Quick Start Guide

Get GitWise running in 2 minutes and transform your Git workflow immediately.

📦 Installation

Option 1: Quick Install (Fastest)

pip install pygitwise
gitwise init

Option 2: Local AI (Recommended for Privacy)

# Install Ollama for local AI
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
ollama pull llama3

# Install GitWise
pip install pygitwise
gitwise init  # Select Ollama when prompted

Option 3: Virtual Environment (Best Practice)

python3 -m venv gitwise-env
source gitwise-env/bin/activate
pip install pygitwise
gitwise init

🚀 First Workflow

After installation, try GitWise on any Git repository:

# Navigate to your project
cd your-project

# Make some changes
echo "console.log('Hello GitWise!');" > test.js

# Use GitWise interactive workflow
gitwise add .       # 🔄 Interactive: Shows changes → Commits → Pushes → Creates PR
# OR step by step:
gitwise commit      # 🤖 AI generates: "feat: add hello world console output"  
gitwise commit --group  # 🧠 Auto-groups related changes into separate commits
gitwise merge       # 🔀 Smart merge with AI conflict resolution
gitwise pr          # 📝 Create PR with AI description

That’s it! You now have perfect commits and PRs.

🤖 Choose Your AI Backend

During gitwise init, you’ll choose an AI backend:

🦙 Ollama (Local) - Recommended

Privacy: 🟢 Complete - Code never leaves your machine
Speed: 🟢 Fast after initial setup
Quality: 🟢 High
Cost: 🟢 Free

Setup:

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
ollama pull llama3
gitwise init  # Select Ollama

🌐 Online (GPT-4/Claude) - Latest AI

Privacy: 🟡 API calls to providers
Speed: 🟢 Instant
Quality: 🟢 Highest
Cost: 💰 Pay per use

Setup:

gitwise init  # Select Online, enter API key

⚡ Essential Commands

Once setup is complete, these are your main commands:

Command	What It Does
`gitwise add .`	🔄 Interactive workflow: stage → commit → push → PR
`gitwise commit`	🤖 Generate perfect Conventional Commits
`gitwise commit --group`	🧠 Auto-group related changes into separate commits
`gitwise merge`	🔀 Smart merge with AI conflict analysis
`gitwise push`	Push with optional PR creation
`gitwise pr`	📝 Create detailed PRs with labels & checklists
`gitwise init`	Change AI backend or reconfigure

🎯 Pro Tips

Speed Up Your Workflow

# Auto-confirm mode for faster workflow
gitwise add . --yes
gitwise commit --yes
gitwise push --yes

Better PR Creation

# Create PR with labels and checklist automatically
gitwise pr --labels --checklist

# Create draft PR for review
gitwise pr --draft

Context for Better AI

# Set context for better commit messages
gitwise set-context "Working on user authentication system"

🔧 Troubleshooting

Command Not Found

If gitwise command is not found, add to your PATH:

macOS/Linux:

export PATH="$PATH:~/.local/bin"
# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc

Or use virtual environment (recommended):

python3 -m venv gitwise-env
source gitwise-env/bin/activate
pip install pygitwise

Ollama Issues

# Check if Ollama is running
ollama list

# Start Ollama if needed
ollama serve

# Pull models if missing
ollama pull llama3

🎉 You’re Ready!

Your Git workflow is now supercharged. Every commit will be meaningful, every PR will be detailed, and everything happens in seconds instead of minutes.

Next Steps: