Git Repository

When you select a folder whose root is a Git repository (that folder directly contains a .git directory), Phials shows a Git repository preview in the preview sidebar: branch, remote, package hints, language mix, and a quick summary of your working tree.

This page is for anyone browsing projects in Phials who wants context without opening a terminal or another app.

Prerequisites

The item must be a folder, not a single file.
The folder must be the repository root: a .git directory must sit inside that folder, not only in a parent path. If you select a subfolder of a repo, where .git is above the selection, Phials uses the folder preview instead.

How to open the Git repository preview

In the file browser, select the repository’s root folder, the same folder that directly contains .git.
Open or focus the preview area. How you do this depends on your layout; the preview shows details for the current selection.
Wait a moment while Phials loads repository information. You may see a short loading state first.

If loading fails, you will see an error message in the preview. Common causes include permissions on the folder or a damaged .git directory.

What you see in the preview

Title is usually the name from package.json when present, otherwise the folder name.
Branch is the current branch, or detached when you are not on a named branch.
Version appears next to the branch when a version is available from package metadata.

Picture

For some remotes, such as GitHub or GitLab, Phials may show an avatar associated with the owner.
If no image is available, you will see a Git icon instead.

Remote and description

Remote shows where the default remote points. Recognized HTTPS and SSH forms may appear as a link you can open in your browser.
Description shows a short description when package metadata includes one.

Package (collapsible)

If package metadata is found, this section can include:

Counts of dependencies and dev dependencies (when greater than zero).
Scripts, the names of scripts. A subset may be listed, with an indicator if there are more.

Expand or collapse the section with its header control.

Languages (collapsible)

A bar and legend summarize which programming languages appear in tracked files (by size), with approximate percentages and total size. This loads separately and may take a moment. If nothing can be computed, you may see a message that no language data is available.

Working tree (collapsible)

When status is available, you get a quick picture of uncommitted work:

Staged files are staged for the next commit.
Modified files are tracked files with changes not yet staged.
Untracked files are new files Git is not tracking yet.

If there is nothing pending, you will see a clean working tree message.

Tips

This preview is read-only: it does not run Git commands for you or change the repository.
Ordinary folders that are not Git repos use the folder preview, which lists contents differently.
Very large repositories might take longer to analyze for languages, so the rest of the panel can appear first.

Folder preview for folders that are not Git repositories, and for fallback behavior.
File previews for how previews work across file types.