I use Git every day, but one thing has always bothered me:
when you do something that changes history, a lot of Git tools still basically ask you to understand the command first and trust that the result is what you expected.
I wanted something more visual.
So while building RepoBeam, I added a before/after preview for operations like going back to an older commit.
Instead of clicking the action and hoping I understood it correctly, RepoBeam first shows me what the repository will look like afterwards.
For example, when going back to a commit I can choose whether I want to:
- restore the files as normal unstaged changes
- restore them already staged
- create a new restore commit when rewriting published history would be unsafe
And RepoBeam shows the expected history before I confirm anything.
The idea is simple:
show me what Git is going to do before it does it.
RepoBeam actually started for a different reason.
I used Fork for a long time on Windows. When I started working more on Linux, I tried GitKraken, Sublime Merge, SmartGit, GitButler and a bunch of smaller clients, but I never found one that really felt like the Git GUI I wanted to use every day.
So I started building my own.
Over time it turned into a full Git client with:
- local changes and staging
- split/unified diffs
- commit history and graph
- branches and remotes
- stashes
- guided conflict resolution
- before/after Git previews
- Coding Sessions
Coding Sessions
This is another part I use a lot now.
When I start working with Codex or Claude, I start a Coding Session in RepoBeam first.
RepoBeam then organizes everything that changes during that session.
I can review the files afterwards, undo one change, bring it back, keep the rest, or undo the entire session.
It does not replace Git or create some separate version-control system. It works with normal Git repositories.
RepoBeam currently runs on Linux and Windows.
Linux builds are available as:
.deb- AppImage
- Snap
Private repositories work, no RepoBeam account is required, and the app is free to use including for work.
I released 1.8.3 this week and this is the first time I'm seriously putting RepoBeam in front of developers I don't know.
The thing I'm most curious about:
Would a before/after preview like this actually make you more comfortable with Git history operations, or do you prefer seeing the underlying Git command directly?
