Automated checkpoint commits during programming sessions.
When programming (with humans or AI assistants alike), the conversation and code changes can move quickly.
gitbak provides safety by:
- Allowing you to focus on coding without worrying about losing changes
- Creating automatic commits at regular intervals
- Making a clean history of your pairing session progress
- Providing recovery points if something goes wrong
This helps you avoid common pitfalls like the:
- "I forgot to commit" panic
- "I thought that git command did something else" confusion
- "I lost my changes" frustration
- "I wish we could go back to that thread we pulled on thirty minutes ago" regret
- Automatic Commits - Set and forget checkpoints at regular intervals
- Branch Management - Creates a dedicated branch or uses current one
- Session Continuation - Resume sessions with sequential commit numbering
- Robust Error Handling - Smart retry logic and signal handling
- Platform Support - Available for macOS and Linux systems
# Option 1: Install with Homebrew (macOS and Linux)
brew install bashhack/gitbak/gitbak
# Note: Homebrew automatically adds gitbak to your PATH, so it's ready to use immediately
# Option 2: Install using Go (requires Go 1.24+)
go install github.com/bashhack/gitbak/cmd/gitbak@latest
# Note: Ensure your Go bin directory (typically $HOME/go/bin) is in your PATH
# You can add this to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.):
# export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin
# Option 3: Download pre-built binary
# Visit: https://github.com/bashhack/gitbak/releases
⚠️ Note: While a shell script implementation exists in the repository for historical reasons, it is unsupported and not recommended for use. The Go version provides better reliability, performance, and ongoing support.
# Navigate to your Git repository
cd /path/to/your/repo
# Start gitbak with default settings (5-minute commits)
gitbak
# Press Ctrl+C to stop when finishedA powerful workflow pattern with gitbak is combining automatic safety checkpoints with manual milestone commits:
# Start gitbak on your current branch
gitbak -no-branch
# While gitbak creates automatic commits, you can still:
git add <files>
git commit -m "Implement login feature"
# gitbak continues creating safety checkpoints while you create
# meaningful commits for important milestonesThis gives you both a detailed safety net AND a clean, meaningful commit history - the best of both worlds!
💪 See Comparison with Alternatives for why this approach is superior to IDE auto-save features.
# Squash all checkpoint commits into one
git checkout main
git merge --squash gitbak-TIMESTAMP
git commit -m "Complete feature implementation"# Custom interval (2 minutes)
gitbak -interval 2
# Custom branch name
gitbak -branch "feature-work-backup"
# Continue a previous session
gitbak -continue
# Use the current branch
gitbak -no-branch
# Full options list
gitbak -help- Usage & Configuration - Detailed usage instructions with workflow diagrams
- After Session Guide - What to do when your session ends
- IDE Integration - How to integrate with popular editors
- Comparison with Alternatives - Why gitbak outshines IDE auto-save features
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Dependencies | Git only |
| Platform | macOS and Linux |
| Configuration | Command-line flags and environment variables |
| Resource usage | ~5-6 MB |
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bashhack/gitbak.git
cd gitbak
# Run tests
make test
# Run tests in Ubuntu container (simulates GitHub Actions environment)
./scripts/test-all.sh
# Test specific packages in Ubuntu container
./scripts/ubuntu-test.sh ./pkg/lock/...
# Build for development
make build
# Install locally
make installSee the scripts README for more information on testing in Ubuntu containers to catch platform-specific issues before they reach CI.
MIT