Git & Workspace

CodePilot is more than a chat window. You can open a file tree, check your Git status, commit code, and even launch a terminal — all without switching to another app.

This guide walks you through how to use these features. If you're new to Git, don't worry — we'll start with the basics.

Key Concepts

If you're already comfortable with Git, feel free to skip ahead.

What Is Git?

Git is a version control tool. In simple terms, it tracks every change you make to your code — like the "version history" feature in a document editor. You can go back to any previous version at any time, and collaborate with others without overwriting each other's work.

Nearly every software project uses Git to manage code.

Common Terms

The Top Bar

When you open a conversation, a toolbar appears at the top. From left to right:

• Conversation title — click the pencil icon to rename it
• Project folder name — click to open in your system file manager
• Right-side buttons: Commit | Git | Terminal | File Tree

These buttons toggle the right-side panels and bottom terminal. You can have multiple panels open at once.

Commit Button

Clicking "Commit All" opens a dialog where you write a commit message. Two options are available:

• Commit — save to your local repo only
• Commit & Push — save locally and upload to the remote server

The small arrow ▾ on the right of the button opens a dropdown menu where you can trigger a push on its own.

Git Button

The button itself shows the current branch name and the number of changed files (e.g. main · 3), so you can always see your status at a glance. Clicking it opens the Git panel on the right.

File Tree

Click the file tree button (rightmost in the top bar) to open your project directory on the right side.

You can:

• Browse files — expand folders and explore the project structure
• Preview files — click a file to open a preview panel with syntax highlighting
• Add to chat — click the plus icon next to a file to attach it as context in the current conversation

You can drag the left edge of the file tree panel to adjust its width.

File Preview

Click any file in the file tree to open the preview panel.

• Source view — syntax-highlighted code with line numbers
• Rendered view — for Markdown and HTML files, switch to see the rendered output

Toggle between Source and Preview using the buttons at the top.

The preview panel's width is also adjustable by dragging its left edge. Use the copy button at the top to copy the entire file content.

Git Panel

The Git panel has four collapsible sections. Click a section title to expand or collapse it.

Status

Shows your repo's key information:

• Current branch and its tracked remote branch
• Ahead / behind — how many local commits haven't been pushed, and how many remote commits you haven't pulled
• Changed files — lists all modified files, each with a letter tag:
  • M Modified
  • A Added
  • D Deleted
  • R Renamed
  • ? Untracked (new file not yet known to Git)

Tracked changes (M/A/D/R) appear first; untracked files are grouped separately below. When everything is committed, you'll see "All changes committed."

Branches

Expand to see all local branches. Click a branch name to switch to it.

Note: if you have uncommitted changes, branch switching is disabled — you'll need to commit or stash your changes first. Branches occupied by another worktree are marked and also disabled.

If a switch fails, the error message appears directly above the branch list.

History

Shows recent commits. Each entry includes:

• Commit hash (first 7 characters)
• Commit message
• Author and time

Click an entry to view the full diff for that commit.

The history list refreshes automatically after commits and branch switches.

Worktrees

If you need to work on multiple branches simultaneously, Git worktrees let you do that without switching back and forth.

The worktree list shows:

• The branch each worktree is on
• Its file path
• Whether it's the current worktree (highlighted with a "current" badge)
• Whether it has uncommitted changes (amber dot)

You can:

• Switch to a worktree — click the arrow button on the right; this opens (or creates) a conversation linked to that worktree's directory
• Derive a new worktree — click "Derive worktree" at the bottom, enter a branch name, and confirm. A new worktree directory and a linked conversation are created automatically.

Terminal

Click the terminal button in the top bar, or press Ctrl + `` (macOS: Cmd + `` ), to open a terminal panel at the bottom.

The terminal opens in the current conversation's project directory, so you can run commands right away:

npm install
npm run dev
git status

Drag the top edge of the terminal panel to adjust its height. Press the shortcut again or click the terminal button to close it.

The current terminal is best suited for running commands and viewing output. For full terminal features (like vim or htop), use your system's native terminal app.

Panel Layout

All panels open to the right of the chat area; the terminal opens at the bottom. You can:

• Open multiple panels at once — for example, show the Git panel and file tree side by side
• Resize widths — drag any panel's left edge
• Resize terminal height — drag the terminal's top edge
• Toggle independently — closing one panel doesn't affect the others

Panels won't squeeze the chat area beyond usability — each one has minimum and maximum width limits.

FAQ

The Git panel says "Not a Git repository"

Your project directory isn't managed by Git yet. Run git init in the terminal to initialize a new repo, or clone an existing one.

I can't switch branches

The most common reason is uncommitted changes. Commit your current work first, or ask Claude to stash it for you, then try switching again.

Push failed

Possible reasons:

• No remote configured — run git remote add origin <your-repo-url> in the terminal
• No push permissions — check your SSH key or token setup
• The remote has commits you don't have locally — pull first, then push

Programs look broken in the terminal

The current terminal uses a simplified implementation and doesn't support full terminal emulation. For full-screen programs like vim or htop, please use your system terminal. Everyday commands (installing dependencies, starting dev servers, running tests) work normally.