# Install git-cola with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper, scoop, winget

Highly caffeinated git GUI. Version 4.19.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-13. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install git-cola.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:git-cola
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install git-cola
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install git-cola
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/git-cola/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add git-cola
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: git-cola from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- Debian apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install git-cola
```

  Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: git-cola from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install git-cola
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: git-cola from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#git-cola
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/gi/git-cola/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install git-cola
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: git-cola from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst

### Windows

- Scoop (92%):

```sh
scoop install extras/git-cola
```

  Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/git-cola.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Extras/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- winget (92%):

```sh
winget install --id git-cola.git-cola -e
```

  Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: git-cola.git-cola from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:git-cola
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 4.19.0
- **Source summary:** Highly caffeinated git GUI
- **Homepage:** <https://git-cola.github.io/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/git-cola/git-cola>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-13T09:39:07Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- cola (alias)
- git-cola (alias)
- git-cola-sequence-editor (alias)
- git-dag (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 4.19.0
## Project history and usage

git-cola is a Python and Qt graphical interface for Git, with command-line entry points such as git cola and git dag. It represents the desktop-Git side of the Git tooling ecosystem: visual staging, commit preparation, history browsing, and common repository actions without leaving local Git.

### Project history

The project is distributed by the git-cola organization and describes itself as a powerful Git GUI with a slick interface. Its release notes preserve a long 1.x to 4.x line; early notes in the 1.3 series already mention Debian packaging, Windows and Mac OS X packaging work, saved layouts, branch review mode, and Git difftool integration.

### Adoption history

git-cola's adoption has been strongest through operating-system package channels. The official README says Linux distributions had already packaged it and documents installation through Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo, openSUSE, Slackware, FreeBSD, Homebrew, PyPI virtual environments, Windows installers, and source-tree execution.

### How it is used

Practitioners use git-cola as a local Git GUI for staging and unstaging changes, editing commit messages, browsing history with git dag, diffing revisions, fetching, pulling, pushing, rebasing, stashing, tagging, and launching focused subcommands from the command line.

### Why package nerds care

For package catalogs, git-cola is notable because it bridges desktop application packaging and Git subcommand culture. It can run from a source tree, from Python packaging, from OS packages, or as a Git-style command, making it a useful test case for GUI dependencies in command-line package managers.

### Timeline

- 1.3.x: Release notes documented Debian packaging fixes, Mac OS X bundles, Windows installer work, and Git difftool integration.
- 4.x: Release notes documented continued UI, Git DAG, packaging, and desktop integration work.

### Related projects

- git-cola relates to Git itself, Git DAG, Git difftool, QtPy, PyQt, and PySide through its GUI and packaging model.

### Sources

- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/git-cola>
- <https://git-cola.readthedocs.io/>
- <https://github.com/git-cola/git-cola>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git-cola/git-cola/main/CHANGES.rst>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git-cola/git-cola/main/README.md>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git-cola/git-cola/main/docs/git-cola.rst>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.


## Configuration files

- Unix: ~/.gitconfig, .git/config, ~/.config/git-cola, ~/.config/git-cola/layouts, ~/.config/git-cola/language, ~/.config/git-cola/git-bindir
## Other Package-Manager Records

- Debian apt - git-cola - 4.12.0-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: git-cola from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | highly caffeinated git GUI | https://git-cola.github.io/
- Nix - git-cola: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/gi/git-cola/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - git-cola - 4.6.1-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: git-cola from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | highly caffeinated git GUI | https://git-cola.github.io/
- apk - git-cola - 4.19.0-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: git-cola from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GUI application for git built on Python & Qt | https://git-cola.github.io
- apk - git-cola-doc - 4.19.0-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: git-cola-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GUI application for git built on Python & Qt (documentation) | https://git-cola.github.io
- apk - git-cola-pyc - 4.19.0-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: git-cola-pyc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Precompiled Python bytecode for git-cola | https://git-cola.github.io
- dnf - git-cola - 4.19.0-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: git-cola from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | A sleek and powerful git GUI | https://git-cola.github.io
- zypper - git-cola - 4.17.0-1.4: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: git-cola from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | A GUI for Git | https://git-cola.github.io/
- MacPorts - git-cola: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/git-cola/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Scoop - extras/git-cola: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/git-cola.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Extras/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- winget - git-cola.git-cola: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: git-cola.git-cola from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/git-cola.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/git-cola.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph