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Add a repository or folder

A project is a folder that you open in Zide. Any folder can be a project, with or without Git. Each open project has its own project tab.

Add a local repository or folder

To add a local repository or folder, click File > Open Project. Select a folder to open it as a project in a project tab.

You can also click the Open Project tab at the left of the project tab bar. Click Browse… to select a folder, reopen a project from the Recent list, or choose one under Open Projects.

If you select a folder that is a linked worktree, Zide opens it as a worktree project tab instead of a standalone project and opens its parent repository behind it. This works whether or not the parent repository is already open, including when you select several worktrees from the same repository at once. See Worktrees.

Clone a repository

To clone a repository, complete the following steps.

  1. Click File > Clone Repository.
  2. In the Clone Repository dialog, type a repository address in Repository source, or click Browse… to pick one from your connected provider accounts. The Authentication area below the field names the identity Zide will clone with.
  3. In the Parent Folder field, choose the folder to clone into. Zide creates the repository’s own folder inside it, and the line beneath shows the full path.
  4. Click Clone.

Press Escape in the repository picker to close it and return keyboard focus to Browse…. The Clone Repository dialog stays open.

The project tab shows live clone progress and the amount of data received when Git reports it. You can cancel the clone from its progress bar.

Advanced Options holds the rest. Branch clones a branch other than the remote’s default. Its list starts with Default branch, then the remote’s branches; type to search it. A branch that you type must be one that the remote lists. If Zide cannot read the remote’s branches, it uses the name that you typed. The clone type is Regular clone, Shallow clone, which skips history and finishes sooner, or Sparse checkout, which is for repositories large enough that you only want part of the working tree. A sparse clone checks out root-level files only; add the directories you need afterwards in the Sparse Checkout tab. A sparse clone also leaves out older versions of files, which Zide downloads when you open them in history. See Partial clones.

The same Repository source control appears wherever Zide needs a repository address: cloning, adding a remote, adding a submodule, and connecting a subtree. See Choose a repository source for the address forms Zide accepts, the repository picker, and the Authentication states.

Create a new project

To create an empty project, complete the following steps.

  1. Click File > New Project, or click New Project… in the Open Project tab.
  2. In the Folder Name field, enter the name of the new folder.
  3. In the Location field, select the parent folder. A Will create in: line shows the full destination path.
  4. To make the folder a Git repository, keep Make this a Git repository selected.
  5. Click Create. Zide creates the folder and opens it as a project.

If you want Zide to help you build the project instead of only creating an empty folder, click the Open the New Project Wizard link in the New Project dialog. Zide carries forward any name and location you have already entered.

Create a new repository

You can create either a new remote repository or a new local repository.

Create a new remote repository

To create a new remote repository, complete the following steps.

  1. Click File > Create New Repository.
  2. In the Create New Repository dialog, select Remote.
  3. Click the Account dropdown and select which account and provider to create the repository with.
  4. Select the group, organization, or workspace for the repository. A note below the list warns if entries may be missing, such as The organization list may be incomplete. If the list cannot load, you can still create the repository in your personal namespace.
  5. In the Repository Name field, enter the repository name.
  6. In Visibility, select Private or Public.
  7. For GitHub and GitLab, keep Initialize with README.md selected to create the repository with a README.
  8. Keep Clone to my computer after creating selected to clone the repository to your computer.
  9. In the Parent Folder field, click Browse… and select where to create the clone. A Will create in: line shows the full destination path.
  10. Optional: Click Advanced Options and enter a brief summary of the repository in Description.
  11. Click Create.

Create a new local repository

To create a new local repository, complete the following steps.

  1. Click File > Create New Repository.
  2. In the Create New Repository dialog, select Local.
  3. In the Repository Name field, enter the repository name.
  4. Select Initialize with README.md to initialize the repository with a README.
  5. In the Parent Folder field, click Browse… and select where to create the repository. A Will create in: line shows the full destination path.
  6. Click Create.

Publish a project

To publish a project to a Git hosting service, complete the following steps.

  1. Click File > Publish Project.
  2. Check Local Folder, which shows the full path of the folder being published. Long paths wrap so they stay readable in full.
  3. In the Publish Project dialog, click the Account dropdown and select which account and provider to create the repository with.
  4. Select which group, organization, or workspace to create the repository in.
  5. In the Repository Name field, adjust the name for the new remote repository. It starts as the local folder’s name, and the folder itself is not renamed.
  6. In Visibility, select Private or Public.
  7. Optional: Click Advanced Options to enter a Description or change the Remote Name. The remote name is the name of the Git remote for the new repository. It starts as origin, or another free name if origin is already used.
  8. Click Publish.

The remote name can contain only letters, numbers, dots, hyphens, and underscores, and it must not match a remote that the project already has. If the name is not valid, a message appears below Remote Name and Publish is not available. Advanced Options opens and stays open until you correct the name. Zide checks the remote names again when you click Publish. If a remote with the same name was added while the dialog was open, Zide stops before it creates the repository.

Start a new project with Zide

You can use the New Project wizard to create a new project and use Zide Assist to help plan and build your project.

The New Project Wizard requires access to Zide Assist and usable credits before it opens.

To start a new project with Zide, complete the following steps.

  1. Click File > New Project Wizard.
  2. In the New Project Wizard dialog, select what you would like to create, then click Continue.
  3. Optional: In the In a sentence, what is it? field, describe the project in one sentence.
  4. Select Make choices for me or Ask me about big choices, and choose whether Zide should explain the process. Then click Continue.
  5. Optional: Enter a project name and choose the parent folder. If you leave the name blank, Zide generates a short adjective–noun folder name, such as swift-oak.
  6. Click Create.

Zide creates the folder, initializes it as a Git repository with an initial commit, and opens the folder with a Zide Assist session using your default model.

If you run out of credits before you click Create, Zide still creates and opens the project but the Zide Assist session does not start. When Zide Assist becomes available, click Start with Zide to begin the project.