PushPull for GitHub

A simple Windows desktop app for syncing a local folder with a GitHub repository, without needing Git installed.

Aimed at solo developers and non-technical users who want to use GitHub for file backup and sharing but find Git, SSH keys, and the command line intimidating. If you just want to keep a folder in sync with a repo and don't need branching, merging, or a full Git workflow, PushPull gets out of the way and lets you do that with a few clicks.

Good for: scripts and config files you want backed up offsite, sharing assets between machines, lightweight version history without learning Git, or anywhere a full Git client feels like overkill.

Features

• Connect to GitHub using a personal access token (no Git required)
• Register multiple projects, each linking a local folder to a GitHub repo
• Side-by-side file browser showing local and remote files (inspired by WinSCP)
• Files grouped by folder, with full relative paths shown for easy navigation
• Color-coded status: see at a glance which files are newer locally, newer on GitHub, or only exist on one side
• Push or pull all changed files with one click, or right-click to push/pull selected files only
• Push with a custom commit message using the Push+ button
• Auto-selects a newly created project immediately after saving it
• Local menu: delete selected or all local files (sent to Recycle Bin), open project folder in Explorer
• Remote menu: delete selected or all remote files, open the repo on GitHub
• Click column headers to sort by name or date
• Flexible ignore patterns: wildcards, file extensions, and folder names
• Restores your last project, window position, and size on startup
• Single instance: launching a second copy raises the existing window
• Default repo owner and default ignore patterns configurable in Settings, applied automatically to new projects
• Command line support for opening a specific project or pushing without a UI

Requirements

• Windows
• .NET Framework 4.0 or later (included with Windows 7 and above)
• A GitHub personal access token with repo scope

Installation

No installer. Just download PushPull.exe and run it.

Getting Started

1. Create a GitHub token

1. Go to GitHub > Settings > Developer settings > Personal access tokens > Tokens (classic)
2. Click Generate new token
3. Give it a name (e.g. PushPull) and select the repo scope
4. Copy the token

2. Enter your token and defaults

Open PushPull, go to File > Settings and configure:

Setting	Description
GitHub Auth Token	Paste your personal access token; click Test Connection to verify
Default Repo Owner	Pre-filled into every new project (your GitHub username or organization)
Default Ignore Patterns	Applied automatically to every new project

3. Add a project

Go to File > New Project and fill in:

Field	Description
Name	A friendly label for this project
Local Folder	The folder on your PC to sync
Owner	Your GitHub username or organization
Repo	The repository name
Branch	The branch to sync against (e.g. main)
Ignore	Files/folders to skip (one per line)

Click Load Branches to populate the branch list from GitHub, or just type the branch name manually.

4. Refresh and sync

Select your project from the dropdown in the toolbar, then click Refresh to compare your local folder with the remote repo. Files are color-coded:

Color	Meaning
Green	File exists locally but not on GitHub, or local copy has changed
Blue	File exists on GitHub but not locally, or remote copy has changed
White	Files are identical

The project selector sits in the toolbar. Use the buttons to sync:

Button	Action
Refresh	Re-compare local and remote
Push	Upload all new and changed local files to GitHub
Push+	Same as Push, but prompts for a commit message first
Pull	Download all new and changed remote files from GitHub

Right-click files in either pane to Push Selected or Pull Selected for just the highlighted items.

Local Menu

Option	Action
Delete Selected Local Files...	Sends selected files in the left pane to the Recycle Bin
Delete All Local Files...	Sends every local file in the project folder to the Recycle Bin
Open in Explorer	Opens the project folder in Windows Explorer

Delete options prompt for confirmation before making any changes. Files are recoverable from the Recycle Bin.

Remote Menu

Option	Action
Delete Selected Remote Files...	Permanently deletes the files selected in the remote pane from GitHub
Delete All Remote Files...	Permanently deletes every file in the repository for the current project
Open on GitHub	Opens the repository in your default browser

Delete options prompt for confirmation before making any changes.

Ignore Patterns

In the project settings, list patterns to exclude from the comparison, one per line. Ignored files and folders are hidden from both panes.

Pattern	Matches
*.exe	Any file with that extension
bin	Any folder named bin, at any depth
bin/	Same, explicit folder syntax
.vs/	The .vs folder

Examples:

*.exe
*.dll
*.pdb
bin
obj
.vs
node_modules

Command Line

Two modes are available from the command line:

Open the app with a project pre-selected:

PushPull.exe "MyProject"

Push all changed files without opening the UI:

PushPull.exe "MyProject" push

Replace MyProject with the name you gave the project in the app. In push mode, output goes to the calling terminal and the exit code is 0 on success or 1 if the project was not found or all uploads failed. Multiple push instances can run concurrently without interfering with the single-instance GUI check.

Portable Mode

If a config.json file exists in the same folder as PushPull.exe, it is used instead of %APPDATA%\PushPull\config.json. This lets you carry the app and its settings together on a USB drive or in a synced folder.

To switch an existing install to portable mode, copy %APPDATA%\PushPull\config.json next to the exe.

Config File

By default, settings and project definitions are stored at:

%APPDATA%\PushPull\config.json

Building from Source

Requires the .NET Framework 4 C# compiler (csc.exe), which ships with Windows.

Run _compile.bat to build PushPull.exe.

License

MIT