Install gitui with Homebrew, apk, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• gitui

Project history

The public repository was opened in March 2020, and the crate was published to crates.io shortly afterward. The README explains the motivation: the author did most Git work in a terminal but still reached for graphical clients for index, commit, diff, stash, blame, and log workflows, while some GUI clients struggled with very large repositories.

GitUI's early releases began in April 2020. The project grew around a responsive terminal UI, async Git API use, context-based help, and keyboard-only control. The README's benchmark section compared parsing the Linux repository against lazygit and tig in a RustBerlin presentation, positioning performance on large repositories as part of its identity.

As the project matured, customization became a first-class part of its package surface. Separate docs describe RON-based theme files, key bindings, and key-symbol overrides, with platform-specific config locations for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Adoption history

GitUI has broad package-manager reach for a terminal Git client. The README lists Arch Linux, Fedora, openSUSE, Homebrew, MacPorts, WinGet, Scoop, Chocolatey, mise, Nix, Termux, Anaconda, Cargo, and release binaries. crates.io records the crate, repository, and download data, while Homebrew packages it as a stable formula.

That packaging spread reflects the tool's practical niche: it is installed globally by developers who want a fast Git workbench available in any repository, independent of an editor plugin or desktop GUI.

How it is used

Practitioners launch `gitui` inside a Git repository to inspect status, stage or unstage files and hunks, commit or amend, manage stashes, browse and search logs, push or fetch remotes, and work with branches. The README notes that GitUI complements the Git shell rather than fully replacing it.

Customization workflows center on `theme.ron`, `key_bindings.ron`, and `key_symbols.ron`. Users tune colors, syntax themes, navigation keys, and displayed key symbols while keeping the main workflow terminal-native.

Why package nerds care

GitUI is one of the better-known Rust Git TUIs and a useful example of a single-binary developer tool that package managers carry widely. It also demonstrates a common modern pattern: Git as the substrate, Rust for portable performance, and config files in XDG/AppData locations for long-term daily use.

Timeline

• 2020: Public GitHub repository opened.
• 2020: Crate publication recorded on crates.io.
• 2020: Early GitHub 0.1 releases published.
• 2025: README documented a 1.0 roadmap and extensive package-manager install options.
• 2026: 0.28 release line visible in GitHub releases.

Related projects

• Git command-line workflows.
• lazygit and tig as benchmarked Git TUI peers.
• Rust terminal UI and crossterm/ratatui-style configuration ecosystems.
• Homebrew, Cargo, Nix, Scoop, WinGet, and distro package collections.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/gitui-org/gitui
• https://api.github.com/repos/gitui-org/gitui/releases
• https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/gitui
• https://crates.io/crates/gitui
• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gitui
• https://github.com/gitui-org/gitui
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gitui-org/gitui/master/KEY_CONFIG.md
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gitui-org/gitui/master/README.md
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gitui-org/gitui/master/THEMES.md