The Commit Graph is where your development and agentic workflows come together. 

GitLens 19.4 makes it easier to get into your repository, understand your Git history, and start working without extra setup.

The biggest change is simple: the Commit Graph is now available without a GitKraken account for public and local repositories.

Open GitLens, open the Graph, and start exploring.

No sign-in required.

For private repositories, GitLens also gives you a 3-day preview of the Commit Graph without requiring an account, so you can experience the workflow before deciding what comes next.

Git history without the extra steps

The Commit Graph is one of the most important surfaces in GitLens. It helps developers understand how branches, commits, working changes, and development history fit together.

With GitLens 19.4, getting to that context is faster.

If you’re working with a public or local repository, you can open the Commit Graph immediately without creating or signing into an account.

That means less friction between opening a repository and understanding what’s happening inside it.

For developers evaluating GitLens on a private repository, the new 3-day preview provides the same kind of low-friction starting point without requiring account creation up front.

Generate branch names from your team’s conventions

Starting new work often begins with an issue, followed by a branch.

GitLens 19.4 makes that transition more consistent by improving Start Work.

GitLens can now generate branch names using information such as the issue ID and title, helping branches follow the conventions your team already uses.

You can customize the branch naming format in Settings and preview the generated branch name before creating it.

Instead of manually translating something like:

PROJ-428 Add retry handling to API requests

into your team’s preferred branch structure every time, GitLens can help make that naming step part of the workflow.

The result is a small improvement that becomes increasingly useful across a team: more predictable branch names and less repetitive setup every time new work begins.

Publish repositories from the Commit Graph

Sometimes the repository you’re working in does not have a remote yet.

Previously, that could mean leaving the Git workflow you were already in to configure one.

GitLens 19.4 adds the ability to publish a repository or add a remote directly from the Commit Graph.

That keeps another common Git action close to the repository context you’re already using.

Open the Graph, understand the repository state, and when you’re ready to share the repository, connect it to a remote without jumping between disconnected workflows.

More reliable everyday Git workflows

GitLens 19.4 also includes several smaller improvements aimed at making common Git operations feel more predictable.

Auto-fetch will no longer interfere with active pull operations, reducing unnecessary collisions between background activity and the Git operation you’re intentionally running.

Worktree deletion now includes clearer warnings, helping developers understand the impact before removing a worktree.

Start Work and Launchpad also gain expanded support for connected self-managed hosts, extending those workflows to more development environments.

None of these changes radically alter how developers use GitLens on their own. Together, they remove friction from the everyday Git workflows developers repeat constantly.

A simpler way into GitLens

GitLens has been evolving around the idea that developers should be able to understand and act on their repository without constantly leaving their IDE or reconstructing context across separate tools.

GitLens 19.4 improves the beginning of that experience.

Open your repository. Open GitLens. Explore your Git history.

No account required for public and local repositories.

From there, GitLens can help you start new work with consistent branch names, connect local repositories to remotes, and move through the Git workflows that follow.

GitLens 19.4 is available now for VS Code and compatible editors.

Explore everything included in GitLens 19.4 in the full release notes