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A humane, intuitive interface for Git and other version control systems.
Works as a universal language to control the underlying SCM tool you use.
Hug transforms complex and forgettable Git commands into a simple, predictable language that feels natural to use, keeping you focused on your code, not on wrestling with version control.
Hug SCM is a humane interface layer for version control systems that currently supports Git and Mercurial. It transforms complex, often intimidating SCM commands into an intuitive, predictable language that feels natural to developers.
With Hug, you get:
- Intuitive commands that make sense
- Progressive safety (shorter = safer, longer = more powerful)
- Consistent patterns across all operations
- Rich feedback and previews before destructive actions
- Multi-VCS support - Use the same commands whether you're working with Git or Mercurial repositories
While Git is incredibly powerful, its command syntax can be inconsistent and difficult to remember. Hug smooths out these rough edges.
✅ Making common operations trivial
hug b feature gets you to a branch, instead of git checkout -b feature
✅ Keeping you safe
Destructive commands require explicit confirmation
✅ Being discoverable
Commands are grouped logically: h* for HEAD operations, w* for working directory, s* for status
✅ Providing superpowers
Complex operations become one-liners: hug w zap-all for a complete "factory reset" of your local working directory.
# Check status with beautiful output
hug sl # **S**tatus + **L**ist
# Stage changes (smart defaults)
hug a # Stage tracked changes
hug aa # Stage everything including untracked (new) files
# Commit with context
hug c # Commit staged changes
hug ca # Commit all tracked changes
hug caa # Commit all tracked & untracked changes
hug cc <commit> # Copy a Commit on top of 'HEAD'
# Branch operations
hug bc feature # Create and switch to new branch
hug bs # Switch back to previous branch
# Safe pull (fast-forward only; fails on divergence)
hug bpull
# Pull with rebase for linear history
hug bpullr
# Working directory cleanup
hug w zap # Complete cleanup (reset + purge) for specific files
hug w zap-all # Complete cleanup across the entire repository
# Park WIP (preferred over stash)
hug wip "Draft feature" # Park and get a clean working directory (quick pause)
hug wips "Deep spike" # Park and stay (continue immediately)# Oops, made bad changes to a file?
hug w discard file.js
# Need to undo the last commit but keep changes staged?
# Hug, Head movement: Back
hug h back
# Want to see what changed in a specific file?
# Hug, Status: Working dir (meaning unstaged changes)
hug sw file.js
# Clean up build artifacts?
hug w purge
# Get a file from an old commit?
# Hug, Working dir: Get from <commit> the file <file>
hug w get a1b2c3 file.js
# Preview a destructive operation
hug w zap-all --dry-run
# Force a cleanup without prompts
hug w zap-all -f
# Undo last 3 commits, unstage changes
# Hug, Head movement: UNDO last 3 commits
hug h undo 3
# Find steps back to last change in a file, then rewind precisely
hug h steps src/app.js # e.g., "2 steps back..."
hug h back 2
# Safe pull (fast-forward only; fails on divergence)
hug bpull
# Pull with rebase for linear history
hug bpullr
# Park WIP for interruption to have a clean working directory
hug wip "Draft feature" → hug bc hotfix && hug c "Fix bug" → hug bpush
# Deep work on WIP (stay and iterate)
hug wips "Prototype UI" → hug a . && hug c "Add components" → hug bs (pause) → later hug b WIP/... → hug w unwip WIP/... (integrate)Tip: wips vs. wip: Use wips for immersive sessions (stay on WIP to add commits like hug c). Use wip for quick pauses (park). Both are pushable branches - better than local stash for persistence.
Hug now supports Mercurial! The same intuitive commands work across both Git and Mercurial repositories.
# Install Mercurial support
cd hg-config
./install.sh
# Use the same Hug commands in Mercurial repos!
cd ~/my-hg-repo
hug s # Status
hug a file.txt # Add file
hug c -m "Update" # Commit
hug b feature # Switch bookmark
hug l # View history- Automatic Detection: Hug automatically detects whether you're in a Git or Mercurial repository
- Unified Interface: Use the same commands regardless of SCM type
- Bookmark Support: Mercurial bookmarks work like Git branches
- Working Directory Ops: Full support for discard, purge, and zap operations
- HEAD Operations: Uncommit operations via the evolve extension
- No Staging Area: Mercurial commits directly from working directory
- Bookmarks vs Branches: Hug uses bookmarks (like Git branches) instead of permanent Mercurial branches
- Extensions Required: Some commands require
purgeandevolveextensions
See hg-config/README.md for full Mercurial documentation.
