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

Git lives in the status bar along the bottom of the editor, showing the current branch, with an orange pip beside it when there are uncommitted changes. Clicking it opens the panel for the collection you are in. 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.