#+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) or =git= (git
transport only — right for CI and automation keys, which then cannot
touch issues, settings, or your account).

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.

* 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

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

* Organizations

Orgs share the owner namespace with users and own repositories at
=org/repo=. 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

* 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.

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.

* 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.

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). With
approvals required, a =CODEOWNERS= file on the target branch (root or
=.gitbay/=) additionally demands an approval from an owner of every
owned changed file — gitignore-style patterns, last match wins.

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.

* 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 =docs/api.org=.

* 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. Man pages: =gitbay man --dir <dir>=; completions:
=gitbay completion bash|zsh|fish=.