#+title: gitbay user guide

Everything here works from stock OpenSSH — replace =gitbay= with
=ssh git@<host>= in any command and it behaves identically. The CLI adds
convenience (instance profiles, repo inference, =$EDITOR=), nothing more.
=ssh git@<host> help= lists every command the server knows.

* Installing the CLI

#+begin_src sh
go install gitbay.org/gitbay/cmd/gitbay@latest   # any platform with Go

brew tap krz/tap https://gitbay.org/krz/homebrew-tap.git
brew install krz/tap/gitbay                      # Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
#+end_src

Or build from source: =go build ./cmd/gitbay= in a clone of
=https://gitbay.org/krz/gitbay.git=.

* Getting an account

How you join depends on the instance's registration mode. On instances
with web accounts enabled, =/register= offers the same signup as a
browser form (paste your SSH public key); everything below works from
the terminal alone:

- closed :: an admin creates your account on the host and registers your
  first SSH key. Nothing for you to do but hand over your public key.
- invite :: you receive a single-use code by email. With the SSH key you
  want to use:
  #+begin_src sh
  ssh git@<host> register --username you --invite <code>
  #+end_src
  Your account is active immediately; the invited address is your
  verified email.
- open ::
  #+begin_src sh
  ssh git@<host> register --username you --email you@example.org
  #+end_src
  A verification code arrives by mail. Until you run
  =ssh git@<host> email verify <code>=, the account is pending: you can
  run =whoami= and the email commands, and nothing else — no git, no
  repos.

* SSH keys

Your key is your identity; there are no passwords anywhere. The SSH
username is always =git= — the key alone determines who you are.

#+begin_src sh
gitbay auth keys list
gitbay auth keys add --scope git < ~/.ssh/ci_key.pub   # key on stdin
gitbay auth keys remove SHA256:...
#+end_src

Scopes: =full= (default; git plus every control command), =git= (git
transport only — right for automation keys, which then cannot touch
issues, settings, or your account), or =runner= (the CI runner's
protocol plus read-only git, for the key a =gitbay-runner= host holds;
see [[Admin]]).

A key belongs to exactly one account instance-wide. Registering a key
someone else already holds is refused without telling you whose it is.

* Verified commits

The commit badge is driven by the *author* email and the signing key:
=verified= means the signature is valid, the key is registered to an
account, and the author email is a verified address on that account.

For OpenPGP signing (git's default):
#+begin_src sh
gpg --armor --export you@example.org | gitbay auth pgp add
#+end_src

For SSH signing (=git config gpg.format ssh=): sign with any key
registered on your account; your verified addresses act as the principal
set. No separate registration step.

Add and verify additional addresses with =email add <address>= /
=email verify <code>= (requires the instance to have SMTP; otherwise an
admin can assert an address for you).

The states you will see, in decreasing order of trust: =verified=,
=signed_unknown_key= (valid signature, key not registered here — register
it and history upgrades retroactively), =signed_email_mismatch= (real
key, author line claims someone else), =signed_key_expired= /
=signed_key_revoked=, =bad_signature=, =unsigned=. Server-created commits
(web edits, merge commits) are always =unsigned= — the server holds no
signing key on principle.

=repo bookmark <owner/name>= saves a repository to come back to and
=repo unbookmark= drops it; =repo bookmarks= lists yours, each with how
many people have bookmarked it. The web has the control on the
repository header, the count in the facts bar, and the list at
=/bookmarks=. Bookmarks are public and counted; pins are private and
drive the rail. Read access is all a bookmark needs.

* Profiles

A profile is what =/{owner}= shows: a one-line description, a website, a
set of links, long-form about text, the repositories you can see, org
membership, and a year of activity. Users and orgs have the same fields.
Repository rows carry the listing metadata too — topics, license,
default branch, last commit — so a client renders a profile listing the
way =/{owner}= does. The web dispatches this command rather than
assembling the page itself.

