Fetch, pull and push

This page covers the three network buttons of the toolbar: Fetch, Pull and Push, plus auto-fetch, force push, progress and the errors you can meet. Remotes themselves are managed on the Remotes page, and credentials on Authentication.

Every network command runs in the background on the repository’s operation queue, so the window stays usable. Each command yaggui runs is recorded in the command log. The shortcuts below are defaults; you can rebind them (Palette and shortcuts).

Fetch

A fetch downloads new commits and branches from a remote without touching your branches or files (git fetch).

Entry point	What it fetches
Toolbar Fetch button	All remotes
Toolbar Fetch chevron (Fetch options) → Fetch all remotes	All remotes
Toolbar Fetch chevron → Fetch origin (one item per remote)	That remote only
⌘⇧F (Ctrl+Shift+F on Windows and Linux)	All remotes
Palette (⌘K) → Fetch	All remotes
Sidebar, right-click a remote folder under Remote → Fetch	That remote only

yaggui runs:

git fetch --progress --prune --all      # all remotes
git fetch --progress --prune origin     # one remote

When it finishes, a Fetch complete toast appears and the status bar shows Fetch completed with the time. Remote branches in the sidebar and the graph update on their own.

Prune on fetch

With Prune on fetch on (the default), every fetch adds --prune: remote-tracking branches deleted on the server disappear from the sidebar and the graph. Your local branches are never deleted. The setting is in Preferences → Behavior and applies to every fetch, including auto-fetch. See Preferences.

Note

The toolbar tooltip and the Fetch all remotes hint always show --all --prune, even when Prune on fetch is off. The command that actually runs follows the setting: check it in the command log.

A fetch with prune cannot be undone (see What cannot be undone).

Auto-fetch

yaggui fetches all remotes of the active repository in the background, at a fixed interval.

Setting (Preferences → Behavior)	Default	Effect
Fetch automatically	On	Turns auto-fetch on or off
Every (minutes)	10	Interval, from 1 to 240 minutes. Disabled when auto-fetch is off

How it behaves:

• Only the visible tab fetches. Tabs in the background pause their timer; when you switch back to one, its timer restarts for a full interval.
• No fetch runs when you open a repository: the first one comes after one full interval.
• A tick is skipped when another operation is running in that repository.
• Auto-fetch is silent: no toast on success or failure. The status bar still shows the progress and Fetch completed or Fetch failed. If a fetch fails, open the command log to see why.
• The footer of the Fetch menu shows the current state: Auto-fetch every 10 min or Auto-fetch is off.

To turn it off, uncheck Fetch automatically in Preferences → Behavior.

Pull

A pull fetches the upstream of the current branch and integrates its commits (git pull). The Pull button shows a badge with the number of commits you are behind, and is disabled when HEAD is detached.

Entry point	Strategy
Toolbar Pull button	Default strategy
Toolbar Pull chevron (Pull strategy) → Fast-forward only, Merge or Rebase	The one you pick
⌘⇧L (Ctrl+Shift+L on Windows and Linux)	Default strategy
Palette → Pull	Default strategy
Sidebar, right-click a local branch with an upstream → Pull	Default strategy. Only enabled on the checked-out branch (“Pull only applies to the checked-out branch”)

The Pull with… menu marks the default strategy with default. The three strategies run:

Strategy	Command	Result
Fast-forward only	git pull --progress --no-rebase --ff-only	Moves your branch forward. Fails if your branch and its upstream diverged
Merge	git pull --progress --no-rebase --ff	Fast-forwards when possible, otherwise creates a merge commit
Rebase	git pull --progress --rebase	Replays your local commits on top of the upstream

Default strategy

The strategy used by the Pull button and ⌘⇧L is resolved in this order:

1. Default pull strategy in Preferences → Behavior, if set to Fast-forward only, Merge or Rebase. The default value, Git configuration, goes to the next steps.
2. branch.<name>.rebase, else pull.rebase: a true value (true, merges, interactive…) means Rebase.
3. pull.ff=only means Fast-forward only; any other pull.ff value means Merge.
4. pull.rebase=false with no pull.ff means Merge.
5. Nothing set: Fast-forward only.

The tooltip of the Pull button names the resulting strategy. To change it from Git, see git config pull.rebase or set it in Git configuration.

Pull results and errors

• Success: Pull complete (fast-forward), (merge) or (rebase). Nothing new: Already up to date.
• Branches diverged with Fast-forward only: “Your branch and its upstream diverged: a fast-forward is impossible. Pull with merge or rebase.” Pick Merge or Rebase from the chevron.
• Local changes in the way: “Your local changes would be overwritten by the checkout. Stash them first (stash, checkout, then pop).” Stash them, pull, then pop.
• Conflicts with Merge or Rebase: the pull stops, a toast explains it, and the operation banner and conflict view open. Resolve the files, then Continue or Abort, as described in Conflicts.
• No upstream: “"feature" has no upstream branch.” Publish the branch with a push first (see below).

A pull that changed your branch cannot be undone (see What cannot be undone).

Push

A push sends the commits of a local branch to its upstream (git push). The Push button shows a badge with the number of commits you are ahead, and is disabled when HEAD is detached.

