How to Install

Download and install GitSmith on your operating system in a few simple steps.

System Requirements

  • Git 2.30+ must be installed and available in your system PATH
  • Operating System: Windows 10+, macOS 11+ (Apple Silicon), Linux (Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/RHEL)
  • Disk space: ~250 MB
Windows

Windows

Option 1 — MSI Installer (recommended)

  1. Go to GitHub Releases and download the .msi file.
  2. Double-click the .msi to run the installer.
  3. If Windows SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC":
    • Click "More info"
    • Click "Run anyway"
  4. Follow the installer wizard to complete the installation.
  5. Launch GitSmith from the Start menu.

Option 2 — Portable ZIP

  1. Download the .zip file from GitHub Releases.
  2. Extract the archive to any folder.
  3. Right-click GitSmith.exe, select Properties, and check "Unblock" if present.
  4. Double-click GitSmith.exe to launch.
SmartScreen Warning: GitSmith is not yet code-signed. The SmartScreen warning only appears on the first launch and is safe to bypass.
macOS

macOS

  1. Download the .zip file from GitHub Releases.
  2. Extract the archive and move GitSmith.app to /Applications.
  3. macOS Gatekeeper will block the app on first launch. Use one of these methods:

Method 1 — Right-click to open (recommended)

  1. Locate GitSmith.app in Finder.
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) the app and select "Open".
  3. In the dialog that appears, click "Open" again.

Method 2 — Remove quarantine attribute

xattr -cr /Applications/GitSmith.app

Method 3 — Allow in System Settings

  1. Try to open the app normally (it will be blocked).
  2. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security.
  3. Scroll down — you will see a message about GitSmith being blocked.
  4. Click "Open Anyway".
Apple Silicon: GitSmith is built natively for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4). No Rosetta required.
Linux

Linux

Debian / Ubuntu (.deb)

sudo dpkg -i gitsmith_*.deb sudo apt-get install -f # install dependencies if needed

Fedora / RHEL (.rpm)

sudo rpm -i gitsmith-*.rpm

AppImage (any distro)

  1. Download the .AppImage file from GitHub Releases.
  2. Make it executable: chmod +x GitSmith-*.AppImage
  3. Run it: ./GitSmith-*.AppImage
Tip: Make sure git is installed (sudo apt install git or sudo dnf install git) before launching GitSmith.

Build from Source

For developers who want to build GitSmith from source:

git clone https://github.com/Schengatto/git-smith.git cd gitsmith npm install npm start # Launch in development mode npm run make # Create distributable packages

Prerequisites: Node.js 20+ and Git 2.30+