#+begin_src sh
gitbay profile show               # your own
gitbay profile show alice
gitbay profile set --description "builds small tools" --website https://alice.example
#+end_src

About text is markdown by default, or org-mode. It takes inline text or
stdin, so it can live in a file you keep:

#+begin_src sh
gitbay profile set --about "I maintain a few small tools."
gitbay profile set --file - --about-format org < about.org
#+end_src

Up to five links, each =label|url= or a bare url, http(s) only. Passing
=--link= replaces the whole set; a single empty one clears it:

#+begin_src sh
gitbay profile set --link "Mastodon|https://fosstodon.example/@alice" \
                   --link https://alice.example/now
gitbay profile set --link ""      # clear
#+end_src

Every field follows the same rule as the rest of the CLI: a flag you
leave out is untouched, and ='' clears the one you name. Org profiles
work the same way and need org admin:

#+begin_src sh
gitbay org profile krz --description "software and experiments" --about-format org --file - < krz.org
gitbay org profile krz            # no flags shows it
#+end_src

The web renders profiles but has no form for editing one, so the CLI is
the only interface today. =profile set= is not =SSHOnly=, so the JSON API
runs it like any other write command.

* Repositories

#+begin_src sh
gitbay repo create you/project [--private]
gitbay repo clone you/project
gitbay repo list
gitbay repo show you/project
gitbay repo log you/project --limit 20      # commits with signature states
gitbay repo fork other/project [--name mine]
gitbay repo delete you/project --yes
#+end_src

=repo show= also reports your own state on the repository — =watch=
(=watching= or =muted=) and =bookmarked= — and =fork_of= when it is a
fork whose parent you can read, so a client draws a toggle rather than
two blind buttons. Absent means none.

Pushing is SSH-only. Public repositories are anonymously readable over
HTTPS (and =git://= where enabled); private repositories exist only over
SSH and answer "not found" to everyone without access.

Access and settings (owner or =admin= grant):
#+begin_src sh
gitbay repo access grant you/project alice write    # read | write | admin
gitbay repo access revoke you/project alice
gitbay repo settings protect you/project main       # no force-push, no delete
gitbay repo settings require-signed you/project on  # every commit must verify
gitbay repo settings git-daemon you/project on      # expose over git://
gitbay repo topics add you/project cli forge        # free-form tags, shown on the web
gitbay repo search forge                            # find repos by name/description/topic
gitbay repo grep you/project "some string"          # literal git grep over the default branch
gitbay repo pin you/project                         # pin to your web dashboard
gitbay repo unpin you/project
gitbay repo archive you/project                     # read-only: pushes and issue/MR
gitbay repo unarchive you/project                   #   writes refused, browsing intact
#+end_src

Import from another forge — git data first, then optionally the GitHub
issue and PR history (issues keep state/labels/comments; PRs land as
closed or merged MRs with their discussion; originals are attributed
inline since foreign authors have no local account; re-running resumes
where it stopped):
#+begin_src sh
gitbay repo import you/mirror --from https://github.com/you/repo.git \
    [--private] [--token-stdin]        # token on stdin, never in the URL
gitbay repo import-issues you/mirror --from you/repo --token-stdin
#+end_src

Moving between gitbay instances (no lock-in): run on the TARGET, with
your key registered on both sides. Profile, repos with settings,
issues, MRs, and comments replay with attribution; git data mirrors
client-side through your own key. Keys never transfer and emails
arrive unverified — trust is per-instance. Re-running resumes.
Push-blocking policies (require-signed, protected branches) are
deferred and printed for you to re-apply after the data lands.
=gitbay auth export= alone doubles as a user-level backup.

