Browse like GitHub
A lazy-loading, keyboard-navigable file tree for regular folders and git repositories, right on your machine.
GITLOCAL
Designed for builders.
Not just developers.
A local, GitHub-style viewer for the code your AI agent wrote. Browse the repo, read Markdown clearly, review what changed, and hand off to a terminal — without opening a full IDE.
npx gitlocal
See it in action
What GitLocal helps with
Read Markdown clearly
GitHub-like rendering with relative links, heading anchors, find highlights, and share/copy actions. No IDE required.
Review what changed
A changed-files panel for modified, deleted, untracked, generated, and local-only paths, plus active-file refresh notices.
Search intentionally
Repository-wide search with current-folder and Markdown-focused scopes, plus file-level find inside the current file.
Understand git state
A plain-language repository summary — branch, remote, sync, and local changes — backed by technical detail when you need it.
Hand off to your agent
A built-in terminal docked at the bottom of the window, wired for Claude, Codex, or a plain shell, with cross-page session persistence.
Preview beyond code
Built-in viewers for PDF, SVG, CSV, Excel, and PowerPoint files alongside Markdown and images — growing steadily, and rendered locally where GitHub's web UI often falls back to a raw download link.
Get started now. It is free.
Choose the npm package for any OS, or the native macOS app if you'd rather skip the terminal.
npm package
npm install -g gitlocal
gitlocal .
Opens in your default browser. Keep the terminal window open while you use it.
macOS app beta
brew tap ehud-am/gitlocal
brew install --cask gitlocal
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/GitLocal.app
No terminal needed after install. This beta build is unsigned, so run the command above once — without it, Gatekeeper blocks the app from opening at all.
Full setup and troubleshooting notes are in the README.
Frequently asked questions
What is GitLocal?
GitLocal is a free, local-first tool that opens a GitHub-style viewer for any folder or git repository on your computer. It renders Markdown, browses the file tree, and shows what changed, right in your browser, with no IDE required.
Is GitLocal free?
Yes. GitLocal is free and open source under the MIT license. There are no accounts, subscriptions, or telemetry.
Does GitLocal send my code anywhere?
No. GitLocal runs entirely on your machine. Clone, fetch, pull, and push actions go through your locally installed git only, and only when you choose to run them.
What operating systems does GitLocal support?
The npm package runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux with Node.js 22+. A native macOS app is also available in beta via Homebrew.
How is GitLocal different from an IDE like VS Code?
GitLocal is intentionally narrower than a full IDE. It focuses on reading, browsing, reviewing, and lightweight edits — the tasks people still do by hand when an AI agent generates most of the code — plus an integrated terminal for handing work back to that agent.
How do I install GitLocal?
Run npm install -g gitlocal, then gitlocal . in any folder, or npx gitlocal to try it without installing. A macOS app is available via brew install --cask gitlocal after brew tap ehud-am/gitlocal.
What file types can GitLocal preview?
GitLocal renders Markdown, source code with syntax highlighting, JSON, and images, plus built-in viewers for PDF, SVG, CSV, Excel (.xlsx and .xls), and PowerPoint (.pptx) files — many of which GitHub's web UI cannot render inline and offers only as a raw download.