Keifu: A Terminal UI for Visualizing Git Commit Graphs with Color and Clarity

The native git log --graph output, while informative, often devolves into a tangled mess of ASCII characters that's difficult to parse visually, especially in repositories with many parallel branches. This readability challenge has become more pronounced with the rise of AI-assisted coding tools, which encourage developers to work on multiple branches simultaneously. Keifu, a new terminal UI tool built in Rust, addresses this by providing a cleaner, color-coded visualization of Git commit graphs, making branch navigation and repository exploration more intuitive.

The Problem with Native Git Visualization

When you run git log --graph in a complex repository, the output is a linear text representation of the commit history. While it shows the branching structure, the visual hierarchy is often lost in a sea of asterisks, pipes, and backslashes. In repositories with dozens of branches, merge commits, and long-lived feature branches, this becomes particularly challenging to read. The lack of color coding makes it difficult to distinguish between different branches at a glance, and the static nature of the output requires constant mental parsing.

Keifu's approach is to render this information as a proper graph with per-branch colors, using Unicode line drawing characters to create a more visual representation. The tool displays a commit graph on the left side of the terminal, with a commit list on the right showing branch labels, dates, authors, short hashes, and commit messages. This split-view approach allows developers to see both the overall structure and detailed information simultaneously.

Core Features and Functionality

The tool is designed with a narrow terminal in mind, making it suitable for use in split panes or small windows. It doesn't require any special image protocols, working on any terminal with Unicode support and color capabilities. The interface is keyboard-driven, with intuitive keybindings for navigation and operations.

Navigation and Visualization

Keifu renders a Unicode commit graph with per-branch colors, making it immediately clear which commits belong to which branch. The commit list includes branch labels, dates, authors, short hashes, and messages, though some fields may be hidden on narrower terminals to maintain readability. A commit detail panel shows the full message and changed file statistics, including additions and deletions.

For repositories with multiple branches pointing to the same commit, Keifu collapses the label to a single name with a +N suffix (e.g., main +2). Users can switch between these branches using the h/l or arrow keys.

Git Operations

Keifu supports basic Git operations directly from the interface:

• Checkout: Switch to a selected branch or commit
• Branch creation: Create a new branch at the selected commit
• Branch deletion: Remove local branches (excluding HEAD)
• Fetch: Update remote tracking branches from origin

These operations are intentionally limited to keep the tool simple and focused. It's not intended to be a full-featured Git client like GitKraken or Sourcetree, but rather a specialized tool for visualizing and navigating commit graphs.

Search Capabilities

The tool includes a branch search feature with a dropdown UI, supporting incremental fuzzy search. This is particularly useful in repositories with many branches, allowing quick navigation to specific branches without manual scrolling.

Technical Implementation

Keifu is written in Rust, which provides both performance benefits and memory safety. The tool loads up to 500 commits across all branches by default, which should be sufficient for most development workflows. For larger repositories, this limit can be adjusted through configuration.

Installation Options

Several installation methods are available:

1. From crates.io: cargo install keifu
2. With mise: mise use -g github:trasta298/keifu@latest
3. From source: Clone the repository and build locally

The tool requires a Git repository to run, as it auto-discovers the repository from the current directory. It also requires the git command to be in PATH for fetch operations.

Configuration

Keifu offers configuration options through a configuration file, allowing users to customize behavior to their preferences. The configuration documentation provides details on available options.

Practical Use Cases

AI-Assisted Development Workflows

With the proliferation of AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and others, developers often find themselves context-switching between multiple feature branches more frequently. Keifu's visual representation makes it easier to track which branches are active, which have been merged, and which are waiting for review.

Code Review and Onboarding

When joining a new project, understanding the repository's branching strategy and history can be challenging. Keifu provides a clear visual map of how the codebase has evolved, making it easier to understand the project's structure and contribution patterns.

Debugging and Bisect

While Keifu doesn't include a built-in bisect tool, its clear visualization of the commit graph can help developers identify which commits might be relevant when tracking down regressions or bugs.

Limitations and Considerations

Keifu has several intentional limitations that users should be aware of:

• Commit limit: The TUI loads up to 500 commits across all branches. For larger histories, this may not show the complete picture.
• Merge commit diffs: Merge commits are diffed against their first parent, which is standard but may not always match user expectations.
• Binary files: Binary files are skipped in the changed files view.
• Uncommitted changes: If there are staged or unstaged changes (excluding untracked files), an "uncommitted changes" row appears at the top of the commit list.
• Remote operations: Fetch requires the origin remote to be configured. Remote branches are displayed, but delete operations only work with local branches.

These limitations reflect the tool's focused scope. It's designed for visualizing and navigating existing Git history rather than managing complex workflows or handling edge cases.

The Broader Context of Terminal UIs

Keifu joins a growing ecosystem of terminal UI tools that aim to improve developer productivity through better visualization and interaction models. Tools like lazygit for Git operations, k9s for Kubernetes, and nvim-treesitter for code parsing all share a common philosophy: complex operations can be made more accessible through well-designed terminal interfaces.

The choice of Rust for implementation is significant. Rust's performance characteristics make it well-suited for processing large Git repositories, while its memory safety guarantees reduce the risk of crashes or security vulnerabilities. The language's growing ecosystem in the developer tool space suggests we'll see more such tools emerging.

Getting Started

To try Keifu, ensure you have Rust installed, then run cargo install keifu. Navigate to any Git repository and run keifu to launch the interface. The tool includes a help screen (accessible with the ? key) that shows all available keybindings.

For those who prefer package managers, the tool is also available through mise, a version manager for development tools. This makes it easy to install and update alongside other development dependencies.

Future Directions

While Keifu is currently focused on visualization and basic operations, there's potential for expansion. Future versions could include:

• Integration with remote hosting platforms (GitHub, GitLab) for PR/issue linking
• More advanced diff viewing capabilities
• Support for larger commit histories through pagination or lazy loading
• Integration with CI/CD status indicators

However, the current version's simplicity is also its strength. By focusing on a single problem—making Git commit graphs readable—Keifu provides immediate value without the complexity of a full-featured Git client.

Conclusion

Keifu represents a thoughtful solution to a specific pain point in the developer workflow. By combining a clean visual representation with keyboard-driven interaction, it makes Git history navigation more intuitive. Its Rust implementation ensures performance and reliability, while its focused scope keeps it lightweight and approachable.

For developers who work with complex Git repositories, especially those using AI-assisted coding tools, Keifu offers a compelling alternative to the native git log --graph output. It's available now on GitHub and can be installed via crates.io or from source.