Git Version Control Settings

To complete the configuration of the global (application-level) repository, navigate to Settings > Advanced > Git Version Control, then click Configure. To version an individual workspace in its own repository, see Workspace Git Version Control Settings. Select a Configuration Type:

• Remote: connects to a hosted Git repository.
• Local: creates a standalone Git repository directly on the Arc server. No remote URL or credentials are required.

For a remote repository, provide the following:

• The URL to your remote Git repository. If you are using SSH, do not enter the HTTPS address here; you must use the SSH address (for example, git@github.com:username/private-repo.git). All major Git platforms are supported (such as GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps).
• Your auth scheme. Once you select an auth scheme, the fields required for configuration appear.
  • HTTPS: The Username and Password or Token to connect to the repository.
  • SSH: The SSH Private Key file and Passphrase to connect to the repository. See Authenticating with SSH for more information.
  • OAuth: Click Get Access Token to retrieve the access token that allows you to connect.

After the repository is initialized, you can still edit the remote URL (see Edit the Remote URL). You can also switch the Configuration Type between Local and Remote (see Migrate from a Local to a Remote Repository and Convert a Remote Repository to a Local Repository for details). When you save a change, Arc adds, changes, or removes the Git remote and then applies your credentials. Your local commit history and tracked files are preserved. When you click Save, Arc runs an initialization task. This initialization creates a Git repository inside AppDirectory, creates a branch named settings-before-git-init-<initialization_date> that contains the configuration that exists at initialization, and stages those configuration files for commit. This ensures that no configurations are lost in the event that the remote repository already has content that would conflict with those settings. The Arc footer changes to a status bar showing Git metrics and actions such as the current number of local files changed, the current branch, and (for remote repositories) the number of remote commits. For remote repositories, click Commit and Push on the toolbar to push the initial commit. For local repositories, click Commit.

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Workspace Git Version Control Settings

A workspace can have its own Git repository, separate from the global repository. To configure it, open the workspace, then click Settings in the ellipsis menu. Click the Git Version Control tab. See Global and Workspace Repositories for how workspace repositories relate to the global repository. Configure the following:

• Enable Git Version Control: turns on a separate Git repository for this workspace. If the global repository is set up, a warning explains that enabling version control for the workspace removes it from the global repository, so the workspace is tracked only in the repository that you configure. Shared resources that the workspace uses, such as connections, certificates, and profiles, remain in the global repository.

• Configuration Type: select Remote to connect to a hosted Git repository, or Local to use a Git repository on the Arc server without connecting to an external service.

• Repository URL and authentication: provide the same repository URL, auth scheme, and credentials that the global repository form requires (HTTPS, SSH, or OAuth). See the settings above and Authenticating with SSH.

Click Save to apply the settings.

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Authenticating with SSH

Follow these steps to authenticate using SSH:

• Run ls -al ~/.ssh to check for an existing SSH key.
• If you have an existing key, you can use it. Alternatively, run this command to generate a new SSH public/private key pair: ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com".
• Optionally, add a passphrase to the key for added security.
• Use the SSH Private Key field to upload your private key.
• Add the public SSH key to your Git platform.

For more information on how to authenticate with SSH, review your Git platform’s documentation.

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Removing a Git Configuration

To remove your global Git version control configuration, click the trashcan icon on the settings panel, then choose a Git Repository Option:

• Leave the underlying repository intact: Arc disconnects from the repository, but the .git folder remains on disk. You can still interact with the repository directly using Git tools on the server.
• Remove the underlying repository: Deletes the .git folder, fully disabling version control on this installation. Any staged changes are permanently lost.

The Leave… option is useful when you are using a local repository, because it preserves your commit history and allows you to reconnect later. You can also convert the repository to a remote repository in the interface without removing it. After removing the configuration, you can set up version control again by clicking Configure. To remove a workspace Git repository, toggle Enable Git Version Control off, then click Save. You are presented with the same Git Repository Option choices as for the global repository, but the results differ for a workspace:

• Leave the underlying repository intact: Arc disconnects the workspace from its repository, but the .git folder remains. Uncommitted changes stay in that repository. The workspace is not tracked by the global repository, even if you have one.
• Remove the underlying repository: Deletes the workspace’s .git folder. If you have a global repository, uncommitted changes in the workspace are automatically added to it, and the global repository tracks the workspace again.