Weaver

Weaver is a fast, native Git desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux. It is written in Zig with KnotsUI and libgit2, so there is no webview or Electron runtime: one small executable that opens instantly and stays out of your way.

Development preview. Weaver is usable day to day but still young. Windows is the most tested platform; macOS and Linux build from the same source and have had less testing. Please open an issue if something does not work on your machine.

Download

These links always point at the newest build; the latest release is rebuilt automatically for every change on main.

Platform	Download	How to run
Windows (x64)	Weaver-windows-x86_64.zip	Extract the folder and run weaver.exe.
macOS (Apple Silicon)	Weaver-macos-aarch64.dmg	Open the disk image and drag Weaver to Applications.
Linux (x64, Wayland)	Weaver-linux-x86_64.tar.gz	Extract and run bin/weaver.

The downloads are not code-signed yet, so your system will warn you the first time:

• Windows: on the SmartScreen prompt choose More info, then Run anyway.
• macOS: after the first blocked launch, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway, or run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Weaver.app.

Weaver uses the Git you already have installed, so install Git first (and Git LFS for repositories that use it). Linux also needs a Wayland session, a Vulkan 1.3 driver and xdg-desktop-portal; the build is made on Ubuntu 24.04, so older distributions may need to build from source. SHA256SUMS.txt in the release lists the checksums.

The release also carries Weaver-windows-x86_64.msix. That is the unsigned package submitted to the Microsoft Store, which signs it; Windows will not install it directly, so use the zip.

Features

Repositories

• Add, initialize or clone repositories, or drag a folder into the window. Linked worktrees open directly.
• Keep many repositories in the sidebar, reorder them and sort them into groups.
• Sign in to GitHub in one click through Git Credential Manager and clone your public or private repositories over HTTPS or SSH.

Changes and diffs

• Staged and unstaged changes in separate lists, with file-type icons and added/removed line counts.
• Syntax-highlighted diffs in unified or side-by-side view.
• Stage or unstage whole files, single hunks or everything at once, then commit.
• Right-click a file to open it in your editor, reveal its folder, copy its path, add it to .gitignore, or discard its changes (with confirmation).

Branches and history

• Create, switch, publish and delete branches from a native branch picker.
• Fetch, pull and push from the toolbar, with badges showing how many commits you are ahead or behind.
• Merge, rebase, cherry-pick, revert, stash and tag.
• Browse commit history and each commit's diff.
• Resolve conflicts in the app: inspect the markers, keep either side, then continue or abort.

Guidance when things go wrong

• A repository without a remote gets a banner and a dialog that adds origin and pushes straight away.
• A failed push, pull, fetch or clone opens a dialog with Git's output and the next step to take.

Git LFS

• Set up LFS, track file types, and view transfers, status and locks.

Look and feel

• Eleven themes, eight dark and three light, with twelve accent colors.
• Resizable panels and a custom title bar.
• Optional background fetch every five minutes, off by default.

Extensions

• Add commands and settings with small executables that speak JSON over standard input and output, written in any language. See the extension API.

Safe by design

• Git commands are passed as argument arrays; repository content is never interpreted by a shell.
• Credentials stay in the operating system's credential store, never in settings or remote URLs.
• Your Git hooks, commit signing and LFS filters keep working because Weaver uses your Git configuration.
• Weaver never force-pushes, hard-resets or deletes untracked files on its own, and destructive actions ask first.

Build from source

The only build tool you need is Zig 0.17.0. Everything else (KnotsUI, libgit2, the native file dialog) is pinned in build.zig.zon; zig build downloads and compiles it for you. The first build takes a couple of minutes.

git clone https://github.com/KeoneSomers/Weaver.git
cd Weaver
zig build run

To build an optimized executable instead, run zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSafe. The result is zig-out/bin/weaver (weaver.exe on Windows). Pass a folder to open it on launch: zig-out/bin/weaver /path/to/repository.

Weaver needs the exact Zig version above, because KnotsUI tracks Zig closely. Get it from ziglang.org/download or with a version manager such as zvm (zvm install 0.17.0).

