Installing SpiderGit

SpiderGit is distributed as a self-contained package: it includes the .NET runtime, so you do not need to install .NET. You do need git (version 2.35 or later), because SpiderGit runs the git installed on your computer: this way your configuration, SSH keys and credential helper all apply.

Windows

With the installer (recommended)

1. Install git from https://git-scm.com/download/win (it includes Git Credential Manager).
2. Run SpiderGit-<version>-win-x64-setup.exe.
   • By default it installs for your user only, without administrator rights (in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\SpiderGit); on the first screen you can choose to install it for all users.
   • If git is not found, the installer says so and asks whether to continue.
3. SpiderGit appears in the Start menu (and, if you choose so, on the desktop).

To update, just run the installer of the new version: it replaces the installed one, closing SpiderGit if it is open. To uninstall, go to Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps → SpiderGit.

Unattended installation (e.g. to deploy it to several computers):

SpiderGit-<version>-win-x64-setup.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /CURRENTUSER

With the zip

1. Install git, as above.
2. Extract the zip.
3. In the extracted SpiderGit folder, right-click install-windows.ps1 → Run with PowerShell, or from a terminal: The app is copied to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\SpiderGit and appears in the Start menu (with -Desktop also on the desktop). No administrator rights are needed.

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install-windows.ps1 -Desktop

Alternatively you can run SpiderGit.exe directly from the extracted folder, without installing anything.

Windows SmartScreen warning. The installer and the executable are not signed with a code-signing certificate, so on first run Windows may show “Windows protected your PC”: choose More info → Run anyway.

Uninstall (removes the app and the shortcuts):

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\SpiderGit\install-windows.ps1" -Uninstall

Linux

1. Install git and the graphics libraries used by Avalonia (usually already present in a desktop environment): (Fedora: sudo dnf install git libICE libSM fontconfig.)

sudo apt install git libice6 libsm6 libfontconfig1

2. Extract the archive and run the installation for the current user: The app is installed in ~/.local/share/spidergit, appears in the applications menu and can also be started with the spidergit command (if ~/.local/bin is in the PATH).

tar -xzf SpiderGit-<version>-linux-x64.tar.gz
./SpiderGit/install.sh

Alternatively you can run ./SpiderGit/SpiderGit directly from the extracted folder.

Uninstall (removes the app, the command and the menu entry):

~/.local/share/spidergit/install.sh --uninstall

macOS

1. Install git, if it is not already there:

xcode-select --install

2. Download the package for your Mac (Apple → osx-arm64, Intel → osx-x64), extract it and install: The app is copied to /Applications (with --user to ~/Applications).

tar -xzf SpiderGit-<version>-osx-arm64.tar.gz
./SpiderGit/install-macos.sh

Why the script is needed. SpiderGit is neither signed nor notarized by Apple. The script removes the download “quarantine” and applies a local (ad-hoc) signature, without which macOS refuses to start apps on Macs with an Apple processor. If you prefer to copy the app by hand, then run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/SpiderGit.app
codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/SpiderGit.app

Language

The SpiderGit interface is available in English, Italian and Spanish. On first start it uses the system language if it is one of these, otherwise English; you can change it in Settings → System settings → Language, and it is applied after a restart (Restart now button). The Windows installer also offers the Windows language. git messages, for example in the details of an error, are always in English.

Where the data is

Installing and uninstalling do not touch the data (workspaces, library, dashboard cache):

To start from scratch just delete this folder. The path is also shown in Settings → Application.

Credentials

For HTTPS SpiderGit uses the credential helper configured in git (on Windows and macOS usually Git Credential Manager, included in the git installation). If there is none, SpiderGit asks for the username and password or token in a window at every operation, without saving them. For GitHub, GitLab and Azure DevOps use a personal access token instead of the password. For SSH the key must be loaded in the agent (ssh-add); the passphrase, if required, is asked for by SpiderGit.