Show the Git Folder in VS Code Explorer Pane

Introduction

There might be times when you want to access the Git folder in your VS Code workspace, especially if you need to make configuration changes or troubleshoot issues. However, by default, the Git folder is hidden in the Explorer pane.

Why is the Git Folder Hidden?

The Git folder is not hidden to be secretive, but rather to prevent accidental modifications. The .git folder contains all the metadata and history of your Git repository, and making changes to it without proper knowledge can lead to issues with your version control. The gitconfig file inside the .git folder is where you can set various configurations for your Git repository, such as user information, aliases, and more. If you need to access this file, you will need to make the .git folder visible in the Explorer pane. You can view the contents of your gitconfig file by running the command git config --list in your terminal. You can also use the same command to interact with your gitconfig file, a list of possible options can be found by running git config --help.

VS Code manages this visibility using the files.exclude setting. By default, the .git folder is included in this setting, which is why it doesn’t show up in the Explorer pane. This property is accessible at the application level, and can be overridden at the workspace level. This means that you can have different visibility settings for different projects if needed. This is particularly useful if you want to keep the Git folder hidden in all cases except for a specific project where you need to access it frequently.

Making the Git Folder Visible for a Specific Project

To make the Git folder visible for a specific project, you can create or modify the .vscode/settings.json file in your project directory. Add the following configuration to this file:

{
  "files.exclude": {
    "**/.git": false
  }
}

Once you save the file, the Git folder will become visible in the Explorer pane for that specific project. This setting will override the default application-level setting, allowing you to access the Git folder without affecting other projects.

Making the Git Folder Visible Globally

To make the Git folder visible for all projects, you can modify the global settings in VS Code. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open your VS Code workspace.
2. Open settings.
3. Search for files.exclude.
4. You will see a list of patterns that are currently excluded from the Explorer pane. Look for the entry that says **/.git and click the x next to it to remove it from the list.

References

• Glob patterns
• VS Code settings