Skip to content
Nova Code Nova Code

Files & Git

Nova Code includes a built-in file browser and Git interface so you can inspect code, make edits, and manage version control without leaving the app.

File browser

Section titled “File browser”

The Files tab in any workspace lets you navigate and work with project files:

  • Tree navigation — browse directories and files under the workspace root.
  • Read files — view file contents with syntax highlighting.
  • Edit files — make changes directly in the browser and save them to disk.

Files are also accessible from the embedded side panel in the session view, so you can reference or edit code while chatting with an agent.

All file operations are scoped to the workspace root — you cannot navigate outside the workspace directory.

Git operations

Section titled “Git operations”

The Git tab provides version control without needing a separate terminal:

Status

Section titled “Status”

View the current state of your workspace:

  • Changed files — see which files have been modified, added, or deleted.
  • Ahead count — how many commits you are ahead of the remote.
  • Multi-repo support — if your workspace contains multiple Git repositories, each is tracked independently.

Diff

Section titled “Diff”

View a diff for any changed file to review what has been modified before committing.

Commit

Section titled “Commit”

Create commits directly from the UI:

  • Write a commit message.
  • Optionally select specific files to include (rather than committing everything).
  • Optionally scope the commit to a specific repository when multiple repos exist.

Push

Section titled “Push”

Push commits to the remote, optionally scoped to a specific repository.

Git identity

Section titled “Git identity”

Commits use the name and email configured in Settings. Individual workspaces can override these defaults with workspace-specific Git identity settings.

SSH for Git push

Section titled “SSH for Git push”

For pushes from Docker (or any deployment where the server manages its own SSH keys):

  1. The server generates an ed25519 SSH keypair on first startup.
  2. Copy the public key from Settings → Git into your Git provider (GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, etc.).
  3. Use SSH remote URLs (e.g. git@github.com:org/repo.git).

HTTPS remotes use the host’s credential helper and are not affected by this key.

Section titled “Related”
  • Workspaces — workspaces define the file boundaries
  • Sessions — embedded file and Git panels in the chat view
  • Rules & templates — rule files live alongside your project code