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#35 of 100 · Coding

Git without the arcane commands

A fast, simple Git client with IntelliJ-quality diffs, a clear three-way merge view and easy undo, on Linux and Windows too.

14asks, each re-read
14separate threads
9of 19 years
3since 2024
2011first asked

Asks per year

’08’102’121’142’16’182’2012’2212’241’26

What the askers want

  • Would pay14%
  • Want it local or private43%
  • Object to subscriptions7%
  • Want it open source or self-hosted0%
  • Want AI to do it0%

Share of the 14 asks that say so, as judged by Jev.

What exists on Show HN

Built, still asked for16 Show HN launches do this job, and 21 more do part of it. People still ask, so the launches are missed, unknown, or not what they want. Ask what they’re missing before you build.

Instead of: SourceTree, Tower, GitKraken, Meld

The idea, as matched

A fast, simple Git client (GUI or terminal) with excellent diff and three-way merge views, staging of selected lines, and easy recovery from mistakes, covering everyday Git without its arcane commands.

Jev first matched 16 requests to this idea; a second reader kept 14 of 16.

Every ask, newest first

Each line is an AI paraphrase of what the writer wanted. The link goes to their own words on Hacker News.

Reader’s note. Diff and merge quality cited most.

  1. Jan 2026Would pay for a quick standalone git UI with an IntelliJ-grade diff view, finding Sublime Merge merely okay. Read it: a comment in “I switched from VSCode to Zed”
  2. Dec 2024Wants a git-light version control tool exposing only the top handful of commands. Read it: a comment in “I'm daily driving Jujutsu, and maybe you should too”
  3. Mar 2024Wants a console three-way merge tool with simple editing, like a terminal Meld. Read it: a comment in “Difftastic, a structural diff tool that understands syntax”
  4. Mar 2023Wants a terminal counterpart to Magit that they can recommend to colleagues. Read it: a comment in “Show HN: Gut – An easy-to-use CLI for Git”
  5. Jun 2022Wants a simple, easy git UI like Atom's, since VS Code and others are worse. Read it: a comment in “Sunsetting Atom”
  6. Mar 2022Wants an interactive terminal tool like git-crecord but for resolving merge conflicts. Read it: a comment in “Show HN: git-crecord: TUI to interactively select lines to commit”
  7. Jun 2021Wants a Windows or Linux Git UI with the same design idea as the Mac undo tool. Read it: a comment in “Git undo: We can do better”
  8. Aug 2019Seeks a Git GUI alternative since the newer SourceTree is uncomfortable. Read it: a comment in “Sourcehut welcomes Bitbucket refugees”
  9. Jul 2019Seeks a cheaper alternative to Tower, whose subscription is too expensive. Read it: a comment in “Fork: A fast and friendly Git client for Mac and Windows”
  10. Jul 2015Wants a GUI that shows a visual diff before pushing, as their git skills are basic. Read it: a comment in “Sign up for a first look at GitHub Desktop”
  11. May 2015Wants a point-and-click git tool, maybe Time Machine style, mounting a commit as a drive that saves back. Read it: a comment in “Git in six hundred words”
  12. May 2013Wants a Tower-like git GUI for Linux, since existing ones feel odd. Read it: a comment in “Git? tig”
  13. Feb 2011Would pay for something that makes Git easier to use. Read it: a comment in “Mea Culpa: GitHub works well, my mistake made them look bad”
  14. Jan 2011Wants a Versions-style Mac client with Git support. Read it: a comment in “Ask HN: What software do you use for your startup?”

Building this?

Read ten of the asks above first, because they say what the existing launches miss. If you ship it, post it as a Show HN so the next run of this list finds it.

See all 100How the counts work

Ship it like Vercel, on a server you own

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Get your own box

$19 a month per box, plus about $10 for the server at Hetzner. Open source, so you can also run it yourself for free.