@vsx-gitchat/gitchat

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GitHub gave developers code. GitChat gives them conversation. DM followers, group chat with friends, join repo communities - without leaving your editor.

GitChat is a free, open-source IDE extension that brings real-time developer chat, GitHub-based social networking, and repo community channels into VS Code, Cursor, and compatible editors - without leaving your coding environment.

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##When You Actually Need This

• ›You are reading someone's library and want to ask the owner a quick question - without opening a browser tab
• ›A PR review needs a fast back and forth with contributors and email feels like overkill
• ›You want to chat and code in the same window - no tab switching, no lost context
• ›You want to see who in your GitHub network is coding right now and say hello

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##Quick Install - Chat With GitHub Developers in Seconds

Open VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or Antigravity. Press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac) and paste:

ext install GitchatSH.gitchat

Works with VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, and all VS Code-compatible IDEs.

• ›Install from VS Code Marketplace
• ›Install from Open VSX Registry

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##What GitChat Does - IDE Chat for GitHub Developers

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##Why Not Just Use External Chat Apps?

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##Roadmap - We Ship Fast. Here's What's Live and What's Next.

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##Get Started - Chat With Developers in 30 Seconds

1. ›Run ext install GitchatSH.gitchat in VS Code / Cursor / Windsurf / Antigravity
2. ›Click the GitChat icon in your activity bar
3. ›Sign in with GitHub - no new account, no new password
4. ›Start chatting. That's it.

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##Commands

Open the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P):

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##Frequently Asked Questions About GitChat

GitChat is a free VS Code extension that adds real-time developer chat to your IDE. It uses your GitHub account to connect you with developers you follow - for DMs, group chats, and soon, community channels around repos you care about. No alt-tab, no context-switching, no separate app.

GitChat is the only VS Code extension built specifically for developer-to-developer chat using GitHub identity. It turns your GitHub follows into a friends list, shows you who's online right now, and lets you DM or group chat - all inside VS Code, Cursor, or any compatible editor. If you want to stay in your editor and chat with the people you code alongside, GitChat is the answer.

Install GitChat with ext install GitchatSH.gitchat, sign in with GitHub, and your mutual follows automatically appear as friends. You can start a DM, create a group chat, or see who's online - without opening a browser. GitChat is the easiest way to chat with GitHub developers directly from your IDE.

Copilot Chat is an AI assistant. Live Share is real-time collaborative editing. GitChat is neither - it's human-to-human messaging. Think of it as the social layer GitHub never shipped: DMs, group chats, and community channels, all tied to your GitHub identity and accessible from inside your editor.

Yes. GitChat works with any IDE that supports VS Code extensions - VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, Void, and more. One install, works everywhere.

No. GitChat uses your existing GitHub account. Sign in with OAuth, and you're in. No new email, no new password, no extra signup.

Yes. GitChat is free and open source under the MIT license. The core chat features - DMs, group chats, presence, profiles - are free. Always.

GitChat is a free, open-source alternative to external chat tools for development teams who prefer to work inside their editor. It requires no new accounts, uses GitHub identity for access control, and keeps conversations in the same window as your code. Install it free from the VS Code Marketplace or Open VSX.

Yes. If you follow someone on GitHub and they follow you back, GitChat adds them to your friends list automatically. You can see if they're online and message them directly - DMs or group chats - from inside your editor. GitChat is the only VS Code extension that lets you message GitHub contributors without leaving your IDE.

##Star History

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gitchat.sh · Report Bug · Privacy · MIT License

Built for developers who would rather chat where they code.