git_chain 0.5.0

CLI tool to visualize, synchronize, and track stacked git branch chains and their GitHub PRs.

git_chain

A terminal UI to manage stacked git branch chains - when one feature spans several PRs that each target the previous branch:

main ← feat/api-layer ← feat/ui-widgets ← feat/polish

Visualize the chain and its GitHub PRs, synchronize the whole stack to the latest target branch (cascading rebase or merge), resolve conflicts in your merge tool, and keep history across every repo on your machine.

Features

• Visualize stacked branches with their PR number, assignee, draft flag, and live behind / ahead status.
• Sync a chain to its target — cascading rebase or merge, running in-app with a live progress overlay.
• Conflicts open in your configured git mergetool, then the sync continues.
• Stash prompt with explicit, named stashes (auto-restored) when the tree is dirty.
• Tracks repos, chains, and full sync history in ~/.git_chain/git_chain.db.
• Hybrid chain detection: reconstructs chains from open PRs (gh), editable per repo.

Install

Pub.dev

dart pub global activate git_chain

Or from a local checkout:

dart pub global activate --source=path <path to this package>

Homebrew

brew tap orestesgaolin/tap
brew install git_chain

(macOS arm64 and Linux x64.)

Requires: git, and gh authenticated (gh auth login) for PR detection.

Usage

Run inside any git repo:

git_chain          # interactive TUI (default)
git_chain scan     # import chains from open PRs
git_chain list     # plain-text repos/chains with status
git_chain sync [name] -s rebase|merge   # sync from the shell

Keys (TUI)

Key	Action	Key	Action
↑↓	move	s	sync (choose rebase/merge)
⏎ / →	open	e	expand commits vs. parent
← / esc	back	c	checkout branch
i	import from PRs	o	open PR in browser
d	delete / untrack	h	sync history
r	refresh	q	quit

Screenshots

Chains	Stack status

Choose strategy	Live sync

Try it

Build a self-contained demo repo (dummy branches + a local PR fixture, no GitHub):

git_chain demo && cd ~/.git_chain/demo-repo && git_chain

How sync works

Pulls the latest target, then cascades: rebase/merge feat/1 onto the updated main, feat/2 onto the updated feat/1, and so on. It runs in the TUI; only when a branch actually conflicts does it hand off to your shell for git mergetool, then you run git_chain again to return. Rebase rewrites history, so expect to force-push (--force-with-lease).