#Tenajlo user guide

Tenajlo is a desktop app for working with Git repositories on a Forgejo server: get a copy of a project, save your changes, and share them with your team, without the command line.

#Install

Windows 10/11: download Tenajlo_<version>_x64-setup.exe from the Releases page of Tenajlo's GitHub repository and run it. It installs for your user account only, so you don't need administrator rights. Git and Git LFS come with Tenajlo; you don't need to install them.

Tenajlo's installer isn't code-signed yet, so Windows may say "Windows protected your PC". Choose More info → Run anyway if you downloaded it from Tenajlo's Releases page.

Debian and Ubuntu (x64): download Tenajlo_<version>_amd64.deb from the Releases page and install it with:

sudo apt install ./Tenajlo_<version>_amd64.deb

apt also installs Git and Git LFS if you don't have them. Tenajlo needs Git 2.40 or newer: Ubuntu 24.04 and Debian 13 have it; on Debian 12, install git from bookworm-backports first.

macOS (Apple Silicon, M1 or later): download Tenajlo_<version>_aarch64.dmg, open it and drag Tenajlo to Applications. Tenajlo needs Git 2.40 or newer: recent Apple command line tools include it (xcode-select --install), or install it with brew install git. For large files, also install Git LFS (brew install git-lfs).

Tenajlo isn't notarized by Apple yet, so the first time you open it macOS says it can't check the app. Click Done, then open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway next to Tenajlo. You only need to do this once.

Other Linux distributions and Intel Macs: build Tenajlo from source (see the README).

#Sign in to your Forgejo server

The first time you open Tenajlo, a welcome screen walks you through signing in and setting the name and email Git records on your commits. You can skip either step and do it later in Settings.

1. Open Settings → Accounts (or click Sign in to Forgejo… on the start screen).
2. Enter your server's address, for example git.example.com, and click Continue.
3. Click Open token settings in your browser. On that page, create an access token with these permissions:
   • read:user
   • read:repository
   • write:repository
4. Copy the token, paste it into Tenajlo, and click Sign in.

Tenajlo keeps the token in your computer's password store (Windows Credential Manager, macOS Keychain, or the Linux Secret Service), never in a file. From then on, Tenajlo uses it automatically whenever you work with repositories on that server.

If your sign-in stops working (for example, the token expired), Tenajlo tells you and offers Sign in again. Paste a new token; nothing else changes.

#Get a copy of a repository (clone)

1. Click Current repository → Clone….
2. On Your Forgejo repositories, pick a repository. Use Filter to find it.
3. Choose how to connect:
   • HTTPS uses your Forgejo account. Pick this if you're not sure.
   • SSH uses your SSH key. Your key must be added to your Forgejo account first (see SSH keys).
4. Check the Local folder (by default Documents\Tenajlo\<name>) and click Clone.

You can also paste an address on the URL tab, for example https://git.example.com/team/project.git or git@git.example.com:team/project.git.

For an HTTPS address on a server you haven't signed in to, Tenajlo asks for a username and password (or access token) when it's needed. Tick Remember this password to keep it in your computer's password store. Tenajlo only saves it once the server accepts it, and forgets it if the server later rejects it.

To open a repository that's already on your computer, use Current repository → Add local…. To start a brand-new one, use Current repository → New…. Press Ctrl+T (⌘T on a Mac) to open the repository list quickly.

#Save your changes (commit)

1. Edit files as usual in your own tools.
2. In Tenajlo's Changes tab, tick the files you want to include. Click a file to see what changed.
3. Write a short Summary of what you changed (for example, "Adjust pump timer to 5 s").
4. Click Commit to (or press Ctrl+Enter).

To commit only part of a file, click the file, then use the boxes beside the changed lines in the diff. Tick a line to include it, or tick the box on a block's header to include the whole block. Shift+click includes or leaves out every line since the last one you clicked. The rest stays in your files for a later commit. Renamed files, links, and files stored with Git LFS can only be included whole.

Made a mistake? Right after committing, click Undo in the commit box. Your changes stay there, ready to commit again.

Right-click a file for more: Open in editor, Show in folder, Discard changes… (discarded new files go to the Recycle Bin, so you can get them back), and Ignore.

#Share and get changes (push, pull, fetch)

The button in the toolbar always shows the next useful step:

• Publish repository: this repository isn't on a server yet (see below).
• Publish branch: your branch isn't on the server yet.
• Push origin ↑2: you have 2 commits the server doesn't have.
• Pull origin ↓3: the server has 3 commits you don't have.
• Fetch origin: check the server for changes.

