ggo - Smart Git Navigation

A zoxide-style tool for intelligent git branch navigation with frecency-based ranking and aliases

What is ggo?

ggo makes git branch navigation as intuitive as zoxide makes directory navigation. Instead of typing full branch names or using tab completion, ggo learns from your habits and gets you where you need to go with minimal keystrokes.

Key Features:

• 🚀 Smart matching: Fuzzy search finds branches even with typos
• 🧠 Learns from you: Frecency algorithm ranks frequently-used branches higher
• ⚡ Aliases: Create shortcuts like ggo m → master
• 🎯 Intelligent selection: Auto-selects when there's a clear winner (2x score threshold)
• 💾 Previous branch: Jump back with ggo - (like cd -)
• 📊 Statistics: Track your branch usage patterns

Installation

Homebrew (macOS/Linux) - Recommended

brew install XavierFabregat/tap/ggo

Or add the tap first:

brew tap XavierFabregat/tap
brew install ggo

Fast installation (~2 seconds) with pre-built binaries. No Rust required!

Cargo (Rust Users)

cargo install ggo

Quick Install Script

curl -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/XavierFabregat/ggo/master/install.sh | bash

This script will:

• Detect your OS and architecture
• Install Rust if needed (via rustup)
• Try installing from crates.io first (faster)
• Fall back to building from source if needed
• Install to ~/.local/bin (customizable with GGO_INSTALL_DIR)

From Source

git clone https://github.com/XavierFabregat/ggo.git
cd ggo
cargo install --path .

Requirements

• Git 2.0+
• For non-Homebrew installs: Rust 1.70+ (stable)

Quick Start

# Checkout branch with fuzzy matching
ggo feat              # Matches 'feature/auth', 'feat/dashboard', etc.

# List matching branches with scores
ggo --list feature    # See all matches and their frecency scores

# Create an alias
ggo alias m master    # Now 'ggo m' instantly checks out master

# Go back to previous branch
ggo -                 # Like 'cd -' for git

# View your usage statistics
ggo --stats

Usage

Basic Branch Checkout

ggo <pattern>         # Smart checkout with fuzzy matching + frecency
ggo expo              # Matches 'expo-feature-branch'
ggo auth              # Your most-used 'auth' branch ranks highest

Listing Branches

ggo --list feat       # List all branches matching 'feat'
ggo -l feature        # Short form
ggo --list ""         # List all branches with frecency scores

Branch Aliases

# Create aliases for frequently-used branches
ggo alias m master
ggo alias d develop
ggo alias prod production/main

# Use aliases
ggo m                 # Instant checkout to master

# Manage aliases
ggo alias m           # Show what 'm' points to
ggo alias --list      # List all aliases
ggo alias --remove m  # Remove an alias

Flags & Options

-l, --list              # List matches without checking out
-i, --ignore-case       # Case-insensitive matching
--no-fuzzy              # Use exact substring matching
--interactive           # Always show selection menu
--stats                 # Show usage statistics

How It Works

Frecency Algorithm

ggo combines frequency (how often you use a branch) with recency (how recently you used it):

• Used in last hour: 4.0x weight
• Used in last day: 2.0x weight
• Used in last week: 1.0x weight
• Used in last month: 0.5x weight
• Older: 0.25x weight

Your most frequently AND recently used branches automatically rank higher.

Intelligent Auto-Selection

When multiple branches match your pattern:

• Clear winner (≥2x score difference) → Auto-selects
• Close scores (<2x difference) → Shows interactive menu

This means fewer prompts when the answer is obvious, but still gives you choice when it matters.

Per-Repository Aliases

Aliases are scoped per-repository, so ggo m can mean:

• master in your backend repo
• main in your frontend repo
• develop in your experimental repo

Configuration

Database Location

ggo stores branch history and aliases in:

~/.config/ggo/data.db  (Linux/macOS)

The database uses SQLite with automatic migrations, so upgrading ggo won't lose your history.

Data Tracked

For each branch checkout, ggo records:

• Repository path
• Branch name
• Switch count (frequency)
• Last used timestamp (recency)

No sensitive data is collected. Everything stays local.

Examples

Typical Workflow

# First time using ggo - just type what you remember
ggo feature
# Shows interactive menu if multiple 'feature' branches exist

# After a few uses, ggo learns your preference
ggo feat
# Auto-selects your most-used feature branch

# Create aliases for your main branches
ggo alias m master
ggo alias d develop

# Now super fast navigation
ggo m     # → master
ggo d     # → develop
ggo -     # → back to previous

With Multiple Projects

# In project A
ggo alias auth feature/authentication
ggo auth  # → feature/authentication

# In project B (different repo)
ggo alias auth auth-service
ggo auth  # → auth-service (different branch, same alias!)

Troubleshooting

"Not a git repository"

Make sure you're running ggo from within a git repository:

git status  # Verify you're in a git repo

"No branches found matching..."

Try:

• Using a shorter pattern: ggo fea instead of ggo feature-auth-v2
• Listing all branches: ggo --list ""
• Using case-insensitive mode: ggo -i FEATURE

Branch history not tracking

Check database permissions:

ls -la ~/.config/ggo/
# Should be readable and writable

Frecency scores seem wrong

ggo ranks by usage patterns. If you just created a branch, it won't rank high yet. Use it a few times and it will climb the rankings.

Development

Running Tests

cargo test              # All tests (184 total)
cargo test storage      # Storage tests only
cargo test --test '*'   # Integration tests

Linting

cargo fmt               # Format code
cargo clippy            # Run linter

Building

cargo build             # Debug build
cargo build --release   # Optimized build

Project Structure

ggo/
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs           # CLI entry and main logic
│   ├── cli.rs            # Command-line argument parsing
│   ├── git.rs            # Git operations wrapper
│   ├── matcher.rs        # Fuzzy and exact matching
│   ├── storage.rs        # SQLite database layer
│   ├── frecency.rs       # Frecency scoring algorithm
│   └── interactive.rs    # Terminal UI for selection
├── tests/
│   └── integration_tests.rs
├── ROADMAP.md            # Feature roadmap
├── TECHNICAL_DEBT.md     # Known issues and improvements
└── README.md             # This file

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md for the full feature roadmap.

Current Status: Phase 3 (Fuzzy Matching + Aliases)

Completed:

• ✅ Phase 1: Basic pattern matching
• ✅ Phase 2: Frecency & smart ranking
• ✅ Phase 3: Fuzzy matching & interactive mode
• ✅ Phase 5 (partial): Branch aliases

Upcoming:

• Phase 4: Repository tracking
• Phase 5: Advanced features (statistics, team sync)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Check TECHNICAL_DEBT.md for known issues
2. Write tests for new features
3. Run cargo test and cargo clippy before submitting
4. Follow the existing code style

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

Inspired by zoxide - the smarter cd command.

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Made with ❤️ by Xavier Fabregat