Source Control Panel

• Status: Implemented
• Date: 2026-04-17
• Decider: User

Context and Problem Statement

Wardian lacked integrated git awareness. Agents often modify files in the workspace and users had no in-app way to review changes, stage files, commit, or push without switching to an external terminal. Additionally, the worktree feature (used for agent isolation) was hidden behind AdvancedSettings with no clear UX flow.

A secondary problem: polling git in the background on Windows caused a visible console window to flash on every poll, which was disruptive.

Proposed Decision

Source Control Icon Rail Tab

A new "git" tab is added to the sidebar icon rail, represented by a commit-graph SVG (two nodes on a vertical line with a branch extending from the lower node to a side node — matching VS Code's iconography).

Git Sidebar Panel (GitPanel, GitFileList, GitDiffView)

Layout matches VS Code Source Control conventions:

• Branch bar: shows current branch name
• Worktree action row: action-first UX - Create Worktree when inactive; clicking it expands the row into an inline name field with check/cancel controls. Enabling calls enable_agent_worktree with the entered name, which creates <wardian-home>/agents/<session-id>/worktrees/<slug>, configures build-cache redirects, records the original workspace in git_worktree_source, records the worktree in git_worktree_folder, and moves folder to that worktree. Joining an existing shared worktree calls assign_agent_worktree. The frontend follows both actions with clear_agent_session, so providers start fresh in the new path instead of resuming across a cwd change.
• Commit box at top: text area + commit button with checkmark icon
• File sections: "Staged Changes" and "Changes" with pill count badges; files show status letter (M/A/D/?) on the right and hover actions (stage/unstage/discard) in the middle
• Diff view: modal overlay with line-level colorization using color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-wardian-*), transparent 90%)

All colors use theme variables (var(--color-wardian-warning), var(--color-wardian-success), etc.).

Rust Git Command Module (commands/git.rs, models/git.rs)

Fourteen Tauri commands: git_status, git_current_branch, git_log, git_diff_file, git_stage, git_unstage, git_discard_changes, git_commit, git_pull, git_push, git_create_worktree, git_remove_worktree, git_watch, git_unwatch.

All commands use new_headless_std_command("git") (sets CREATE_NO_WINDOW on Windows) plus env vars GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT=0 and GIT_ASKPASS=echo to prevent console window flashes and credential-prompt hangs — matching VS Code's git extension behavior.

Explorer Git Color Coding

ExplorerPanel polls git_status every 3 seconds using the agent's workspace root as cwd. A normalized Record<string, string> (forward-slash relative path → status letter) is passed to FileTree, which colors file names and shows a small status letter badge on the right:

Status	Color
M (modified)	var(--color-wardian-warning)
A (added)	var(--color-wardian-success)
D (deleted)	var(--color-wardian-error)
? (untracked)	var(--color-wardian-success)
R/C (renamed/copied)	var(--color-wardian-processing)

Directories inherit amber coloring if any descendant has changes. When git is unavailable (non-git directory), the status map is empty and the explorer renders with no color change.

AgentConfig: worktree fields

git_worktree?: boolean, git_worktree_source?: string, and git_worktree_folder?: string are present in AgentConfig in both TypeScript (src/types/index.ts) and Rust (models/agent_config.rs). These fields are optional and default cleanly for older saved configs. In worktree mode, folder is the provider launch workspace and is set to the active worktree; git_worktree_source records the original checkout so removing the worktree can return the agent to the source workspace.

Consequences

• Positive: Full git workflow (review, stage, commit, push) without leaving Wardian
• Positive: No Windows console flashes from background git polling
• Positive: Explorer provides ambient git context (colored files) without a separate panel
• Positive: Worktree UX is action-first and visible in context rather than hidden in settings
• Positive: Worktree enablement creates the actual git worktree and moves the provider runtime with fresh-session semantics, avoiding provider resume from a different workspace path.
• Negative: Removing a worktree assignment currently restores the agent runtime to the source checkout but leaves physical worktree cleanup to a later explicit cleanup flow. This avoids Windows cwd/file-handle failures while the provider is being moved.
• Negative: Git color coding in the explorer adds a 3-second polling interval per explorer session; if the workspace is a very large repo, git status --untracked-files=all may be slow (can be mitigated in future by using --untracked-files=no)