gitk

Graphical Git repository browser

TLDR

Start gitk

$ gitk

Show all branches

$ gitk --all

Show specific file history

$ gitk [file.txt]

Show specific range

$ gitk [v1.0..v2.0]

Show since date

$ gitk --since="[2 weeks ago]"

Select a specific commit on load

$ gitk --select-commit=[HEAD]

Trace the history of a function

$ gitk -L:[function_name]:[file.c]

SYNOPSIS

gitk [options] [revision-range] [--] [path...]

gitk is a graphical repository browser for Git. It displays commit history in a visual graph, showing branches, merges, and commit details in a GUI window.The interface shows the commit graph, file changes, and diff content. It supports search, filtering, and visual exploration of repository history.

PARAMETERS

REVISION-RANGE

Commits to display (e.g. `v1.0..v2.0`).

PATH...

Limit to commits touching the given paths.

--all

Show all refs (branches, tags, etc.) as if listed on the command line.

--branches[=PATTERN]

Show all branches, optionally limited to a glob pattern.

--tags[=PATTERN]

Show all tags, optionally limited to a glob pattern.

--remotes[=PATTERN]

Show all remote-tracking branches, optionally limited to a glob pattern.

--since DATE

Show commits more recent than the given date.

--until DATE

Show commits older than the given date.

--date-order

Sort commits by date rather than topologically.

--merge

After a conflicted merge, show commits that modify the conflicted files on both branches.

--left-right

Mark commits with `<` or `>` to indicate which side of a symmetric difference they come from.

--full-history

Don't prune history when filtering by path.

--simplify-merges

Used with --full-history to remove needless merges from the result.

-L start,end:file / -L:funcname:file

Trace the evolution of a line range or function within a file.

--argscmd COMMAND

Command run each time gitk refreshes the revision range; its output lists additional revisions to show.

--select-commit REF

Select the given commit after loading the graph (default `HEAD`).

--help

Display help information.

INSTALL

sudo dnf install gitk

sudo apk add git-gitk

sudo zypper install gitk

CAVEATS

Requires Tcl/Tk. Interface is dated. May not be installed by default.

HISTORY

gitk was written by Paul Mackerras and is one of the original Git GUI tools, providing visual history browsing since Git's early days.

RESOURCES

Documentation