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One of the key features of neo-git-graph is its devcontainer support, allowing you to visualize Git history seamlessly in remote and containerized development environments.

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Why Devcontainer Support Matters

Unlike the original Git Graph extension, neo-git-graph is specifically designed to work in:
  • VS Code Remote Containers - Develop inside Docker containers
  • GitHub Codespaces - Cloud-based development environments
  • Remote SSH - Development on remote servers
  • WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) - Linux environment on Windows
The original Git Graph changed its license in May 2019 and stopped receiving updates. Neo-git-graph is forked from the last MIT-licensed commit and adds modern devcontainer support.

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Getting Started with Devcontainers

1

Install the extension

Install neo-git-graph in your VS Code environment:
2

Open your project in a devcontainer

If you have a .devcontainer configuration:
  1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P)
  2. Run Remote-Containers: Reopen in Container
  3. Wait for the container to build and start
3

Verify Git is available

Neo-git-graph requires Git to be installed in your container. Most development containers include Git by default.To verify:
git --version
If Git is not installed, add it to your devcontainer configuration:
{
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/git:1": {}
  }
}
4

Open Git Graph

Click the Git Graph button in the VS Code status bar, or run:
  • Command: Neo Git Graph: View Git Graph (git log)

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Configuration for Remote Environments

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Git Path Configuration

If Git is installed in a non-standard location in your container, configure the path: 
{
  "git.path": "/usr/local/bin/git"
}
Add this to your .devcontainer/devcontainer.json: 
{
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "settings": {
        "git.path": "/usr/local/bin/git"
      }
    }
  }
}
Neo-git-graph uses the same git.path setting as VS Code’s built-in Git extension, so if the Source Control view works, neo-git-graph will work too.

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Repository Discovery

For workspaces with nested repositories, increase the search depth: 
{
  "neo-git-graph.maxDepthOfRepoSearch": 2
}
This tells neo-git-graph to search 2 levels deep for Git repositories.

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Common Devcontainer Scenarios

Neo-git-graph works out of the box in GitHub Codespaces:
  1. Install the extension in your codespace
  2. Open the Git Graph from the status bar
  3. All features work the same as local development
For automatic installation, add to .devcontainer/devcontainer.json:
{
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "asispts.neo-git-graph"
      ]
    }
  }
}
When connecting to a remote server:
  1. Install neo-git-graph on the remote server (not locally)
  2. Ensure Git is installed on the remote server
  3. Open your repository and launch Git Graph
The extension runs on the remote server, ensuring fast performance even with large repositories.
For Windows Subsystem for Linux:
  1. Install the extension in WSL (it will prompt you)
  2. Open your WSL repository in VS Code
  3. Git Graph will use the Linux Git binary automatically
Don’t mix Windows and WSL Git repositories. Keep your repos entirely in WSL for best performance.
Neo-git-graph supports multiple repositories in one workspace:
  • Each repository appears in the repository selector dropdown
  • Switch between repositories without changing folders
  • Configure maxDepthOfRepoSearch to find nested repos
Example workspace structure:
my-monorepo/
├── .git/
├── frontend/
│   └── .git/
└── backend/
    └── .git/
Set neo-git-graph.maxDepthOfRepoSearch: 2 to detect all three repositories.

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Performance Optimization

For large repositories in containers or remote environments: 
{
  "neo-git-graph.showUncommittedChanges": false,
  "neo-git-graph.initialLoadCommits": 200,
  "neo-git-graph.loadMoreCommits": 100
}
  • showUncommittedChanges: false - Skip checking working directory status (faster initial load)
  • initialLoadCommits - Reduce initial commit count for faster rendering
  • loadMoreCommits - Load fewer commits per batch

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Troubleshooting

If Git Graph doesn’t work in your devcontainer:
  1. Check Git installation: Run git --version in the terminal
  2. Verify git.path: Check that VS Code’s Source Control works
  3. Repository detection: Ensure you’ve opened a folder containing a .git directory
  4. Reload window: Sometimes a reload helps: Developer: Reload Window
For more issues, see the Troubleshooting guide.

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