Entry point	What it pushes
Toolbar Push button	The current branch
Toolbar Push chevron (Push options) → Push	The current branch
⌘⇧P (Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows and Linux)	The current branch
Palette → Push	The current branch
Sidebar, right-click a local branch → Push	That branch, checked out or not
Commit box, Push after commit checkbox	The current branch, right after a successful commit (Committing)

yaggui pushes the branch to the remote and branch named by its upstream configuration (branch.<name>.remote and branch.<name>.merge):

git push --progress --porcelain origin refs/heads/feature:refs/heads/feature

Results: Pushed to origin/feature, or origin/feature is already up to date.

First push of a branch

When the branch has no upstream yet, yaggui asks before publishing it:

1. A Publish the branch? dialog says: “"feature" has no upstream yet. It will be pushed to origin/feature, which becomes its upstream.” It shows the command, git push --set-upstream origin feature.
2. Click Publish.

The remote is origin if it exists, otherwise the first remote of the repository. If the repository has no remote at all, you get “This repository has no remote.” Add one first (Remotes).

Rejected push

If the remote branch has commits you do not have, the push fails with “Push rejected: the remote branch has commits you don’t have.” The error toast has a Pull then push button: it pulls with the default strategy and, if the pull succeeds, pushes again. If the pull stops on conflicts, resolve them and push again yourself.

A successful push cannot be undone in yaggui (see What cannot be undone).

Force push with lease

A force push replaces the remote branch with yours, dropping the commits that only exist there. yaggui always uses --force-with-lease, never --force: Git refuses the push if the remote branch moved since your last fetch.

Entry points: toolbar Push chevron → Force push (with lease)…, or palette → Force push (with lease). There is no default shortcut. The item is disabled when HEAD is detached or the branch has no upstream.

1. yaggui lists the commits of the remote branch that are not in yours, as of your last fetch.

2. A confirmation titled Overwrite origin/feature? says how many commits will be dropped (“The force push will drop 2 commits from origin/feature (as of the last fetch). If the branch moved since, Git will refuse.”) or that none will be lost, lists those commits (up to 100) and shows the command:

   git push --force-with-lease=refs/heads/feature:<sha> origin HEAD

   <sha> is the remote branch as of your last fetch. What actually runs pushes the branch by its full name: git push --progress --porcelain --force-with-lease=refs/heads/feature:<sha> origin refs/heads/feature:refs/heads/feature.

3. Click Force push. The toast origin/feature was overwritten confirms it.

This confirmation is always asked: it cannot be turned off in the preferences.

If someone pushed in the meantime, Git refuses: “Force push refused: the remote branch moved since your last fetch. Fetch and check what would be overwritten.” Fetch, look at the new commits in the graph, then decide again.

Protected branches

Force push to a protected branch is always refused, with no override: “"main" is a protected branch: force push is refused.” Nothing runs. The check uses the name of the remote branch.

The list is in Preferences → Behavior → Protected branches. Defaults: main, master, develop, release/*.

• An entry is an exact name, or a pattern prefix/* that matches any branch under prefix/ (at any depth), but not prefix itself.
• Type a name in Add a branch or pattern and click Add. Remove one with its chip’s remove button. Restore defaults puts the default list back.
• An empty list (“No protected branch.”) protects nothing.

The same list also guards batch branch deletion (Branches).

Tags over the network

Fetch tags, push one tag or all of them, and delete a tag on a remote from the sidebar Tags section or the palette (Fetch tags, Push all tags). These actions are described on the Tags page.

Progress and cancellation

While a fetch, pull or push runs, the left part of the status bar shows the operation (Fetch, Pull or Push), Git’s current phase (for example “Receiving objects”), the percentage, the amount transferred and the rate, with a progress bar and a Cancel button.

Click Cancel to stop it. The status bar shows “Cancelling Push…”, then Push cancelled, and a toast confirms it. yaggui stops Git and its child processes (such as ssh) within about a second. Cancellation is offered for fetch, pull, push, and tag pushes, fetches and deletions on a remote.

Operations in the same repository run one at a time. A fetch, pull or push you start while another operation runs waits for it.

Errors

A failed fetch, pull or push shows an error toast titled Fetch failed, Pull failed or Push failed. It stays until you close it, and holds:

• a message that says what went wrong and what to do,
• Details, collapsed, with Git’s own output,
• at most one action button, when one helps.

Message	What to do	Button
The remote host can’t be reached. Check your connection and the remote URL.	Check the network or the URL (Remotes)	Retry
Authentication failed. yaggui never asks for passwords: configure a Git credential helper…	See Authentication	—
SSH authentication failed. Load your key in ssh-agent (ssh-add)…	See Authentication	—
Remote not found: check its name and URL.	Fix the URL of the remote	—
Push rejected: the remote branch has commits you don’t have.	Pull, then push	Pull then push
“feature” has no upstream branch.	Publish the branch	Set upstream and push
HEAD is detached (no current branch): check out a branch first.	Check out a branch	—
The Git command failed.	Read Git’s output	Open command log

Auto-fetch failures show no toast; look in the status bar and the command log. The full list of messages is in Error messages.

What cannot be undone

Undo in yaggui only changes your local repository. These network operations are recorded as “not undoable” and block undo of anything older in the same session:

• a push, a force push, a tag push, or a deletion on the remote,
• a pull that changed your branch (reset the branch instead if needed: Reset),
• a fetch with prune (the deleted remote-tracking branches come back with the next fetch if they still exist on the server).

A fetch without prune and an up-to-date pull or push are not recorded. See Undo and redo.