git-context-graph

Show graph log of branch, default repository branch, and their remote counterparts.

This is a shortcut to git log --graph which provides a middle ground between showing only a given branch (which might lack context) and showing all branches (which might get crowded on big projects).

git log --graph --oneline	git log --graph --oneline --all

git context-graph

Description

This command is a shortcut to:

git log --color --graph --abbrev-commit --decorate --pretty=oneline \
    my-branch origin/my-branch \
    main      origin/main

By default, a branch is shown along with the default repository branch (main / master), their remote counterparts, plus any additional context branches you have configured.

Usage

Show the graph for the current branch:

git context-graph

Show the graph for one or more specific branches:

git context-graph my-branch other-branch

By default, branch arguments replace the current branch as the graph's subject. Use --add (-a) to add them to the current branch instead:

git context-graph --add other-branch   # (-a) graph the current branch together with other-branch

Narrow down what is shown:

git context-graph --local        # only local branches (ignore remotes)
git context-graph --no-default   # omit the default branch (main / master)

Any git-log option can be passed through to refine or customize the output (see the git-log documentation):

git context-graph --pretty=medium -- some/path

Passing a remote branch (e.g. origin/my-branch) focuses that single remote.
Counterparts on other remotes are left out of the graph (though they still appear as labels when they point at commits already shown).

git context-graph origin/my-branch

Listing branches

Instead of drawing the graph, list the branches involved:

git context-graph --list           # branches that would be shown in the graph
git context-graph --list --short   # ... using short names

Branch context configuration

On top of the branches shown by default, you can persist additional context branches per branch. These are stored in the repository's local git config (under branch.<name>.context) and are automatically included whenever you graph that branch.

Add branches to a context - --config-add (-A):

# git context-graph [<base_branch>...] -A|--config-add <additional_branch>...
git context-graph --config-add feature-a2            # add branch(es) to current branch context
git context-graph feature-a1 --config-add feature-a2 # ... or to a specific branch context

Clear context branches - --config-clear (-C):

# git context-graph [<base_branch>...] -C|--config-clear [<additional_branch>...]
git context-graph --config-clear                       # clear all configured context branches for current branch
git context-graph --config-clear feature-a2            # ... or remove a specific branch from current branch context
git context-graph feature-a1 --config-clear            # ... or clear all context branches for a specific branch
git context-graph feature-a1 --config-clear feature-a2 # ... or remove a specific branch from a specific branch context

Toggle a branch in/out of a context - --config-toggle (-T):

# git context-graph [<base_branch>...] -T|--config-toggle <additional_branch>...
git context-graph --config-toggle feature-a3   # toggle a branch in/out of current branch context

Sync a branch's context into a shared preset - --sync (-S):

# git context-graph [<base_branch>] [<config edit>] -S|--sync
git context-graph --sync                         # make every branch in the set reference the others
git context-graph --config-add feature-a3 --sync # ... or apply an edit, then propagate it to the whole preset

Used on its own, --sync mirrors a branch's context across the set so every member references all the others. Combined with --config-add/--config-clear/--config-toggle, the edit is applied and then synced: a branch removed from the preset is detached from every member (keeping only its unrelated context), and clearing a branch's whole context tears the preset down.

Reset the whole repository's context configuration - --config-reset (-Z):

# git context-graph -Z|--config-reset
git context-graph --config-reset   # remove all branch context configuration (asks for confirmation)

To review context membership across the repository, list all local branches flagged by whether they belong to a branch's context:

# git context-graph [<base_branch>] -v|--list-status
git context-graph --list-status    # all local branches, flagged by context membership

Markers:

• ' * ' current / reference,
• '[*]' in context,
• '[ ]' not in context.

Example output:

 * 	feature-a1
[*]	feature-a2
[*]	feature-a3
[ ]	feature-b1
[ ]	feature-b2

Arguments

• <base_branch>...
  Branch(es) to show graph for. If omitted, current branch will be used.

Options

Graphing

• -a|--add <additional_branch>...
  Consider <additional_branch> argument(s) as additional branch(es) (added to current branch).

• --local
  Show only local branches (ignore remotes).

• --no-default
  Show only related branches (local and remote), without default branch.

• --fold|--unfold|--fold-toggle
  Show first-parent history only (--fold) or the full graph (--unfold), or flip the current setting (--fold-toggle).
  Folding mode is persisted to the local git configuration (context-graph.first-parent).

Listing

• -l|--list
  List branches that would be shown in the graph (does not display graph).

• -s|--short
  Use short branch names when listing branches (without refs/heads/ or refs/remotes/).
  Implies --list.

• -v|--list-status
  List local branches, flagging those in the current branch's context.
  ' * ' current / reference, '[*]' in context, '[ ]' not in context.

