Version history with Git

Initialise a repo, commit, sync to a remote, browse and restore.

Why Git

Because notes are plain text files, Git gives you a complete, inspectable history of your thinking for free — every version of every note, with the ability to go back. HelloNotes speaks Git directly, so you never need the command line, but everything it creates is a perfectly ordinary repository you can also use elsewhere.

Initialising a repository

The Git panel sits at the bottom of the sidebar. For a collection that is not yet a repository it offers Initialize Repository. After that the panel shows the current branch and how many files have changed.

Setting your identity

Commits need a name and email. Open the gear icon in the Git panel to set them for HelloNotes; if you already have a global Git identity it is used automatically.

Committing

  • Commit stages everything that changed and records it with a message.
  • Auto-commit (a checkbox in the panel) commits quietly in the background a little after you stop editing. It is off by default, and it never pushes — publishing is always something you do deliberately.

Browsing and restoring history

Every note has a History view listing the commits that touched it. Select one to read that version, and restore it if you want it back. Restoring writes the old content as a new change, so nothing in the history is lost.

Syncing with a remote

To back up or sync between machines, connect a remote — GitHub, GitLab, or any Git host.

  1. Open Git settings (the gear in the Git panel) and add an account with a personal access token.
  2. Use Connect Remote, or Clone an existing repository into a new collection.
  3. Sync ▸ Push uploads your commits; Sync ▸ Fetch retrieves what is on the remote.

Use an HTTPS remote with a personal access token. Tokens are stored in the macOS Keychain. SSH remotes rely on an agent that a sandboxed app cannot reliably reach.

Cloning shows a progress indicator and can be stopped with Stop if you change your mind or the repository turns out to be larger than expected.

Current limitations

  • No merge or pull. HelloNotes can fetch and push, but does not merge diverged histories. If two machines have both committed, reconcile them with a Git client or the command line.
  • Auto-commit is disabled in cloud folders. See Cloud storage for why.

Tips

  • A private repository is a good backup: complete history, under your control, off your Mac.
  • Add a .gitignore for .DS_Store and any large binaries you would rather not version.
  • Push before switching machines; fetch when you arrive.