GitAgent Is a Free AI Coding Agent That Asks Before Every Git Command
Most AI git tools fall into two camps: text generators that hand you a commit message to paste, or agents that run commands on your repository and tell you afterwards. GitAgent, a free desktop app that shipped version 0.1.178 on 7 November 2026, tries a third way. It turns a dirty working tree into an open pull request as a graph of steps — scan, draft the commit message, commit, push, draft the PR description, open the PR — and it stops at each one. Nothing touches your git history or the remote without an explicit yes on that specific step.
What GitAgent actually does
The workflow is one flow, end to end. GitAgent scans your working tree, drafts a commit message from the actual diff (not the branch name), commits, pushes, drafts the PR description from the commits on the branch, and opens the PR through the GitHub CLI. At every step that changes history or talks to the remote, it shows you the exact command it is about to run and waits. Untracked files are never swept into a commit, and the file list for each commit is shown explicitly. That is the whole pitch: the agent proposes, you approve.
It also plugs into the tools developers already use. An MCP server lets Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Codex drive GitAgent in plain language — "run the PR review and merge for #75" — while the same gated flow runs underneath and still stops at the merge waiting for approval. There is a Claude skill for it too. The project is upfront about the cost of that connection: talking to GitAgent through your agent costs tokens of your agent's own model, not GitAgent credits, and it publishes its own measurements (about 680 tokens for the server instructions in every conversation, measured on version 0.1.140 on 31 October 2026).
What it costs — and what "free" covers
GitAgent is free for personal, educational and non-profit use, in every repository. Commercial use — including a solo consultant on client work and an employee using it at their job — requires GitAgent Pro, a monthly plan that also brings AI credits every month for the project's api0 model. The source is public and readable under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0; the name and logo are trademarks and are not covered by the licence.
The drafting itself needs no AI subscription at all if you run it on a local model: point GitAgent at ollama on your own machine and the diff of a private repository never leaves it. Mistral is the hosted alternative, which needs a Mistral API key. That local-first option is the reason this one is worth watching for privacy-minded developers — our no-API-key coding agents guide covers why keeping the diff on your machine matters, and our ranked coding agents list is where GitAgent would land once we have tested it hands-on.
How to run it
GitAgent ships for macOS on Apple Silicon, Windows, and Linux x86_64, with signed and notarized builds for Mac. The requirements are git, the GitHub CLI (gh) authenticated for opening pull requests, and either ollama running locally or a Mistral API key. One honest limit: PR creation goes through the gh CLI, so opening pull requests is GitHub-only today. The commit and push steps work on any git remote.
It is also shipping fast. The project's own release notes list version 0.1.175 on 6 November and three more releases — 0.1.176, 0.1.177 and 0.1.178 — on 7 November alone. Fast shipping is a good sign for a young tool and a reason to check the release notes before installing: what we describe here is version 0.1.178, and the next version may already change something.
Where it fits — and what we have not verified yet
GitAgent fits a specific gap in the free agents directory: a coding agent that is free for personal use, runs its drafting on a local model, and treats approval as a feature rather than a setting you have to hunt for. Compare that with the usual trade-off in this category — free agents that either do too little (commit message only) or too much unsupervised — and the gated-step design is the distinguishing detail.
What we have not done yet: run it ourselves. This first look is based on the project's official page and release notes as of 7 November 2026, not a hands-on test on our machines. Before GitAgent goes into the directory, it needs the same desktop test we apply to every listing — install, draft a real commit on a real repo, confirm the approval gates actually hold, and check what the local-model drafting quality is like in practice. Until then, treat this as a verified announcement with a clear next step, not a recommendation.
FAQ
Is GitAgent really free?
For personal, educational and non-profit use, yes — in every repository, with no AI subscription needed if you use a local ollama model. Commercial use requires the paid Pro plan.
Does my code get sent to a third party?
Only if you choose a hosted model. With a local ollama model, drafting happens on your machine and the diff never leaves it. Mistral is the hosted alternative.
Can it push or rewrite history on its own?
No. Every step that touches git history or the remote is gated behind an explicit approval for that step. The agent proposes the command; you approve it before it runs.
Does it work with GitLab or Bitbucket?
Partly. Pull request creation goes through the GitHub CLI, so opening PRs is GitHub-only today. The commit and push steps work on any git remote.
What do I need to install it?
macOS on Apple Silicon, Windows, or Linux x86_64; git; the GitHub CLI authenticated; and either ollama running locally or a Mistral API key.