Setup Wizard
The first time you open the Git panel on a group that is not yet a repository, the panel shows a setup wizard instead of the normal section view. The wizard is what lets you turn the folder into a Git repository — either by initializing a brand new one, or by cloning an existing remote into the folder.
The Empty State
The wizard screen is centered and minimal. At the top you see the heading Git Repository and the line "This directory is not connected to a git repository yet." Below that are up to two option cards and, at the bottom, a small Authenticationpanel explaining that the Git panel uses HTTPS + Token for any remote operations.
Which options are shown depends on whether the group folder already contains any flows or specs:
- •Empty folder: both Initialize New Repository and Clone Existing Repository are offered.
- •Folder already has content: only Initialize New Repository is offered, plus a one-line note reminding you that you can hook up a remote later from the Settings section. Cloning is intentionally hidden here so that an accidental clone can never overwrite flows or specs you have already created.
Initialize New Repository
This option turns the group folder into a brand new Git repository with no commits, no branches beyond the default, and no remote configured. One click is enough — there are no form fields. After it runs, the wizard disappears and you land on the normal Git panel, ready to stage and commit whatever is in the folder.
Use this path when you already have flows or specs in the group and simply want to start tracking them, or when you are starting a brand new group from scratch and plan to push it to a remote later.
Clone Existing Repository
This option is offered only for empty group folders. Clicking it expands a short form directly inside the wizard with two fields:
- •Remote URL: the HTTPS URL of the repository you want to clone. The placeholder shows the expected shape (https://github.com/team/specs.git).
- •Access Token: a password-style field with a show/hide eye button so you can check what you typed. The helper text below the field reads "Optional for saved servers and public repositories" — meaning you can leave it blank if the target repository is public, or if the host already has a token stored from a previous session.
Press Enter to start the clone or Escape to collapse the form. While the clone is running the button label switches to Cloning… and the form is locked. If the clone fails — invalid URL, wrong token, network error — the message is shown in a small error box at the bottom of the wizard without closing the form, so you can fix the input and try again without retyping everything.
On success, the wizard disappears and the Git panel opens on the freshly cloned group. The access token you used is saved into the operating system's keychain under the host name, so next time you push, pull, or fetch against the same host Tigrister can pick the token up without asking you again.
Authentication Model
The Git panel authenticates to remotes over HTTPS with a personal access token. SSH key authentication is not used. This is reflected in the wizard's footer label (Authentication — HTTPS + Token) and in every other place the panel collects credentials.
- •Tokens live in the OS keychain. Tigrister stores them in the operating system's native secret store (Keychain on macOS, Credential Manager on Windows, Secret Service / libsecret on Linux). They are never written into the tracked repository or any plain config file.
- •One token per host. The token is keyed by host name (for example github.com or your internal GitLab's host and port), so a single token covers every repository on that host.
- •Clone can re-use a saved token. If you have already connected to a host before — either via a previous clone or via Settings → Quick Connect — leave the Access Token field blank and the panel will pick the saved token up automatically. This is what the "optional for saved servers" hint refers to.
The full list of saved hosts, plus how to add and remove them, lives in the Settings sub-section later in this chapter.