Getting started

Riff is a Git client for Windows and macOS on Macs with Apple silicon. This guide covers installation, sign-in and your first repository.

Install on Windows

  1. Open the Microsoft Store on your Windows machine.
  2. Search for Gapfy Riff and install it.
  3. Launch Riff.

Install on a Mac

  1. Open the Gapfy downloads page and choose Riff for macOS with Apple silicon.
  2. Download the installer, open the .pkg file and follow the installation steps.
  3. Open Riff from Applications.

The Mac download supports Apple silicon, including compatible iMac models. Check your Mac's chip before choosing the installer.

Install Git

Riff uses the Git CLI installed on your computer. Install Git before opening your first repository. On macOS, it can use Git from Homebrew, MacPorts or Apple's Command Line Tools. If Git is missing, Riff tells you before running an operation.

Choose guest mode or sign in

You can use Riff without an account. Guest mode keeps everything local and offline-first, with a small cap on how many repositories you can track. It is a good way to evaluate the client with real work.

Signing in with your Gapfy identity unlocks the rest of the platform:

  • Workspaces, tracked repositories and template sets sync across your devices.
  • Author avatars in the commit graph come from Gapfy identities.
  • Team conventions defined in the Gapfy web portal apply in your client.
  • Your commits are stamped with your Gapfy name and email, and admins can enforce that identity org-wide.

The Free plan includes 1 workspace, 3 repositories per workspace and 1 host connection. See Workspaces and repositories for how the plans compare.

Open or clone your first repository

  1. From the home tab, open a repository that already exists on disk, or start a clone.
  2. To clone from Azure DevOps, GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, connect the host first, then browse its repositories and pick one or several to clone. See Git hosting integrations.
  3. Once the repository opens, the commit graph shows colored lanes, merge dots and branch and tag chips. Scroll to load more history, or switch to the all-branches view to see everything at once.

Make Riff yours

  • Repositories open in tabs. On Windows, cycle with Ctrl+Tab, close with Ctrl+W, reopen with Ctrl+Shift+T, and jump to a tab with Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+9. On macOS, use Command+W to close, Command+Shift+T to reopen, and Command+1 through Command+9 to select a tab.
  • 22 actions are rebindable in the settings dialog, with conflict detection so two actions never fight over the same key.
  • Pick a light, dark or system theme and tune the accent color with the accent engine. The UI is available in 6 languages.

Next steps