#+begin_src sh
gitbay migrate --from old-instance.example [--from-port 22]
#+end_src

Mirroring keeps a foreign remote in sync during a gradual migration
(repo admin; https remotes; the token is stored server-side for the
recurring sync and never echoed back):

#+begin_src sh
gitbay repo mirror add you/project https://github.com/you/project.git \
    --direction push --token-stdin    # propagate after every local push
gitbay repo mirror add you/copy https://github.com/them/theirs.git \
    --direction pull                  # follow upstream; local pushes refused
gitbay repo mirror list               # sync status and last error, per mirror
gitbay repo mirror sync / remove <id>
#+end_src

Markdown and org files render on the web when opened, the way a README
does on the repository page, with relative links resolved against the
file's directory; =source= in the file's action bar (or =?view=source=)
shows the text instead. Other files show the text with highlighting.

* Organizations

Orgs share the owner namespace with users and own repositories at
=org/repo=. By default members get write on all org repos; org admins
get repo admin, create repos under the org, and manage membership.

#+begin_src sh
gitbay org create krz
gitbay org members add krz alice [--role admin]
gitbay org show krz
gitbay org rename krz newname     # clone URLs change
gitbay org delete krz --yes       # only when it owns no repositories
#+end_src

Large orgs scope access with teams: set what plain membership implies,
then grant per-repo roles through named teams (org admins always keep
admin; the default =write= keeps the simple model):

#+begin_src sh
gitbay org settings members-role krz none   # write | read | none
gitbay org team create krz core-devs
gitbay org team add krz core-devs alice bob # org members only
gitbay org team grant krz core-devs krz/gitbay write
gitbay org team show krz core-devs          # members + grants
gitbay org team revoke / remove / delete ...
#+end_src

* Issues

Anyone who can read a repository can file and comment. Closing/reopening
is for the author or anyone with write; labels and assignees need write.

#+begin_src sh
gitbay issue create --title "it breaks" [--body "..." | --file -]
gitbay issue list [--state open|closed|all]
gitbay issue show 4
gitbay issue comment 4 --message "same here"
gitbay issue edit 4 --title "better title" [--body|--file -]  # author or write
gitbay issue close 4 / reopen 4
gitbay issue label 4 --add bug --remove wontfix
gitbay issue assign 4 --add alice
gitbay issue milestone 4 v1.0                 # or "none" to clear
#+end_src

Inside a clone, the repository is inferred from the =origin= remote —
that is why no =owner/name= appears above. Anywhere else, pass it as the
first argument. Long text: =--body= inline, =--file -= from stdin, or
neither on a terminal and =$EDITOR= opens.

Wikis are companion repositories edited by push — no separate storage,
no web editor, the same rendering pipeline as READMEs (markdown and
org). Access mirrors the parent repo (read to view, write to push);
the companion is created on your first push and follows the repo
through transfer and delete:

#+begin_src sh
git clone ssh://git@<host>/you/project.wiki.git
# add Home.md (or .org), more pages, images; relative links between
# pages just work on the web at /you/project/wiki
git push
#+end_src

Releases anchor notes and binary assets to a pushed tag (write access;
assets stream over SSH, capped by the instance's =max_asset_bytes=):

#+begin_src sh
gitbay release create v1.0 --title "First light" [--notes|--file -|$EDITOR]
gitbay release asset add v1.0 tool-linux-amd64 < dist/tool-linux-amd64
gitbay release asset get v1.0 tool-linux-amd64 > tool   # or the web download link
gitbay release list / show v1.0 / delete v1.0 --yes
#+end_src

The web shows them under the repository's =releases= tab with rendered
notes, sha256 sums, and download links.

Commit messages act on issues when the commits land on the default
branch (direct push or MR merge): =closes/fixes/resolves #4= closes the
issue with a linking comment, and a bare =#4= leaves a reference
comment. Each issue/commit pair acts once, ever. Same repository only.

Milestones group issues and MRs toward a release (write access to
manage, attach with =issue milestone= / =mr milestone=; progress shows
on the web at =/owner/name/milestones=):

#+begin_src sh
gitbay milestone create v1.0 --description "first release" --due 2027-01-01
gitbay milestone list [--state open|closed|all]
gitbay milestone close v1.0 / reopen v1.0
#+end_src

Issue templates: commit =.gitbay/issue-template.md= (and optional
=issue-template-<name>.md= variants) to the default branch. =gitbay
issue create= prefills =$EDITOR= with the default template, the web
form prefills its textarea, and =gitbay issue templates= lists them.

