Git Context Switcher

Use the right git identity — name, email, SSH key and commit signing — automatically, based on where a repo lives or where its remote points.

It's a thin layer over git's own conditional includes. Git does the matching; this tool writes the config for you, checks it, and catches the mistakes.

$ git-context add work --dir ~/work --remote github.com/acme --email [email protected] --ssh-key ~/.ssh/id_acme --sign ssh -y
✔ Added "work"

$ cd ~/src/some-acme-repo && git-context whoami
  context  work            (~/.gitconfig.d/work.gitconfig)
  name     Burton          (~/.gitconfig)
  email    [email protected]      (~/.gitconfig.d/work.gitconfig)
  signing  ssh             (~/.gitconfig.d/work.gitconfig)
  ssh      ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_acme -o IdentitiesOnly=yes  (~/.gitconfig.d/work.gitconfig)

What you get

| | | |---|---| | Directory and remote matching | --dir ~/work uses gitdir:; --remote github.com/acme uses hasconfig:remote.*.url: so a repo cloned anywhere still gets the right identity, for https and ssh URLs alike | | SSH keys and signing per context | Sets core.sshCommand so pushes use the right key, and SSH or GPG commit signing. Maintains an allowed-signers file so git log --show-signature verifies your own commits | | whoami | The identity git will actually use here, and which file each value came from | | doctor | Catches the classic mistakes: a global [user] block that silently overrides every context, gitdir: patterns missing their trailing slash, missing key files | | Identity guard | Optional. Makes git refuse to commit where no context sets an email, instead of quietly using your personal address at work | | audit | Scans a folder of repos for recent commits made with the wrong one of your emails | | Plays nicely with your config | Only touches includes that point into ~/.gitconfig.d/. Hand-written includes and everything else stay put. Backs up your gitconfig before every change | | Scriptable | Every command works non-interactively with flags; list, whoami, doctor and audit have --json |

Install

Needs Node.js 22.13+ and git 2.36+ (older git still does directory matching).

npm install -g git-context-switcher
git-context setup      # interactive wizard

Quick start

# A context per identity
git-context add personal --dir ~/personal --email [email protected] -y
git-context add work --dir ~/work --remote github.com/acme --email [email protected] --sign ssh --ssh-key ~/.ssh/id_acme -y

# Check it
git-context doctor
cd ~/work/api && git-context whoami

# Optional: refuse commits anywhere no context applies
git-context guard on

# Find past slips
git-context audit ~/src --since "6 months ago"

Upgrading from 1.x? Your contexts are migrated automatically the first time you run any command (your old ~/.gitcontexts is kept as ~/.gitcontexts.v1.bak). See the changelog for what changed.

Documentation

• Command reference
• How it works
• Examples
• Troubleshooting

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. npm run check runs lint, type checks and tests; tests run real git in a throwaway home directory.

License

MIT, see LICENSE.

Security

See SECURITY.md.