Git Integration

LMMs-Lab Writer has first-class Git support built into the sidebar. Stage files, review diffs, commit changes, and push to GitHub — all without leaving the editor.

Getting Started

If your project folder is already a Git repository, the Git panel activates automatically. If not, click Initialize Repository to create one. The app generates a LaTeX-specific .gitignore file for you, excluding auxiliary files like .aux, .log, .synctex.gz, etc.

The Git Panel

Click the Git icon in the sidebar to open the panel.

Branch Info

The panel header shows your current branch name. If you have a remote configured, it also shows how many commits you're ahead or behind.

Changed Files

Files are organized into two sections:

• Staged — Files ready to be committed
• Unstaged — Modified, added, or deleted files not yet staged

Each file shows a status badge:

File Actions

Hover over a file to see action buttons:

• + — Stage the file (or unstage if already staged)
• Discard — Revert changes (with confirmation for destructive operations)

Click a file to open a side-by-side diff view showing exactly what changed.

Bulk Actions

• Unstage All — Remove all files from the staging area
• Discard All — Revert all changes (confirmation dialog)

Committing

1. Stage the files you want to include
2. Write a commit message in the input box
3. Press Ctrl+Enter (or Cmd+Enter on macOS) or click Commit

AI Commit Messages

Click the sparkle icon next to the commit button to generate a commit message from your staged changes using AI. The generated message summarizes what changed across all staged files.

Push & Pull

• Push — Push your local commits to the remote. Handles initial branch setup automatically.
• Pull — Pull changes from the remote.

The button labels show the number of commits ahead/behind when a remote is configured.

Remote Setup

If your repository doesn't have a remote:

1. Manual — Enter a remote URL (e.g., git@github.com:user/repo.git)
2. Publish to GitHub — Create a new GitHub repository and push in one step (requires GitHub CLI)

GitHub CLI Authentication

For one-click GitHub publishing, install the GitHub CLI and authenticate:

gh auth login

The app uses browser-based device code authentication — no tokens to manage.

Commit History

The bottom of the Git panel shows recent commits with:

• Commit message
• Author name
• Relative timestamp (e.g., "2 hours ago")
• Abbreviated commit hash (click to copy)

Click Show more commits to load additional history.

Tips

• Review AI edits before committing — After AI tools modify your files, use the diff view to verify changes
• Commit frequently — Small, focused commits make it easy to revert bad AI edits
• Use meaningful messages — Or let AI generate them for you with the sparkle button
• .gitignore is auto-generated — When you initialize a repo, the app creates a LaTeX-specific .gitignore so auxiliary files don't clutter your repository