Open, Clone, or Initialize a Git Repository in GitKraken Desktop

Last updated: November 2026

Requirements and limits

• Entry points: Repository Management tab, New Tab, File > Clone Repo / Init Repo / Open Repo, or the gitkraken command line
• Open workflow: Requires an existing local Git repository
• Clone workflow: Requires a remote repository URL or a connected integration
• Shallow clone: Supports branch, depth, since-date, and custom clone flags
• Sparse checkout: Root-level files are always checked out even when path rules are applied
• Initialize workflow: Creates a .git directory and can optionally add a README.md, .gitignore, and LICENSE
• Command line: You can open a repository by passing its path as an argument (for example, gitkraken . or gitkraken /path/to/repo) without the --path flag

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Quick Start

To open an existing local repository:

1. Click the folder icon in the top-left corner or press Alt + O (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + O (Mac).
2. Click Browse and select your repository folder.

To open a repository from the command line:
Pass the repository path directly as an argument, for example gitkraken . to open the current directory or gitkraken /path/to/repo to open a specific path. You do not need the --path flag.

To clone a remote repository:

1. Open the Repository Management tab and click Clone.
2. Enter the repository URL or select a repository from your connected integration.
3. Click Clone the repo! to download it locally.

To initialize a new repository:

1. Click Init in the Repository Management tab.
2. Fill in the repository path and optional settings (.gitignore, license).
3. Click Create Repository to create the repo and open it.

To limit commit history by depth or date when you clone, enable Shallow Clone in the Clone dialog. You can open, clone, and initialize repositories from the Repository Management tab, the New Tab, or File > Clone Repo / Init Repo / Open Repo.

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How to complete the initial setup

Complete these setup steps before managing repositories:

1. Install GitKraken Desktop
2. Create an account and configure your profile. GitKraken Desktop opens your browser to sign up or sign in at gitkraken.dev. If you choose a provider such as GitHub during setup, gitkraken.dev opens with that provider selected.

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How Repository Management works

The Repository Management tab shows your active repositories, Workspaces, and favorites. Open this tab by clicking the folder icon in the top-left or using:

• Alt + O (Windows/Linux)
• Cmd + O (Mac)

From here, you can:

• Browse: Open a local Git repository.
• Clone: Copy a remote Git repository to your machine.
• Init: Initialize a new Git repository or reinitialize an existing one.

This tab also includes Workspaces and repository actions:

• Open in VS Code
• View repository details (README.md panel)
• Open/Close repo tab

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How to open an existing project

To open an existing repo:

1. From Repository Management, select Browse.
2. Use the file explorer to locate your repo.

You can also browse for a repository from the New Tab, which you open with the + icon.

How to open a repository from the command line

You can open a repository in GitKraken Desktop by running the gitkraken command and passing the repository path directly as an argument:

# Open the current directory
gitkraken .

# Open a specific repository path
gitkraken /path/to/repo

The --path flag is not required.

How to open shallow-cloned repositories

GitKraken Desktop opens shallow-cloned repositories with no special setup. Open the shallow clone’s folder as you would any other repository.

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How to clone a project

To clone a remote repo:

1. In Repository Management, select Clone.

2. Enter the clone URL, or select a repository from a connected integration. You can also open the clone options from File > Clone Repo or the New Tab.

How shallow clone works

GitKraken Desktop supports shallow cloning when cloning a repository. Shallow clones let you limit the commit history that is downloaded, which can reduce clone time and disk usage for large repositories.

To perform a shallow clone:

1. Open the Clone dialog from Repository Management, the New Tab, or File > Clone Repo.
2. Select the repository you want to clone.
3. Enable the Shallow Clone option.

Selecting Shallow Clone shows these options:

• Branch to clone: Specify the branch to clone. By default, GitKraken Desktop uses the repository’s default branch.
• Depth: Set how many commits deep to clone from the selected branch.
• Since date: Limit the clone to commits newer than a specific date.
• Custom flags: Provide any additional flags you typically pass to the git clone command. Enter these exactly as you would in the command-line interface.

4. Click Clone the repo! to complete the shallow clone.

After cloning, the repository opens automatically in GitKraken Desktop.

How sparse checkout works

Sparse checkout lets you check out only a subset of files from a repository, keeping your working directory smaller and improving performance on large repositories such as monorepos.

To perform a sparse checkout when cloning:

1. Open the Clone dialog from Repository Management, the New Tab, or File > Clone Repo.
2. Select the repository you want to clone.
3. Enable the Sparse Checkout option.
4. In the Paths to include field, enter one path per line (for example, src/, docs/, README.md). If you enter no paths, GitKraken Desktop checks out only root-level files.

5. Click Clone the repo! to complete the clone.

How to configure sparse checkout on an existing repository

To enable or update sparse checkout rules on a repository you have already opened, go to Preferences > Sparse Checkout for that repository.

From this panel you can:

• Enable sparse checkout: Turns on sparse checkout with the paths you have entered.
• Disable sparse checkout: Turns off sparse checkout and restores the full working directory.
• Reapply sparse checkout: Reapplies the current path rules. Use it after you pull in new files or resolve inconsistencies.

When a repository has sparse checkout active, a Sparse button appears in the toolbar. Click it to edit your sparse checkout paths, disable sparse checkout, or reapply the current rules without opening Preferences.

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How to initialize a new project

To start a new repo:

1. Select Init in Repository Management.

2. Fill in:

   • Repository path
   • .gitignore template (optional)
   • License (optional)

3. Click Create Repository.

You can also initialize a repository from File > Init Repo or the New Tab.

After initialization:

• GitKraken Desktop creates a .git directory.
• The repository opens in GitKraken Desktop.
• The repository includes README.md, and optionally .gitignore and LICENSE.

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How to customize Repository Management

You can customize the Repository Management tab:

• Drag group headers to reorder them.
• To change a group’s color, select Change color in the repo group menu.
• To set default colors, go to Preferences > UI Customization.