Git Overview

Use the Git Overview tab to see the local repository’s pending local work, synchronization state, and storage, and to open its Git tools and maintenance actions.

Each part of the tab is a category. Click a category heading to close it, or to open it again. Zide remembers which categories you closed, in every repository, until you open them again.

Navigate the Git Overview tab

To open the Git Overview tab, click Git > Git Overview, or open the Project Header’s Project actions menu and click Git Overview. The tab belongs to the repository it was opened from, and opening it again brings that tab forward rather than making a second one.

Every Git tool tab carries a Git tools control beside its title. Use it to move between Git Overview, Remotes, Submodules, Subtrees, Git LFS, Sparse Checkout, Repository Config, and Hooks. The menu marks the tool you are on, and choosing a tool opens it for this repository, or brings its tab forward when it is already open. Each tool is its own tab, so two projects can each have their own.

When information cannot be loaded

Zide reads each status on the tab separately, from Local Work through Git Tools. If a read fails, its values show Status unavailable, not an empty state such as None or Not configured. If the repository statistics cannot be read, the sync strip and the Tracked files and Git database rows show Status unavailable, and the Branches & Sync counters show -. The values that loaded stay on the tab, and their shortcuts still work. Zide does not show earlier values in place of a read that failed.

A row at the top of the tab says Some repository information couldn’t be loaded. If no read succeeded, it says Repository information couldn’t be loaded. Click Retry to read the repository again. Zide also reads it again when the repository changes. The row goes away when every read succeeds.

The Signing category reads the repository configuration on its own, and the row does not include it. If Signing cannot read the configuration, it shows its own message. Refresh the tab to try again.

Local Work

The Staging shortcut summarizes staged, unstaged, and untracked files. It also reports conflicts when any are present. A file with both staged and unstaged edits contributes to both counts. Click the shortcut to select Staging in the activity bar and open its side panel.

The Stashes shortcut shows how many stashes the repository contains. Click it to select Stashes in the activity bar and open its side panel. Stashes are reported separately because they are saved local work, not changes in the current working tree.

Branches & Sync

The synchronization strip shows whether the current branch is up to date, ahead, behind, or diverged from its upstream. It also shows the last fetch time and tracked upstream when that information is available.

The counters show the repository’s local branches, remote-tracking branches, and worktrees. Click a counter to open the corresponding details.

Storage

The Storage table shows:

• Path: The repository’s location on disk. Use the folder button to open it in your operating system’s file manager, or the copy button to copy the path.
• Tracked files: The number of unique paths in Git’s index. This does not include ignored or untracked files.
• Git database: The disk space used by the repository’s local Git database.

When applicable, Characteristics identifies a bare repository, linked worktree, partial clone and its filter, or a non-default object format. Ordinary repositories do not show a Characteristics row.

Shallow clones

For a shallow clone, the Git Overview tab shows how many commits are available locally. Click Fetch Full History to complete the clone, or use its menu to fetch a specific number of additional commits.

Partial clones

A partial clone does not download every Git object. A sparse clone made in Zide leaves out older versions of files. A clone made with a tree filter also leaves out the folders of older commits. Characteristics shows the filter.

When you open older history, Zide downloads only the versions that view needs, from the remote that the clone records for them. In a clone made with a tree filter, a folder comes with all the folders inside it, but not their files. This applies to the Commit view, Diff view, Compare Refs, blame annotations, the History and Hex views of a file, and a search of changed code in Commits. A merge, revert, or cherry-pick also downloads the versions it needs before it starts. Git does the same when you run git show for an older version. The download does not change your working tree, index, branches, or sparse checkout, and it does not add files to your checkout. Zide keeps what it downloaded, so the next view of that history opens at once.

A download uses the account bound to the remote, or your Git credentials. If Git reports no progress for 90 seconds, the project header shows Download taking longer than expected with Cancel. For a merge, revert, or cherry-pick, the project header shows Downloading files and Cancel at once. See While an operation runs. A search of changed code shows the download at the end of the list, with Stop. The Commits list, a search of commit details, and confirmation dialogs do not download. Until a version is downloaded, the Commits list may not show line counts for that commit.

When Zide cannot download what a view needs, it shows the reason. The Commit view and the History view also show Retry. In other views, open the diff or comparison again. For blame annotations, the message starts with Blame is not available. Click Toggle git blame annotations to try again. For a merge, revert, or cherry-pick, the message starts with Merge did not start., Revert did not start., or Cherry-pick did not start. Nothing changes in the repository. Start the operation again.

Message	What to do
Could not download from remote. Check your connection and try again.	Make sure that you can reach the remote, then try again.
The remote remote does not have these file versions.	The remote could not supply these versions. It may no longer have them, or it may not let you download them. Check your access to the remote, or download them from another remote that has them.
Download cancelled.	Try again.
This needs more file versions than Zide downloads at one time.	One view asks for at most 2,000 file and folder versions. The limit does not count the folders that come with a requested folder, and it does not limit the download size. Use Git to download the history that you need.
File history is not available. This clone does not include folder data for older commits.	The History view of a file needs the folders of every older commit. Open the commits in the Commit view to download their folders, then click Retry.
Blame is not available. This clone does not include folder data for older commits.	Blame needs the folders of every older commit. Use Git to download them, or clone again without a tree filter.