Check the Installation Guide
For Mercurial only:
cd hg-config && ./install.sh- No Git Knowledge Needed: Hug handles the complexity; focus on intent.
- Explore: Run
hug helpto see Hug commands.
| Prefix | Category | Description |
|---|---|---|
h* |
HEAD Operations | Move HEAD, undo commits |
w* |
Working Directory | Discard, wipe, purge, zap changes |
s* |
Status & Staging | View status |
b* |
Branching | Create, switch, manage branches |
t* |
Tagging | Create, manage tags |
l* |
Logging | View history, list matching commits for a search term |
f* |
File Inspection | Analyze file authorship and history (blame, contributors) |
hug h back [N|commit] # Move HEAD back, keep changes staged (non-destructive)
hug h undo [N|commit] # Move HEAD back, unstage changes (non-destructive)
hug h rollback [N|commit] # Rollback commits and their changes (preserves local work)
hug h rewind <commit> # Destructive rewind to clean state (discards history and changes, but keeps current untracked files)
hug h steps <file> [--raw] # Steps back from HEAD to last change in <file> (for precise rewinds)# Discard changes
hug w discard [-u|-s] <files> # Discard unstaged/staged changes for specific files
hug w discard-all [-u|-s] # Discard across entire repo
# Wipe changes (staged + unstaged)
hug w wipe <files> # Complete reset for specific files
hug w wipe-all # Reset all tracked files to last commit
# Remove untracked/ignored files
hug w purge [-u|-i] <files> # Remove untracked/ignored for specific paths
hug w purge-all [-u|-i] # Remove across entire repo
# Nuclear option: discard + purge
hug w zap [-u|-s|-i] <files> # Full cleanup for specific paths
hug w zap-all [-u|-s|-i] # Complete repo cleanup
# Utility
hug w get <commit> [files] # Restore files from specific commit# Save all changes on a WIP branch (pushable, persistent)
hug wip "msg" # Move uncommitted changes away into a new WIP branch (for interruptions)
hug wips "msg" # Park work and stay on the new WIP branch (for focused work)
# Resume WIP
hug b <wip-branch-name> # Switch to the WIP branch to continue
# Finish and integrate WIP
hug w unwip <wip-branch> # Squash-merges WIP into current branch and deletes it
# Abandon WIP
hug w wipdel <wip-branch> # Deletes the WIP branch without merginghug s # Quick summary of staged/unstaged changes
hug sl # Status without untracked files
hug sla # Full status with untracked files
hug sli # Status with list of ignored files
hug ss [file] # Status with staged changes patch
hug su [file] # Status with unstaged changes patch
hug sw [file] # Status with working dir changes patch (staged and unstaged)
# Staging
hug a [files] # Stage tracked files (or all if no args)
hug aa # Stage everything (tracked + untracked + deletions)
hug us <files> # Unstage specific files
hug usa # Unstage all fileshug b <branch> # Switch to existing branch
hug bs # Switch back to previous branch
hug bc <branch> # Create and switch to new branch
hug bl # List local branches
hug bla # List all branches (local + remote)
hug bdel <branch> # Safe delete local branch (if merged)
hug bdelf <branch> # Force delete local branch
hug bdelr <branch> # Delete remote branchClick to expand all commands
hug l # One-line log with graph and decorations
hug ll # Log with date, author, and message (short date)
hug la # Log all branches
hug lf <term> # Search commits by message (add -i for case-insensitive)
hug lc <code> # Search commits by code changes in diff
hug lcr <regex> # Search commits by regex in code changes
hug lau <author> # Commits by specific author
hug ld <since> <until># Commits in date range
hug lp # Log with patches
hug llf <file> # Log commits to a specific file (add -p for patches)hug fblame <file> # Blame with whitespace/copy detection
hug fb <file> # Short blame (author and line only)
hug fcon <file> # List all contributors to a file
hug fa <file> # Count commits per author for a file
hug fborn <file> # Show when file was addedhug t [pattern] # Tags (List tags (matching pattern))
hug tc <tag> [commit] # Create lightweight tag
hug ta <tag> "msg" # Create annotated tag
hug ts <tag> # Show tag details
hug tr <old> <new> # Rename tag
hug tm <tag> [commit] # Move tag to new commit (default HEAD)
hug tma <tag> "msg" [commit] # Move and re-annotate tag
hug tpush [tags] # Push tags to remote (or all if no args)
hug tpull # Fetch tags from remote
