Quick Start Guide

Get GitWise up and running in under 5 minutes.

📦 Installation

# Install from PyPI
pip install pygitwise

# For offline model support (optional)
pip install "pygitwise[offline]"

🚀 Initial Setup

Run the interactive setup to configure your preferred AI backend:

gitwise init

This will guide you through:

Choosing your AI backend (Ollama, Offline, Online through OpenRouter, or Direct Providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini)
Configuring API keys or model settings
Testing your configuration
Saving your preferences

🦙 Recommended: Ollama Setup

For the best balance of privacy, quality, and speed:

# 1. Install Ollama
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

# 2. Pull a model
ollama pull llama3

# 3. Configure GitWise (select Ollama when prompted)
gitwise init

⚡ Your First GitWise Workflow

# 1. Make some changes
echo "print('Hello, GitWise!')" > hello.py

# 2. Stage changes with summary
gitwise add .
# Shows summary of changes and prompts for next action

# 3. Generate AI commit message
gitwise commit
# AI analyzes your diff and suggests: "feat: add hello world script"

# 4. Push to remote
gitwise push
# Offers to create a PR with AI-generated description

# 5. Create PR with enhancements
gitwise pr --labels --checklist
# Adds relevant labels and context-aware checklist

🔧 Alternative Backend Options

🏠 Offline Mode (No Internet Required)

pip install "pygitwise[offline]"
gitwise init  # Select "Offline (built-in model)"

🌐 Online Mode (Latest AI Models)

# Get API key from https://openrouter.ai/
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your_api_key"
gitwise init  # Select "Online (OpenRouter API)"

✨ Direct LLM Providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini)

For direct integration with your preferred LLM provider:

OpenAI:

export GITWISE_LLM_BACKEND=openai
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your_openai_api_key"
gitwise init # Select "OpenAI"

Anthropic:

export GITWISE_LLM_BACKEND=anthropic
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your_anthropic_api_key"
gitwise init # Select "Anthropic"

Google Gemini:

export GITWISE_LLM_BACKEND=google_gemini
export GOOGLE_API_KEY="your_google_api_key"
gitwise init # Select "Google Gemini"

During gitwise init, you can select your specific provider and enter the API key when prompted.

📋 Essential Commands

Command	Description
`gitwise init`	Initial setup and configuration
`gitwise add .`	Stage files with summary
`gitwise commit`	AI-generated commit messages
`gitwise commit --group`	Split complex changes into multiple commits
`gitwise push`	Push with PR creation prompt
`gitwise pr --labels --checklist`	Create enhanced PR
`gitwise git <cmd>`	Use any git command through gitwise

🛠️ Quick Troubleshooting

Ollama not working?

# Check if Ollama is running
curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags

# Start Ollama if needed
ollama serve

Want to switch backends?

# Quick switch
export GITWISE_LLM_BACKEND=offline

# Or reconfigure
gitwise init

Need help?

gitwise --help
gitwise commit --help

🎯 Next Steps

Features Guide - Learn about advanced features and AI backends
Quick Reference - Handy command reference
API Documentation - For advanced usage and configuration

🎉 You're all set!

GitWise is now ready to enhance your Git workflow. Start with gitwise add . and let AI help with your commits!