Turn Git into a Chat App: Complete GIC Setup Guide

Git is a ubiquitous version‑control system, but the open‑source GIC project (Git‑based Instant Chat) repurposes it as a chat client where each message is stored as a commit. The guide walks you through setting up GIC on a Linux machine.

Prerequisites

Ensure Git, Node.js, and npm are installed. On Ubuntu you can install them with:

sudo apt-get install git nodejs npm

1. Create a Dedicated Repository

Because GIC writes every chat message as a commit, use a separate repository to avoid contaminating existing work.

mkdir gitchat
cd gitchat
git init
echo "chat logs" > README
git add README
git commit -m 'first commit'

2. Install GIC

Clone the GIC source code and install its dependencies.

git clone https://github.com/ephigabay/GIC GIC
cd GIC
npm install

The installation may take a few minutes.

3. Configure GIC

Edit config.js to point gitRepo to the repository created in step 1 and adjust optional intervals.

module.exports = {
    gitRepo: '/home/pi/tests/gitchat/.git', // path to your chat repository
    messageCheckInterval: 500,
    branchesCheckInterval: 5000
};

Verify the configuration by cloning the repository silently:

git clone --quiet /home/pi/tests/gitchat/.git > /dev/null

4. Start Chatting

Launch the chat interface from the GIC directory: npm start The terminal shows a split view: the left pane displays chat messages, the right pane lists Git branches, each representing a separate chat channel. Do not use the master branch for chatting; switch to another branch first.

Multiple users can join by navigating to the same GIC directory and running npm start.

5. View Conversation History

Since each message is a commit, the full chat log is available via git log: git log --pretty=format:"%p %cn %s" dev Sample output shows commit hashes, author names, and message content.

6. Exit the Chat

You can leave the chat either by pressing Esc then Ctrl+C, or by terminating the Node process: sudo kill `pgrep npm` After exiting, you can continue to explore the repository or start a new session.