hug tpullf # Force fetch and prune tags
hug tdel <tag> # Delete local tag
hug tdelr <tag> # Delete remote tag
hug tco <tag> # Checkout tag
hug twc [commit] # Tags which contain commit (default HEAD)
hug twp [object] # Tags which point to object (default HEAD)hug blr # Branch: List Remote (List remote branches only)
hug br <new-name> # Branch: Rename (Rename current branch)
hug bwc [commit] # Branches which contain commit (default HEAD)
hug bwp [object] # Branches which point to object (default HEAD)
hug bwnc [commit] # Branches which do not contain commit
hug bwm [commit] # Branches merged into commit (default HEAD)
hug bwnm [commit] # Branches not merged into commithug c [-m msg] # Commit (staged changes)
hug ca [-m msg] # Commit: All (all tracked changes)
hug caa [-m msg] # Commit: All All (tracked + untracked + deletions)
hug cm [-m msg] # Commit: Modify (Amend last commit with staged changes)
hug cma [-m msg] # Commit: Modify (Amend last commit with all tracked changes)
hug cii # Interactive patch commit (add --patch then commit)
hug cim # Full interactive staging and commithug rb <branch> # Rebase current onto branch
hug rbi [commit] # Interactive rebase (default root)
hug rbc # Continue rebase
hug rba # Abort rebase
hug rbs # Skip commit in rebase
hug m <branch> # Squash-merge branch (no commit)
hug mff <branch> # Merge with fast-forward only
hug mkeep <branch> # Merge with no fast-forward (create commit)
hug ma # Abort mergehug bpush # Branch: Push (Push current branch)
hug bpushf # Branch: Push-Force (Force push with lease)
hug bpush-unsafe # Branch: Push-unsafe (Unsafe force push)
hug bpull # Pull with rebase
hug pullall # Pull from all remoteshug o # Outgoing changes (what will be pushed)
hug w wip "<msg>" # Park all changes on WIP branch
hug w unwip [wip] # Unpark WIP: squash-merge to current branch + delete
hug w wipdel [wip] # Delete WIP branch without integration
hug type <object> # Show object type
hug dump <object> # Show object contents
hug untrack <files> # Stop tracking files but keep locallyhug s # Status
hug sl # Status: List (without untracked files)
hug sla # Status: List All (Full status with untracked files)
hug sh [commit] # SHow [commit] (with stat; default: last)
hug shp [commit] # SHow: with Patch (commit with patch)
hug shc <commit> # SHow: Changed files (Files changed in commit)
hug shf <file> [commit] # SHow: File at [commit] (File diff in commit)- Shorter commands = more common/safer
- Longer commands = more specific/powerful
hug bfor branch switching (most common)hug bdelrfor remote branch deletion (rare)
- Commands describe what they do
w wipe= wipe changes cleanw purge= purge unwanted filesw zap= make it pristine
`discard < wipe < zap < rewind`- All destructive operations show previews
- Explicit confirmations required
- Dry-run mode everywhere
- Related commands share prefixes
- Built-in help with examples
- Smart completion with partial matching
Hug SCM uses BATS (Bash Automated Testing System) for automated testing. We have comprehensive test coverage for core commands and workflows.
Running Tests:
# Using Make (recommended)
make test # Run all tests
make test-unit # Run unit tests only
make test-integration # Run integration tests only
make test-check # Check prerequisites
# Or use the test script directly
tests/run-tests.sh # Run all tests
tests/run-tests.sh tests/unit/test_status_staging.bats # Run specific test
tests/run-tests.sh -v # Run with verbose outputFor Contributors:
- All new commands must include tests
- Tests run automatically in CI on every PR
- See TESTING.md for detailed testing guide
- See tests/README.md for test suite documentation
- See ADR-001 for testing strategy rationale
- ✅ Mercurial Support - Full compatibility with
hgcommands (COMPLETED!)- Core commands (status, staging, commits, branches)
- Working directory operations (discard, purge, zap)
- HEAD operations (back, undo)
- Automatic repository detection
- See ADR-002 for details
- Sapling Support - Meta's next-gen VCS
- Interactive Mode - TUI with visual diff preview
- AI Integration - Smart commit suggestions
- GUI Frontend - Visual interface for complex operations
- Plugin System - Custom command extensions
Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
Apache 2.0 License - see LICENSE for details.
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