Tenajlo also checks the server every few minutes in the background (change or turn this off in Settings → Repositories).

#Put a new repository on the server (publish)

A repository you created with New…, or added from your computer, starts out only on your computer. To share it:

1. Make at least one commit.
2. Click Publish repository in the toolbar.
3. Choose the Owner: your own account or an organization you can create repositories in.
4. Check the Name (it starts as the folder name), add a description if you like, and choose whether to Keep this repository private.
5. Choose HTTPS or SSH, the same as when cloning, and click Publish repository.

Tenajlo creates the repository on Forgejo, then publishes your current branch to it. If the upload stops partway, click Publish branch to try again; the repository on the server stays.

Creating repositories needs more permissions than signing in: write:user and write:repository for your own account, and write:organization for organizations. If your access token doesn't have them, Tenajlo says so and offers Update the token. Create a new token with the permissions it lists and paste it.

#When you and someone else both changed the branch

Pull then says your branch and the server's have both changed, and offers Merge the server's changes. That combines both sets of changes with a merge commit; then push.

#Conflicts

If you and a teammate changed the same lines, Tenajlo shows a conflicts banner listing the files:

1. Click Open to edit a file. Look for the blocks between <<<<<<<, ======= and >>>>>>>, keep the right content, and delete the marker lines.
2. Click Mark resolved.
3. When every file is resolved, click Commit merge, then push.

Changed your mind? Abort merge puts your branch back exactly as it was.

#Branches

Use the Current branch menu to switch branches or create a new one (Ctrl+Shift+N). If you have unfinished changes when switching, Tenajlo asks whether to Bring my changes to the other branch or Leave my changes on the branch you're leaving (you get them back when you return).

#Large files (Git LFS)

Repositories with CAD models, PLC archives and other large files often use Git LFS. Tenajlo handles it automatically: large files are uploaded and downloaded with your other changes.

On Linux and macOS, install Git LFS first. If a repository needs it and it's missing, Tenajlo shows a warning and won't commit or push, so large files aren't stored the wrong way.

#SSH keys

Your SSH key needs to be added to your Forgejo account. Tenajlo can do this for you in Settings → SSH keys:

• Create an SSH key… makes a new key named id_ed25519 in the .ssh folder in your home folder. It only appears if you don't have one yet; Tenajlo never replaces a key. A passphrase is optional but protects the key if someone copies it.
• Add to puts a key on your Forgejo account. Keys already on the account say Added to .
• If your access token can't add keys, Tenajlo says so and offers Update the token. Create a new token with the write:user, read:repository and write:repository permissions and paste it. You can also add keys yourself on the Forgejo website under Settings → SSH / GPG Keys.

Tenajlo uses your computer's own SSH (on Windows, the built-in OpenSSH and its ssh-agent).

• Passphrase: Tenajlo asks for it when needed. Tick Remember this passphrase to keep it in your computer's password store so Tenajlo doesn't ask again. If you change the passphrase later, Tenajlo notices the saved one no longer works and asks you again.
• "Connect to ?" appears the first time you connect to a server. Check the fingerprint with your IT team before choosing Trust and connect. If it doesn't match, cancel.
• "The server's identity has changed" means the server's key is different from last time. Don't continue; contact your IT team.

#Settings

• Accounts: sign in and out of Forgejo servers.
• SSH keys: create an SSH key and add it to your Forgejo account.
• Passwords: passwords and SSH passphrases you chose to remember. Forget removes one; Tenajlo asks for it next time.
• Git: your name and email for commits, and which Git program to use.
• Repositories: where new clones go, what Pull does, how often to check the server, whether to show a notification when the server has new commits on your branch (only while you're using another window), and which editor opens files.
• Appearance: light, dark, or the same as your computer.
• About: Tenajlo's version, its log files, and Updates. Tenajlo checks for a new version when it starts (turn this off with Check for updates when Tenajlo starts) and shows a banner when one is available. Install and restart downloads it, checks it's signed by Tenajlo's release key, installs it and restarts. On Linux, installing asks for your administrator password, because the .deb package is installed for the whole computer.

#Troubleshooting

Every error has a Details section with Git's exact output. Include it when asking for help. Tenajlo removes passwords and tokens from it.

This guide is docs/user-guide.md in the Tenajlo repository. Spotted a mistake? Open an issue.