gitsnip

Download folders and files from any git repository, without cloning it.

$ gitsnip https://github.com/dagimg-dot/gitsnip/tree/main/internal/app
✓ dagimg-dot/gitsnip@main · internal/app → ./app   7 files · 12.2 KB · 1.4s

Features

• Download a folder, a single file, several paths or glob patterns
• Paste links straight from the browser: GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg/Gitea, Bitbucket and sourcehut
• Works with any git host, including self-hosted servers and SSH remotes
• Fetches only what you ask for: a blob-less shallow clone never downloads the rest of the repository
• Uses the repository's default branch, or any branch, tag or commit you name
• Private repositories through SSH keys, git credential helpers, or GH_TOKEN/GITHUB_TOKEN
• Falls back to the GitHub API when git isn't installed
• Safe by default: never overwrites files without --force and never follows symlinks out of the repository
• Scriptable: --json output, quiet mode and meaningful exit codes

Installation

Using eget

eget dagimg-dot/gitsnip

Using Go

go install github.com/dagimg-dot/gitsnip/cmd/gitsnip@latest

Manual installation

Linux/macOS

1. Download the binary for your platform from the Releases page.

2. Extract it:

tar -xzf gitsnip_<os>_<arch>.tar.gz

3. Move it to a directory in your PATH:

mv gitsnip $HOME/.local/bin/

4. Check the installation from a new terminal:

gitsnip --version

Make sure $HOME/.local/bin is in your PATH. Add export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" to your shell's config file if it isn't.

Windows

1. Download gitsnip_windows_amd64.zip from the Releases page.

2. Extract it:

Expand-Archive -Path gitsnip_windows_amd64.zip -DestinationPath C:\Program Files\gitsnip

3. Add C:\Program Files\gitsnip to your PATH, either through System Properties → Environment Variables, or from an elevated PowerShell:

$oldPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Path', 'Machine')
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Path', $oldPath + ';C:\Program Files\gitsnip', 'Machine')

4. Check the installation from a new terminal:

gitsnip --version

Usage

gitsnip <source> [path...] [flags]

<source> names the repository, and optionally a branch and a path inside it. Every other argument is a path to download: a folder, a file, or a glob pattern (quote globs so your shell doesn't expand them).

Sources

You type	Meaning
owner/repo	a GitHub repository
owner/repo@v1.2.0	a branch, tag or commit of it
owner/repo/docs	a path inside it
https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/main/docs	a folder link copied from the browser
https://github.com/owner/repo/blob/main/Makefile	a file link
https://gitlab.com/group/sub/project/-/tree/main/config	GitLab, including nested groups
https://codeberg.org/owner/repo/src/branch/main/docs	Codeberg, Gitea and Forgejo
git.sr.ht/~user/repo	any host, written without the scheme
git@github.com:owner/repo.git	an SSH remote
file:///path/to/repo.git	a local repository

Branch names that contain slashes, as in .../tree/feature/login/src, are resolved against the remote's real branches and tags.

Examples

gitsnip dagimg-dot/gitsnip internal/app
gitsnip https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/main/docs
gitsnip owner/repo@v1.2.0 src/lib -o vendor/lib
gitsnip gitlab.com/group/project 'config/*.yml'
gitsnip git.sr.ht/~user/tools data/usage.txt 'data/*_linux.json'
gitsnip owner/repo

Where the files go:

• A folder is written into a folder of the same name: src/components becomes ./components.
• A single file is written into the current directory.
• Several paths keep their structure below their common parent folder.
• The whole repository goes into a folder named after it.
• -o picks a different folder.

Flags

-o, --output dir    where to write (default: the folder's name)
-b, --branch ref    branch, tag or commit (default: the repo's default)
-m, --method name   auto, sparse or api (default auto)
-t, --token token   access token (default: $GH_TOKEN or $GITHUB_TOKEN)
-f, --force         overwrite existing files
-q, --quiet         print nothing on success
-v, --verbose       show git commands and API calls
    --json          print the result as JSON
-h, --help          show this help
    --version       print the version

Output

Progress and results go to stderr: a spinner on interactive terminals and one summary line when it's done. Errors say what went wrong and what to try next:

$ gitsnip torvalds/linux Documentation -b main
✗ Branch or tag "main" doesn't exist in torvalds/linux
  → the default branch is "master"; drop -b to use it

$ gitsnip dagimg-dot/gitsnip internal/ap
✗ Path "internal/ap" doesn't exist in dagimg-dot/gitsnip@main
  → did you mean internal/app?

Colors and animation only appear on a terminal. They are off when the output is piped, when NO_COLOR is set, or when TERM=dumb, and gitsnip switches to plain text if the terminal rejects them.

For scripts, --json prints the result to stdout:

$ gitsnip dagimg-dot/gitsnip internal/app --json
{"repo":"dagimg-dot/gitsnip","url":"https://github.com/dagimg-dot/gitsnip.git","ref":"main","commit":"49eab7956f7ef7b0c9a3425523657138f131a432","method":"sparse","paths":["internal/app"],"output":"/home/you/app","files":7,"bytes":12527,"ms":2858}

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 the download failed, 2 the command line was invalid, 130 interrupted.

Download methods

Method	How it works	Needs
sparse	Blob-less shallow clone plus a sparse checkout of just the requested paths	git
api	One GitHub API call lists the tree, then files download in parallel from raw.githubusercontent.com	github.com only
auto (default)	sparse when git is installed, otherwise api for GitHub

Private repositories

• SSH: use an SSH source such as git@github.com:owner/private.git, and your SSH agent or keys are used.
• Tokens: set GH_TOKEN or GITHUB_TOKEN, or pass --token. Environment tokens are only sent to github.com. With the git method the token travels as an HTTP header, never inside the URL.
• Credential helpers: git uses any credential helper you have configured.

Upgrading from v0.1

• The output folder is now set with -o. The old gitsnip <url> <folder> <output> form still works when the output starts with ./, ../ or /, but prints a deprecation warning.
• -b now defaults to the repository's default branch instead of main.
• --provider is no longer needed. The host comes from the source.
• Existing files are no longer overwritten unless you pass --force.

Troubleshooting

1. Rate limit exceeded with --method api: set GITHUB_TOKEN to raise GitHub's limit, or use the default git method, which has no API limits.
2. Repository doesn't exist or is private: check the name, then use an SSH source or set a token for private repositories.
3. Anything else: run the command again with -v to see the git commands and API calls behind the error.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Run make test, go vet ./... and make lint (golangci-lint v2) before opening a pull request; CI runs the same checks.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.