See your whole history at a glance
The Visual Commit Graph turns git log into a living, interactive map of your repository. Branches, tags, and merges are laid out as a tree so you can read history the way you think about it — and act on it directly.
What the graph shows you
Branch & tag labels inline
Refs are drawn right on the commits they point to, so you never lose track of where a branch tip or release tag actually sits.
Current commit highlight
Git Navigator gives the commit at HEAD a larger, ringed dot and a tinted row, so where you are sits one glance away from anything else on the graph.
Merge & parent lines
Parent–child relationships are drawn as lanes, making merges, forks, and divergence obvious instead of inferred.
Favorites stay pinned
Star the branches you care about and they stay visible even when the rest of the graph scrolls away.
Reading and using the graph
- Open a repository. Point Git Navigator at any folder with a
.gitdirectory. The full commit graph renders immediately — no command to run. - Follow the lanes. Each vertical lane is a line of development. Where lanes split, history diverged; where they join, a merge happened.
- Find your position. The commit at
HEADis drawn with a larger, ringed dot and a tinted row, so spotting where you are is one glance. Branch and tag labels sit on the commits they reference. - Check out any commit. Click a commit to check it out and explore that point in history. The current-commit highlight follows you to the new
HEAD.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from running git log --graph?
git log --graph prints an ASCII tree in your terminal that you can only read. Git Navigator renders the same topology as an interactive graph you can act on — click a commit to check it out, drag to rebase, and see branch and tag labels drawn inline.
Does the graph show all branches at once?
Yes. The graph lays out your branches as parallel lanes so you can see the full topology — mainline, feature branches, merges, and tags — in a single view, with your current position highlighted.
Can I check out a commit from the graph?
Click any commit in the graph to check it out. Git Navigator moves the current-commit highlight to the new HEAD so you always know where you are.
Is the commit graph available in both the VS Code extension and the desktop app?
Yes. The Visual Commit Graph is part of the shared Git Navigator product surface and works the same way in the VS Code extension and the standalone desktop app.