Pidan

A Git helper

Commands Git AI

Pidan is a lightweight Git helper that enhances workflow efficiency by providing convenient utilities such as AI-generated commit messages, easy .gitignore management, repository export tools, and more.

Pidan is designed to be simple, predictable, and consistent across all commands.

Features

  • Initialize a personal Pidan environment (pidan init)
  • Manage project .gitignore files using your global template
  • Export a clean snapshot of a Git repository (pidan export)
  • Generate commit messages using AI (pidan commit)
  • Configure global AI model + API key (pidan ai)
  • Built-in version checking (pidan --upgrade)
  • Display environment and binary info (pidan --info)

Installation

curl https://pidan.binhua.org/install | bash

This installs the pidan binary into ~/.local/bin (or other appropriate location depending on your system).

Usage

USAGE:
  pidan [global options] command [command options] [arguments...]

Commands

pidan init

Initialize the Pidan environment under:

~/.pidan/
  own.gitignore
  config_ai.json

Must be run once after installation.

pidan gitignore

Create or modify .gitignore in the current directory using your template:

~/.pidan/own.gitignore
  • If no .gitignore exists → create one
  • If exists → choose:
    • Append
    • Overwrite
    • Cancel

pidan export [ref]

Export a clean snapshot of the repository at a specific Git revision.

Examples:

pidan export           # Export HEAD
pidan export main      # Export branch "main"
pidan export a7e23f1   # Export specific commit

Exports to:

./export

.git directory and .gitignore files are excluded.

pidan commit

Generate an AI-powered commit message and commit the staged changes.

Features:

  • Auto-stages the entire repo (git add -A)
  • Shows AI-generated commit message for confirmation
  • Supports OpenAI, Gemini, Grok

Requires AI configuration (see below).

pidan ai

Manage global AI configuration.

Show current configuration:

pidan ai
# or
pidan ai config show

Set provider + model + key:

pidan ai config <provider> <model> <api_key>

Supported providers:

  • openai
  • gemini
  • grok

Example:

pidan ai config openai gpt-5 sk-xxxx

Remove AI configuration:

pidan ai config unset

Global Options

--info

Show environment details:

  • Pidan version
  • Config path
  • AI config status
  • Executable path
pidan --info

--upgrade

Check for newer Pidan versions:

pidan --upgrade

Does not auto-install updates; only reports availability.

--help, -h

Show help message.

pidan --help

Directory Structure

After running pidan init:

~/.pidan/
  own.gitignore      # Your ignore template
  config_ai.json     # AI provider/model/key

Example Workflow

pidan init
vim ~/.pidan/own.gitignore
pidan gitignore
pidan ai config openai gpt-5 sk-xxxx
git add .
pidan commit