Lists narrow the same way on every surface: =issue list --label bug
--assignee bob --author alice --milestone v1= (or =--milestone none=),
=mr list --author bob --milestone v1=; the web's issue and merge request
lists take the same names as query parameters, and each active filter
shows with a link that drops it.

Labels take a colour: =gitbay label set bug --color cf222e=; =label
list= shows each with its colour and how many issues carry it, and
=label remove= takes one off every issue. =issue label --add= still
creates a colourless label on the fly.

* Merge requests

#+begin_src sh
gitbay mr create --source feature --target main --title "add thing"
gitbay mr create other/upstream --source you/fork:feature --target main --title "..."
gitbay mr list / show 4 / diff 4
gitbay mr checkout 4              # local branch mr/4 from the MR head
gitbay mr review 4 --approve      # or --request-changes / --comment
gitbay mr merge 4 [--strategy ff|merge|squash|rebase]
gitbay mr close 4
#+end_src

Semantics worth knowing:

- the MR head lives in the *target* repository as
  =refs/merge-requests/N/head= (fetchable by any reader), so an MR
  survives deletion of its source branch or fork.
- force-pushing the source updates the MR and marks existing reviews
  stale.
- default strategy: fast-forward when possible, else a merge commit.
  Squash makes one commit authored by the MR author, committed by the
  merger. Rebase replays a linear range preserving authors; it refuses
  ranges containing merge commits, and when fast-forward is possible it
  *is* one (original commits and signatures land untouched).
- on =require_signed_commits= branches only fast-forwards of fully
  verified commits merge; everything server-created is refused with
  instructions to rebase locally. =gitbay mr rebase <n>= is those
  instructions: in a clone of the target it replays the source branch
  onto the target and force-pushes it, then =mr merge <n>= fast-forwards.
  The replay is local, so the commits carry your signature and not the
  server's — it holds no key. A branch living in a fork is refused, with
  the repository to run it in; rebase it there.

Repo admins can gate merges (=repo settings ...=): =require-approvals
<n>= (fresh, non-author approvals; each reviewer's latest review is
their stance, and a fresh request-changes blocks), =require-resolved=
(no open review threads), =require-checks= (all statuses green), and
=require-codeowners= (an approval from an owner of every owned changed
file). Owners come from a =CODEOWNERS= file on the target branch, root
or =.gitbay/=, gitignore-style patterns, last match wins. The toggle is
the opt-in, so a repository can carry the file as documentation of who
to ask without it gating merges; with it on and no file on the target
branch, the merge is refused and says so. It does not wait on
=require-approvals=.

A merge request whose target is another open merge request's source
branch is stacked on it: =mr create= says so, =mr show= carries
=stacked_on= and =stacked=, and merging the lower one retargets the
upper onto =main= with its reviews kept. See [[Stacked-MRs][Stacked
merge requests]].

Review threads anchor to diff lines:

#+begin_src sh
gitbay mr diff-comment 4 --path main.go --line 12 --message "use log here"
gitbay mr diff-comment 4 --reply 7 --message "done"     # join thread 7
gitbay mr threads 4                                     # threads with staleness
gitbay mr resolve 4 7 / unresolve 4 7
#+end_src

Threads render inline on the MR page. A force-push marks them stale
(shown under "threads on earlier revisions") rather than guessing new
anchors; =mr show= reports the unresolved count. Resolving is for the
thread author, the MR author, or anyone with write.

* CI builds

A =.gitbay/ci.yml= in the repo runs jobs on every branch push:

#+begin_src yaml
jobs:
  test:
    steps:
      - go test ./...
#+end_src

Each job becomes a build (=build list=, =build log=, the builds tab on
the web) and a =ci/<job>= commit status, which =repo settings
require-checks= can gate merges on. Steps run with =sh -c= on the
instance's runner, stopping at the first failure; a broken config
surfaces as a failed =ci/config= status. Environment: =GITBAY_REPO=,
=GITBAY_SHA=, =GITBAY_REF=, =GITBAY_JOB=, =CI=true=.