Branch context configuration

• -A|--config-add <additional_branch>...
  For a given branch, persist additional context branches to git configuration.

• -C|--config-clear [<additional_branch>...]
  For a given branch, remove additional context branches from git configuration.
  If no additional branch is passed, all configured additional branches will be removed.

• -T|--config-toggle <additional_branch>...
  For a given branch, toggle specified branches from context in git configuration.

• -S|--sync
  Synchronize a branch's context into a shared preset where every branch in the set references all the others.
  Works on its own or propagates an edit to the whole preset (--config-add/--config-clear/--config-toggle).
  A branch removed from the preset is detached from all its members, keeping only unrelated context.

• -Z|--config-reset
  Remove all context-graph configuration from the repository (branch context, folding preference).

Help

• -h|--usage
  Show command usage.

Installation

• Add the git-context-graph directory to your PATH
  in one of your shell startup scripts:

  PATH="${PATH}:/path/to/git-context-graph"
  

OR

• Define it as a git alias:
  run:

  git config --global alias.cg '!bash /path/to/git-context-graph/git-context-graph'
  

  or edit your ~/.gitconfig directly:

  [alias]
  	cg = "!bash /path/to/git-context-graph/git-context-graph"
  

Completion is available in git-context-graph-completion.bash. Source it in one of your shell startup scripts:

. "/path/to/git-context-graph/git-context-graph-completion.bash"

Lazygit integration

git context-graph pairs well with Lazygit: use it as the log command for the branch and all-branches views, and wire a couple of custom keybindings to manage a branch's context without leaving the UI.

Log commands

Point Lazygit's log views at git context-graph so they show each branch together with its context, rather than a single branch or every branch at once:

git:
  # Log shown for the selected branch
  branchLogCmd: git context-graph {{branchName}} --

  # Logs cycled through in the "all branches" status view
  allBranchesLogCmds:
    - git context-graph --first-parent --all    --
    - git context-graph --first-parent --reflog --
    #- ...

Any git-log option can be added (e.g. --pretty=custom-format).

Toggling merged branch folding (--first-parent)

Add a custom command to toggle merged branch folding in graph log view.

Suggestion: use <a> (same as "Show/cycle all branch logs" (allBranchesLogGraph) in status tab.

customCommands:
  - key: '<a>'
    context: 'localBranches,remoteBranches'
    command: "git context-graph --fold-toggle"
    description: "Toggle folding in branch graph log"
    output: none

Managing context from the branches panel

Add custom commands to toggle a branch in/out of the selected branch's context and sync across preset branches from the local branches panel.

Toggle a branch in/out of the selected branch's context

The menu is built from --list-status, so it lists every local branch flagged by its current membership:

customCommands:
  - key: '<alt+c>'
    context: 'localBranches'
    command: "git context-graph {{ .SelectedLocalBranch.Name }} --config-toggle {{ .Form.Branch }}"
    description: "Toggle branch in current context"
    output: log
    prompts:
      - type: 'menuFromCommand'
        title: "Toggle branch in context of {{ .SelectedLocalBranch.Name }}"
        key: 'Branch'
        command: 'git context-graph {{ .SelectedLocalBranch.Name }} --list-status'
        filter: '(?P<status>.*)\t(?P<branch>.*)'
        valueFormat: '{{ .branch }}'
        labelFormat: >-
          {{ if eq .status " * " }}{{ .status | green | bold }} {{ .branch | underline }}{{ end }}
          {{ if eq .status "[*]" }}{{ .status | green | bold }} {{ .branch | bold      }}{{ end }}
          {{ if eq .status "[ ]" }}{{ .status | white        }} {{ .branch             }}{{ end }}

Toggle a branch and sync the whole preset

Same menu, but appends --sync so the toggle is mirrored across every branch of the preset:

  - key: '<ctrl+alt+c>'
    context: 'localBranches'
    command: "git context-graph {{ .SelectedLocalBranch.Name }} --config-toggle {{ .Form.Branch }} --sync"
    description: "Toggle branch in current context preset (+sync)"
    output: log
    prompts:
      - type: 'menuFromCommand'
        title: "Toggle branch in current context preset (+sync)"
        key: 'Branch'
        command: 'git context-graph {{ .SelectedLocalBranch.Name }} --list-status'
        filter: '(?P<status>.*)\t(?P<branch>.*)'
        valueFormat: '{{ .branch }}'
        labelFormat: >-
          {{ if eq .status " * " }}{{ .status | green | bold }} {{ .branch | underline }}{{ end }}
          {{ if eq .status "[*]" }}{{ .status | green | bold }} {{ .branch | bold      }}{{ end }}
          {{ if eq .status "[ ]" }}{{ .status | white        }} {{ .branch             }}{{ end }}