Security

Last updated: January 29, 2026

This document provides security-relevant information about gitspine for enterprise security reviews and compliance assessments.

Architecture Overview

gitspine is a local terminal application (TUI) for visualizing and interacting with git repositories. It runs entirely on the user's machine with no server-side component and no network activity of any kind.

Technology Stack

• Language: Rust (memory-safe systems language)
• Git Operations: libgit2 via the git2 crate, with fallback to git CLI for specific operations (rebase, push)
• UI Framework: Ratatui/Crossterm (terminal rendering)
• Distribution: Native binary (no runtime dependencies)

Security Benefits of Rust

• Memory safety without garbage collection - prevents buffer overflows, use-after-free, and other memory corruption vulnerabilities
• Thread safety guaranteed at compile time
• No null pointer dereferences

Network Activity

gitspine makes no network requests. No telemetry, no validation, no analytics. The binary runs fully offline.

Note: Git operations (push, fetch, clone) you initiate use your existing git/ssh configuration and are separate from gitspine itself.

Data Handling

Local Data Storage

gitspine stores no configuration of its own. There is no settings file, no cache directory, no local database.

Temporary Files

Commit message drafts are temporarily written to the system temp directory when invoking an external editor. These files are deleted when the editor closes.

Repository Access

gitspine reads and writes files only within git repositories you explicitly open:

• Reads: Git object database, working tree files, config files
• Writes: Staging/unstaging changes, creating commits, branch operations

All git operations use the same permissions as your user account. gitspine does not request or use elevated privileges.

Credential Handling

gitspine does not implement its own credential storage. All authentication for git operations (SSH keys, HTTPS credentials) is delegated to your system's git credential configuration. gitspine never has access to your passwords or tokens.

External Processes

gitspine may spawn the following external processes:

• git: For rebase, push, and checkout operations (arguments passed via array, not shell)
• $EDITOR / $VISUAL: For editing commit messages
• Clipboard utilities: pbcopy (macOS), xclip/xsel/wl-copy (Linux) for SHA copying

All subprocess invocations use safe argument passing (arrays, not shell strings) to prevent command injection.

Dependencies

Key dependencies (Rust crates):

A full dependency list can be provided upon request. All dependencies are sourced from crates.io, the official Rust package registry.

Permissions Required

• File system: Read/write access to git repositories you open
• Network: None
• Process execution: Ability to spawn git, editor, and clipboard commands

No elevated privileges (root/admin) are required or requested.

Vulnerability Disclosure

If you discover a security vulnerability in gitspine, please report it responsibly:

• Email: nick@pachulski.me
• Response time: We aim to acknowledge reports within 48 hours

Please include a detailed description of the vulnerability, steps to reproduce, and any relevant technical details. We appreciate responsible disclosure and will credit researchers (with permission) in our release notes.

Compliance Notes

• No personal data processing (out of GDPR scope)
• No cloud storage of customer data
• No third-party services involved

Contact

For security questions or to request additional documentation for your security review, contact nick@pachulski.me.