e05f73c // good to know
Git Workbench.
Your questions, answered.
The essentials on getting started, your existing setup, and keeping your code yours.
Is Git Workbench free?
Yes. Git Workbench is open source under the MIT license: free for personal and commercial use. The source lives on GitHub, where you can file issues and contribute.
Do I have to sign in to anything?
No. Local Git work needs no account at all. Provider sign-in is only needed for pull and merge request features, and AI assistance is configured separately if you want it.
Does it interfere with my Git setup?
Git Workbench shells out to your installed system git and reads the repository directly. Your hooks, SSH keys, GPG signing, credential helper, and .gitconfig all keep working as they do on the command line.
Which hosting providers can I connect?
GitHub, GitLab.com, self-hosted GitLab (including nested groups and HTTPS ports), Bitbucket Cloud, and Gitea are supported for request and review workflows. GitHub Enterprise and Bitbucket Data Center are not supported yet.
Are there minimum Git versions?
The basics work with any recent git. Optional tools have floors: stacked-branch restacks need Git 2.38+, sparse-checkout editing needs 2.37+, and range-diff comparisons need 2.19+. The tools tell you when a prerequisite is missing.
What does the one-line installer do?
It detects Debian-based, RPM-based, and Arch-based distributions, downloads the matching package from the public GitHub release, verifies its SHA-512 checksum, and hands off to your package manager, which keeps its usual confirmation prompt. Other distributions get a per-user AppImage with a desktop entry. Current Linux builds are x86_64.
How do updates work on each platform?
The Windows installer and the Linux AppImage, deb, rpm, and Pacman builds can download and install updates from About → Software updates; package formats may ask for system authorization. Unsigned macOS builds are always updated manually from the release page.
What happens to my code with AI features?
AI help is optional and configured per provider you choose — including a local Ollama instance, which keeps prompts on your machine. Requested prompts or selected code are sent only to that provider. Keys are stored encrypted outside renderer preferences and are never attached to commits.