At run time Weaver uses the Git you already have installed, plus curl, and Git LFS for repositories that use it.

Windows

1. Install Git for Windows. It includes Git LFS, curl and Git Credential Manager.
2. Install Zig 0.17.0.
3. Run zig build run in the cloned folder.

No Visual Studio or other compiler is needed.

macOS

Apple Silicon only; Intel Macs are not supported.

1. Install the Xcode Command Line Tools, which provide Git and the system frameworks:

   xcode-select --install

2. Install Zig 0.17.0.

3. Run zig build run in the cloned folder.

Optional: brew install git-lfs for LFS repositories, and brew install --cask git-credential-manager for one-click GitHub sign-in.

Linux

Weaver needs a Wayland session (KnotsUI has no X11 backend yet), a Vulkan 1.3 driver, and a desktop portal with a file chooser (xdg-desktop-portal, which GNOME and KDE install by default).

1. Install the build packages for your distribution:

   # Debian, Ubuntu
   sudo apt install git git-lfs curl pkg-config libwayland-dev wayland-protocols libxkbcommon-dev libdbus-1-dev libvulkan1

   # Fedora
   sudo dnf install git git-lfs curl pkgconf-pkg-config wayland-devel wayland-protocols-devel libxkbcommon-devel dbus-devel vulkan-loader

   # Arch
   sudo pacman -S --needed git git-lfs curl pkgconf wayland wayland-protocols libxkbcommon dbus vulkan-icd-loader

2. Install Zig 0.17.0.

3. Run zig build run in the cloned folder.

zig build also installs a desktop entry and icons under zig-out/share. Optional: install Git Credential Manager and secret-tool (libsecret-tools on Debian and Ubuntu) for one-click GitHub sign-in.

Troubleshooting

• Zig reports a version mismatch or unfamiliar compile errors. Check zig version prints 0.17.0.
• A dependency fails to download (for example invalid HTTP response: HttpConnectionClosing). The first build downloads several large packages from GitHub and gitlab.freedesktop.org, and a transfer sometimes drops. Run zig build again; it continues from what it already has.
• Linux: wayland-scanner or a .pc file is not found. One of the packages above is missing.
• Linux: the window does not open. Check you are in a Wayland session (echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE) and that vulkaninfo reports Vulkan 1.3.

Development

zig build test -Dheadless=true   # backend tests: Git, diffs, security, persistence
zig build test-ui                # pointer routing tests
zig build check -Dheadless=true  # build the headless inspector
zig-out/bin/weaver-check /absolute/path/to/repository

-Dheadless=true skips the UI, so backend tests run without a display or GPU. Update a pinned dependency with zig fetch --save=<name> <url>.

Settings are stored in %APPDATA%\Weaver on Windows and ~/.config/Weaver on macOS and Linux. Set WEAVER_CONFIG_HOME to use a different folder, which is handy for trying things without touching your real workspace.

More documentation:

• Extension API
• Repository performance
• Releases, signing and updates
• Microsoft Store packaging and submission
• Application icon

Current limitations

• Downloads are not code-signed, and there is no installer or automatic update yet.
• Linux needs Wayland; there is no X11 backend.
• macOS needs Apple Silicon; KnotsUI's GPU and scripting dependencies have no Intel Mac builds.
• No complex text shaping or IME composition yet.
• History shows the latest 300 commits.
• Text previews are limited to 2 MiB and 25,000 lines; there are no image diffs.
• Not yet available: staging selected lines, pull request creation and review, submodule and worktree management, and an extension marketplace.
• Git is the only provider, although the UI model is provider-neutral.

License

Weaver is released under the MIT License.

Third-party software

KnotsUI and the Devicon icon font are MIT licensed, Lucide icons are ISC, JetBrains Mono uses the SIL Open Font License, Native File Dialog Extended uses the zlib license, and libgit2 is GPLv2 with a linking exception. Details are in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md, and zig build copies the license texts into zig-out/licenses.