Zide uses Git to download. If Git is not available, or the remote needs you to sign in, Zide shows the same Git setup or sign-in steps as for a fetch. Zide Assist does not download older versions.

Git Tools

The Git Tools shortcuts open Remotes, Submodules, Subtrees, Git LFS, Sparse Checkout, Repository Config, and Hooks. Each shortcut summarizes its current state, and each opens that tool’s own tab for this repository, or brings it forward when it is already open.

The Hooks shortcut counts only the hooks that Git runs. Sample hooks, disabled hooks, and hook files that are not executable do not count. The count changes when you enable or disable a hook.

The Subtrees shortcut distinguishes subtrees found in commit history from those that have the local configuration Zide needs for Pull and Push. For example, 3 detected, 1 configured means all three are listed in the Subtrees tab, but only one is connected to an upstream in this checkout.

Signing

Open the Signing category to configure commit and tag signing for this repository.

These controls edit this repository’s configuration. A Project Tab edits Local configuration. A Worktree Tab edits Worktree configuration. To set defaults for all repositories, use Signing in Settings.

• Sign commits turns commit signing on or off (commit.gpgSign).
• Sign tags sets which tags are signed: Never, Tags with a message, or All tags (tag.forceSignAnnotated and tag.gpgSign). Sign commits does not apply to tags.
• Format selects GPG or SSH (gpg.format). Zide also shows X.509 if it is already configured.
• Key lists the keys Zide finds (user.signingKey). GPG lists your secret keys that can sign. SSH lists the .pub files in your .ssh folder and the keys your SSH agent holds. For SSH, Browse… selects another key file. A key that is set but not found stays in the list.
• Program sets the signing program for the format. Leave it empty to use the program Git finds. Browse… selects a program file.

Each control saves when you change it. Background refreshes preserve your position and wait until you leave the signing controls before they update the tab. Zide writes only standard Git configuration, so command-line Git uses the same settings, and the same keys appear in the Repository Config table. Your private keys and passphrases stay with GPG, SSH, and their agents.

Click Test Signing to sign sample data with the current settings. The test does not create a commit, move a branch, or change staged files. Your signing program or agent may ask for a passphrase. The result shows whether signing worked. Your Git host verifies signatures separately.

Where each setting comes from

Each setting has an Override Global box beside its label. The box starts clear, which means this repository holds no value for that setting. The control shows your global value and is disabled, and a later change in Settings applies here.

Select the box to set the value in this repository. Zide writes the value that is on screen, so nothing changes at first, and the control becomes editable. From then on the setting stays as you leave it, even when you change the same setting in Settings. Clear the box to remove this repository’s value and follow your global settings again.

Every box in the category names the same scope. In a Worktree Tab they read Override Local, because a worktree falls back to the repository.

Every setting has a box, whether or not a value is stored above it. Where nothing is stored above, Zide writes what the control shows, such as the program Git would run. A key is the exception: there is nothing to write until you choose one, so the box stays selected and the list becomes editable, and Clear Local Settings undoes it.

Point at a selected box to see what clearing it would bring back, for example Clear to use the Global value: SSH, or Clear to follow Global again when the two already agree.

When a higher scope sets the value, both controls are disabled and the text reads Set in Worktree configuration. Edit it there. Open Git Overview in the Worktree Tab to change the value.

When signing is on, Zide uses Git to create signed commits and tags. This includes amended commits, merges, reverts, cherry-picks, rebases, and commits and tags made by Zide Assist. To sign one commit or tag differently, use Signing in Advanced Options when you commit or create a tag.

Follow your global settings again

Clear Local Settings removes the signing settings this repository holds, which clears every Override box. Your global settings apply here after that, including later changes to them. The action asks you to confirm, and it is not available when this repository has no signing settings of its own. In a Worktree Tab it reads Clear Worktree Settings.

To go the other way, and hold your global values in this repository so they stay as they are, select the boxes you want. Each one writes the value on screen, so nothing changes at that moment.

When the category is closed, the text beside its title says what is signed and which configuration decides it, for example Commits signed globally, using SSH, Commits and tags with a message signed for this repository, using GPG, or Disabled for this repository. Disabled by default means no configuration turns signing on.

Maintenance

Click Clean Untracked Files… to delete untracked files. You can also click Git > Clean Untracked Files….

The dialog lists the files and folders to delete. To include ignored files, such as build output, select Also include ignored files. The list updates, and the title changes to Clean Untracked and Ignored Files. Review the list, then type clean and click Clean. Zide permanently deletes the listed items.

When you select or clear Also include ignored files, Zide clears the confirmation text. Type clean again for the new list.

A large list can take time to load. To stop, click Cancel.

Zide keeps nested repositories, submodules, linked worktrees, the .zide folder, and folders that it cannot read or that are nested too deeply. The dialog lists these items under Kept. The .zide folder stores project data, including Zide Assist memories.

Zide deletes only items in the list. If a listed file changes after review, Zide keeps it. If new files appear in a listed folder, Zide keeps the folder and the new files. The result message tells you how many items Zide kept.

If you stage files or change branches after you review the list, Zide cancels the deletion. See The repository changed before an action could start.