chicle (Git User Manager)

chicle is a platform-agnostic command-line tool for managing multiple Git identities. It simplifies the process of switching between different Git user configurations and SSH keys, making it easier to work with multiple Git accounts across various hosting services like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.

Features

• Create SSH keys for different Git identities
• Add existing SSH keys to new identities
• Switch between Git user configurations easily
• Works with any Git hosting service
• Manages both global and local Git configurations and SSH keys
• Ensures unique aliases across global and local identities
• Supports both global and repository-specific identity management
• Version checking functionality
• Verbose mode for detailed output

ToDo

• Configure default behaviors
• Edit existing identities
• Move/copy existing identities

Installation

Using Homebrew

You can install chicle using Homebrew:

brew install permadart/chicle/chicle

From Source

If you prefer to install from source or Homebrew is not available:

1. Ensure you have Go installed on your system.
2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/permadart/chicle.git

3. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd chicle

4. Build the project:

   go build -o chicle

5. (Optional) Move the binary to a location in your PATH:

   sudo mv chicle /usr/local/bin/

Usage

Global vs Local Operations

chicle supports both global and local Git identity management:

• Global identities are used across all Git repositories on your system.
• Local identities are specific to a single Git repository.

When using local operations, ensure you're in a Git repository. For global operations, use the --global flag or the appropriate subcommand.

Verbose Mode

To enable detailed output for any command, use the --verbose or -V flag:

chicle --verbose [command]

Create a new SSH key and identity (globally)

chicle create --alias user1 --email [email protected] --name "John Doe" --global

Alias: chicle add

Create a new SSH key and identity (for the current repository)

chicle create --alias user1 --email [email protected] --name "John Doe"

Add an existing SSH key to a new identity (globally)

chicle create --alias user2 --email [email protected] --name "Jane Doe" --key ~/.ssh/id_rsa_user2 --global

Add an existing SSH key to a new identity (for the current repository)

chicle create --alias user2 --email [email protected] --name "Jane Doe" --key ~/.ssh/id_rsa_user2

Switch Git user (globally)

chicle switch user1 --global

Aliases: chicle use, chicle switch-global

Switch Git user (for the current repository)

chicle switch user1

Alias: chicle switch-local

Delete a Git identity (globally)

chicle delete user1 --global

Alias: chicle remove

Delete a Git identity (local)

chicle delete user1

List all identities

chicle list

Alias: chicle ls

Check chicle version

chicle --version

or

chicle -v

Important Notes

• When creating or switching to a local identity, you must be inside a Git repository. If you're not in a Git repository, chicle will return an error and prompt you to use the --global flag.
• Aliases must be unique across both global and local identities. chicle will prevent you from creating an identity with an alias that already exists in either scope.
• The list command shows both global and local identities separately for better clarity.
• When switching identities, chicle clears existing SSH keys from the agent before adding the new one to ensure a clean switch.

Error Messages and Troubleshooting

chicle provides informative error messages to guide you:

• If you're not in a Git repository for local operations, you'll be prompted to use the --global flag or navigate to a Git repository.
• If an alias already exists, you'll be informed and asked to choose a different alias.
• If an identity is not found during switch or delete operations, you'll be prompted to use the list command to see available identities.

For more detailed output, use the --verbose flag with any command.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see the CONTRIBUTING.md file for guidelines on how to contribute to this project.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.