whatisgithub

What is tig?

ideal/tig — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2015-08-18

CAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · moderate

In one sentence

Tig is a text-based terminal browser for Git that lets you navigate commit history, branches, and diffs with keyboard shortcuts instead of typing repeated Git commands.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Browse commit history
      View diffs
      Stage changes
    Tech stack
      C
      ncurses
    Use cases
      Review commits
      Learn Git visually
      Stage code chunks
    Audience
      Terminal developers
      Git beginners
    Notes
      Lightweight and fast
      Long standing project

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Browse a repository's commit history visually instead of scrolling through git log output.

USE CASE 2

Review and stage specific chunks of code for commit without leaving the terminal.

USE CASE 3

Learn how branches and commits relate by exploring a repo's structure visually.

USE CASE 4

Inspect diffs across commits quickly while reviewing changes before pushing.

What is it built with?

Cncurses

How does it compare?

ideal/tigac000/find-flvacc4github/kdenlive-omnifade
Stars——0
LanguageCCC
Last pushed2015-08-182013-04-05—
MaintenanceDormantDormant—
Setup difficultymoderatemoderatemoderate
Complexity2/52/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Installation typically requires building from source, which needs ncurses and a C toolchain.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me the essential Tig keyboard shortcuts for browsing commit history and viewing diffs.
Prompt 2
Help me install Tig from source on my machine and get it running.
Prompt 3
Explain how to stage specific hunks of a file for commit using Tig.
Prompt 4
Walk me through using Tig to compare two branches in my Git repository.

Frequently asked questions

What is tig?

Tig is a text-based terminal browser for Git that lets you navigate commit history, branches, and diffs with keyboard shortcuts instead of typing repeated Git commands.

What language is tig written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes C, ncurses.

Is tig actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2015-08-18).

How hard is tig to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is tig for?

Mainly developer.

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