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Show HN: Retcon – A macOS Git client for instantly rewriting history (retcon.app)
7 points by Cykelero 6 months ago | hide | past | favorite | 3 comments
I really like interactive rebases in Git, but always thought they took too much time and effort. There are tools that make them a lot nicer, like magit or GitUp, but they still ask a lot of you.

So over the last two years I built Retcon. In the app, you can manipulate history directly (e.g. drag a commit to a different spot) at all times; even when there’s a conflict waiting for resolution, you can always keep making changes. You're not asked to first make a rebase TODO and then commit to it. So you no longer need to think too much ahead: you just make the changes you have in mind, see what that results in, and iterate on the spot. I think it really lowers the mental load of doing a rebase; most of the time you don't really think about it, you just do it.

You also can undo almost anything with ⌘Z. Like a commit deletion, sure, but also a conflict resolution: so you never have to start the rebase over if you make a mistake, you just go one step back. Once again, that both saves you a lot of time, and mental load. Undo even works for remote pushes, which is handy. (and is safe, using a custom “force push with lease” variant)

I hope you like it! The app has a two-week free trial, and is paid after that (currently 25% off for launch). I’m really curious to hear if Retcon does feel faster/freeing to you, as intended.




A $37.49/$49.99 subscription is one heck of a high price for an app that’s basically a one-trick pony that may get used a few times a year.

I don’t mind paying for apps myself - even subscriptions - but this one’s a hard pass from me.


That's a yearly price, not monthly, so not really a high price. If a professional developer saves one hour per year with this tool it's already paid for itself.


If that developer bothers to go have their boss pay for it.

I’m not going to subscribe to something that ‘may save my ass someday’, but I would buy it for my arsenal because that someday might be a year and one day from the time of purchase

(Also: Fork has a decent interactive rebase with drag and drop and is a one time purchase. Probably not as slick as this though)




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