository)]
  Worker -->|File System Access API| Repo
  UI --> Tok["tiktoken (WASM)<br/>token counts"]
  UI --> Out["Prompt: file tree + diffs + instructions"]

One UI, two engines. The React app talks to a GitEngine interface. In the desktop build it is backed by Tauri commands over libgit2; in the browser, by a Web Worker running isomorphic-git on an in-memory file system seeded from the .git folder you pick.
Responsive with large repositories. Diffs and file reads run off the main thread, token counting is debounced and cancellable with bounded concurrency, and stale results are dropped by request IDs.
Exact token counts. Counts are taken on the same text that is copied, so the budget shown matches what the model receives.
Shipping. Conventional Commits drive semantic-release. Each release builds Windows, Linux and a universal macOS app in CI. The macOS app is signed with a Developer ID, notarized, and published to a Homebrew tap. The web app deploys to GitHub Pages after a smoke test of the production build.

Why I Built It

As a developer who frequently works with ChatGPT, Claude, and other LLMs, I found existing tools lacking:

Needed a visual way to pick files and diffs instead of crafting CLI filters
Wanted branch-to-branch diffs for scenarios like code reviews and bug fixes
Preferred an interactive workflow over command-line arguments
Required privacy — no uploading code to third-party servers

Passing only relevant context to an LLM significantly improves accuracy — especially in large codebases with overlapping names and structures. See Context Rot for why trimming irrelevant context matters.

Tech Stack

Desktop App (Tauri)

Frontend: React 18 + TypeScript + Vite
Backend: Rust + Tauri 2.0
Git Operations: git2 crate (native Rust)
Token Counting: tiktoken (WASM)

Web App

Frontend: React 18 + TypeScript + Vite
Git Operations: isomorphic-git + LightningFS
Token Counting: tiktoken (WASM)
Storage: IndexedDB for caching

Shared Packages (Monorepo)

@gitcontext/ui - Shared React components
@gitcontext/core - Shared types and utilities

Getting Started

This project uses a monorepo structure with NPM workspaces.

Prerequisites

npm install

Web App

Run the web app in development mode:

npm run web:dev

Build the web app for production:

npm run web:build
npm run web:preview

The web app will be available at http://localhost:5173

Desktop App

Prerequisites:

Rust must be installed
Platform-specific dependencies:
- macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools
- Linux: libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev, libappindicator3-dev, librsvg2-dev, patchelf
- Windows: Microsoft Visual C++ Build Tools

Run the desktop app in development mode:

npm run desktop:dev

Build the desktop app for production:

npm run desktop:build

Installers will be created in apps/desktop/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/. Release builds are signed and notarized in CI (.github/workflows/release.yml).

Testing

Run end-to-end tests:

npm --workspace apps/web run test:e2e

Run unit tests:

npm --workspace apps/web run test:unit
npm --workspace apps/desktop run test
cd apps/desktop/src-tauri && cargo test

Smoke test the production web build as GitHub Pages serves it (under /gitcontext/):

npm --workspace apps/web run build
npm --workspace apps/web run test:pages

Project Structure

gitcontext/
├── apps/
│   ├── web/              # Web application (React + isomorphic-git)
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   ├── hooks/
│   │   │   ├── workers/
│   │   │   └── utils/
│   │   └── vite.config.ts
│   └── desktop/          # Desktop application (Tauri + Rust)
│       ├── src/          # React frontend
│       └── src-tauri/    # Rust backend
│           ├── src/
│           │   ├── git.rs    # Git operations (git2)
│           │   └── lib.rs    # Tauri commands
│           └── Cargo.toml
├── packages/
│   ├── ui/               # Shared React components
│   └── core/             # Shared types and utilities
└── package.json          # Root workspace config

Development Scripts

Command	Description
`npm run web:dev`	Start web app dev server
`npm run web:build`	Build web app for production
`npm run desktop:dev`	Start desktop app in dev mode
`npm run desktop:build`	Build desktop app installers
`npm run lint`	Lint all workspaces
`npm run build`	Build all workspaces

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

isomorphic-git for browser-based Git operations
git2-rs for native Rust Git operations
Tauri for the native desktop framework
tiktoken for token counting

Made with ❤️ by kccarlos

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.agents		.agents
.codex/ralph-gitcontext		.codex/ralph-gitcontext
.github		.github
.husky		.husky
.ralph		.ralph
apps		apps
build/icons		build/icons
docker		docker
docs/screenshots		docs/screenshots
packages		packages
packaging/homebrew		packaging/homebrew
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
.npmrc		.npmrc
AGENTS.md		AGENTS.md
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
commitlint.config.cjs		commitlint.config.cjs
docker-compose.yml		docker-compose.yml
loop.sh		loop.sh
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json

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