Guitar

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What Guitar is

Guitar is a free, open-source terminal Git client for exploring and working with repository history. Its topology-focused graph can display commits, branches, tags, stashes, worktrees, and optional HEAD reflog entries. The project describes browsing repositories with 500,000 or more commits, with history loading incrementally in the background. For file inspection, Guitar shows file contents and unified diffs in hunk-only or side-by-side modes, with line numbers and wrapped long lines.

Git actions include staging, committing, resetting, stashing, rebasing, merging, cherry-picking, force pushing, and discarding changes. Remote authentication can use an SSH agent or key, a Git credential helper, or in-app credential prompts. Guitar supports Git remotes and immediate submodules, including submodule updates and URL synchronization. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. To use it, you need a non-bare repository and configured Git user.name and user.email; private remote operations also require SSH or HTTPS credentials. Prebuilt binaries are published on GitHub releases, and the project also provides Rust and Cargo build instructions. The maintainer describes Guitar as a hobby project and cautions that some Git actions can be destructive.

Who it suits

Guitar suits developers who want a terminal interface for exploring, filtering, and operating on large Git repositories. It may also fit users who need graph and file views alongside Git operations across Linux, macOS, or Windows.

What it does well

Graph view includes branches, tags, stashes, worktrees, and optional reflog entries.
History loads incrementally for repositories described as having 500,000 or more commits.
File views include unified diffs, line numbers, and side-by-side mode.
Supports SSH and Git credential helper authentication for remote operations.
Available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

What to know first

There is no pull UI.
Force push is limited to the current branch.
External conflict resolution editing is not supported.
Search does not match commit messages or authors.

Getting started

Open a non-bare Git repository with Guitar.
Configure Git user.name and user.email.
For private remote network operations, provide SSH or HTTPS credentials.
Download a prebuilt binary from the GitHub releases page, or build from source with Rust and Cargo.

Verdict

Choose Guitar if you want to inspect Git history and perform repository operations from a terminal, including work with large repositories. Look elsewhere if you need a pull interface, commit-message or author search, or conflict resolution editing in an external tool.

Questions

Is Guitar free?

Yes. Guitar is free and open source, and the repository is identified as GPL 3.0 licensed.

Which operating systems does Guitar support?

Guitar runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

What does Guitar require to use?

It requires a non-bare Git repository and configured Git user.name and user.email. Private remote network operations also require SSH or HTTPS credentials.

Can Guitar work with large repositories?

The README describes browsing repositories with 500,000 or more commits, with history loading incrementally in the background.

What limitations does Guitar have?

It has no pull UI, force push is available only for the current branch, external conflict resolution editing is unsupported, and search does not match commit messages or authors.

Facts from Guitar's own pages

Authentication: For remote operations, Guitar documents SSH agent and key authentication, Git credential helper use, and in app prompts for credentials. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Credential handling: Secrets entered in Guitar's authentication prompts are kept in process memory and are not written to its config files. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Diff viewer: The viewer supports unified and side-by-side diffs, line numbers, wrapped lines, and hunk-only mode. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Distribution: Prebuilt binaries are published on the GitHub releases page, and the README also documents building from source with Cargo. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
File inspection: The viewer supports file contents, unified diffs, hunk only and side by side modes, line numbers, and wrapped long lines. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
File search: Repository file search lists commits that changed a selected tracked path. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Git operations: Guitar supports operations including commit, rebase, merge, cherry-pick, revert, stash, and worktree management. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Graph: Its graph brings together commits, branches, tags, stashes, worktrees, and optional HEAD reflog entries. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Graph view: The graph can display commits, branches, tags, stashes, worktrees, and optional HEAD reflog entries. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Integrations: The README documents support for Git remotes and immediate Git submodules, including submodule update and URL sync operations. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Intended users: The README describes Guitar as a terminal Git client for exploring, filtering, and operating on large repositories. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Large repositories: The project says Guitar can navigate repositories with 500,000 or more commits. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
License: The repository identifies its license as GPL-3.0. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Limitations: The README lists no pull UI, force-push-only current-branch push, and external conflict-resolution editing as limitations. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Product: Guitar is a Rust terminal interface for exploring and operating on Git history, with topology focused graph rendering. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Project status: The maintainer describes Guitar as a hobby project and cautions users to take care with its potentially destructive Git actions. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Remote authentication: Network operations use SSH or HTTP/HTTPS credentials, including Git credential helpers and in-app prompts. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Requirements: Guitar requires a non-bare Git repository and configured Git user.name and user.email values. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Safety: The maker describes Guitar as a hobby project with destructive Git tools and advises keeping backups when using it on important repositories. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Submodules: Submodule support covers immediate submodules only and does not recurse into submodule commit graphs. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
What it does: Guitar is a Rust terminal interface for exploring, filtering, and operating on Git history. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026

Where Guitar stands on Freedom251

Guitar Tab Software#9 of 32
Version Control Software#37 of 62