Desk uses the host git and gh commands. It does not bundle its own Git implementation, and it does not store separate Git credentials.
The source-control rail: staged changes, lane-colored history, and a side-by-side working-tree diff

The source-control rail: staged changes, lane-colored history, and a side-by-side working-tree diff

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Repository discovery

Desk scans under the active editor root and shows a searchable repository picker. Discovery is intentionally bounded:
  • maximum scan depth: 4
  • maximum repositories: 200
  • skipped directories include node_modules, .git, .hg, .svn, .venv, venv, __pycache__, and .cache
Recent repositories are remembered locally so common roots stay easy to reopen.

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Changes

The Changes view shows:
  • staged files
  • unstaged files
  • untracked files
  • conflicted files
  • ahead and behind counts
  • publish state for branches without an upstream
You can stage, unstage, discard, commit, amend, fetch, pull, push, and publish from the rail. Desk runs Git with GIT_OPTIONAL_LOCKS=0 so status polling does not contend with agents or editors that are also using Git.

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Commits

The commit box supports normal commits and amend:
When amend is checked, an empty message keeps the previous commit message. Commit operations use the selected repository and the state shown in the rail.

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Sync operations

Desk exposes four sync actions:
  • fetch
  • pull
  • push
  • publish
pull uses a fast-forward-only workflow. publish pushes the current branch and sets its upstream.

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History

The History view shows a commit graph with branch, tag, and HEAD markers. Each commit can expand to changed files and open Monaco diffs. Commit context actions include:
  • create a branch at the commit
  • copy the SHA
  • copy the commit message
  • open the commit on GitHub when gh can resolve the repository
  • revert the commit
Per-file history uses Git’s follow mode so renames are tracked where Git can infer them.

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Branches and worktrees

The Branches view supports:
  • checkout of local branches
  • checkout of remote branches
  • branch creation
  • branch deletion
  • copying branch names
  • opening existing worktrees as the active repository
  • removing non-main worktrees
  • copying worktree paths
Desk refuses to remove the main worktree. Uncommitted changes can also block worktree removal through Git itself.

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Branch comparison

Desk compares branches without checking them out. It computes a merge base and opens the diff against the current repository. If histories are unrelated, Desk falls back to an empty-tree diff rather than mutating the worktree.

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Diffs

Diffs open as Monaco diff tabs. Supported diff modes include:
  • worktree changes
  • index changes
  • a single commit
  • a commit range
  • branch comparison
  • per-file line diffs used by the editor gutter
Large or binary files are guarded so the browser is not asked to render unbounded diff content.

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Explorer integration

The editor explorer uses Git status maps for visible paths. Directories can show status dots when descendants are changed, and files can open their line diffs from the editor gutter. Git and editor navigation work both ways:
  • reveal a Git file in the editor explorer
  • open a file from a diff
  • jump from an editor file to Git history or changes

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GitHub context

When gh is authenticated, Desk can show GitHub repository metadata and pull request context for the current branch. This is a view and navigation surface. Desk does not create, merge, or review pull requests from this page. Operations degrade when gh is missing, unauthenticated, or cannot resolve the repository.

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Next steps