Secrets: =repo secret set <owner/name> <NAME>= reads the value from
stdin (never argv) and injects it into the repo's builds as =$NAME=;
=repo secret list= shows names only, and the value is never echoed
back. Anyone with write access can read a secret from inside a build,
so scope them accordingly.

Schedules: a job with =schedule: "17 11,23 * * *"= (five-field cron,
server-local time; lists, ranges, and steps supported) runs on its cron
against the default branch instead of on push. A default-branch push
registers or updates the schedule. A job with =tags: "v*"= runs when a
matching tag is pushed — and only then; =schedule= and =tags= are
mutually exclusive. =build trigger <owner/name> <job>= queues any job
immediately, and =build cancel <owner/name> <n>= withdraws one, queued
or running: a running build stops at the runner within seconds and the
log says who cancelled it. Both need write access.

* Large files (LFS)

Standard Git LFS works over both transports with no setup beyond the
usual =git lfs track=. SSH remotes authenticate through
=git-lfs-authenticate= (deploy keys included: ro keys can download, rw
keys upload); anonymous HTTPS clones of public repositories can fetch
LFS objects with no credentials. Objects are verified against their
sha256 on upload and capped at 512MB by default.

* Pages

On instances with =[pages] domain= set, a =pages= branch in any public
repo is served as a static site: the repo named =pages= at
=https://<you>.<domain>/=, every other repo at
=https://<you>.<domain>/<repo>/=. Push HTML to publish; a CI job can
build and push the branch for automatic deploys. Sites run on a
separate origin — your scripts work, and the forge's cookies are out of
reach.

A repo can also serve its pages branch on a domain you own.
=repo domain add <owner/name> <domain>= claims it and prints a DNS TXT
challenge (=_gitbay-challenge.<domain>=); create the record, run
=repo domain verify=, then point the domain's A/AAAA records at the
instance (DNS-only if the domain sits behind a proxying provider — the
instance issues its own certificates). Claims are exclusive per
instance; unverified claims serve nothing and expire after 7 days.
=repo domain list= reports pending/verified/expired.

* Browser sessions

=gitbay web login= mints a one-time URL; the session it opens lasts
seven days. =gitbay web sessions list= shows each of yours by a short
id with its creation and expiry, and =gitbay web sessions revoke <id>=
or =--all= ends them from the terminal, which is where a lost laptop is
handled.

* Notifications

When the instance has SMTP configured, activity mails you: someone
opens an issue or MR on your repository, comments where you are a
participant (author, commenter, reviewer), reviews, closes, or merges.
You are never mailed about your own actions, and only verified primary
addresses receive anything. Delivery retries on relay failure.

* Scripting

Every read command takes =--json= and emits one envelope:
={"protocol_version": 1, "data": ...}=. stdout is data, stderr is
messages. Exit codes are stable: 0 ok, 1 failure, 2 usage, 3 not found,
4 denied, 5 server/protocol error. Nothing ever prompts; destructive
commands take =--yes=.

For HTTP automation see [[API]].

* CLI setup

#+begin_src sh
gitbay remote add myforge forge.example.org [--port n] [--user u] --default
gitbay remote list
gitbay init [name] [--private]   # git init + repo create + origin, in one step
#+end_src

Configuration lives at =~/.config/gitbay/config.toml=. The CLI shells
out to your real =ssh=, so =~/.ssh/config=, the agent, and hardware keys
all apply. It shares one connection per instance through a control
socket under =~/.ssh=: the first command in five minutes pays the
handshake and the rest ride it. =no_multiplex = true= on an instance in
the config turns that off. Man pages: =gitbay man --dir <dir>=; completions:
=gitbay completion bash|zsh|fish=.