Bash Git Prompt for Ubuntu 24.04

A customizable Bash prompt with five clean themes, showing live Git repository status — branches, staged files, changes, stashes, and more.

Although designed for Ubuntu 24.04, it also runs smoothly on Fedora and most modern Linux distributions.

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Features

• Displays the current Git branch and live repository status
• Works across five switchable themes (changeable in real time)
• Shows staged, changed, untracked, stashed, and remote indicators
• Detects clean vs. dirty repository state instantly
• Compatible with Ubuntu, Fedora, and most POSIX-compatible shells
• Includes a Nerd Font installer for correct symbol rendering

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Prerequisites

Requires DejaVuSansMono Nerd Font for proper symbol display.

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Prompt Structure

The default prompt layout is:

<branch git status><working directory>

Example output:

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Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://git.x-files.dk/bash/bash-git-prompt.git ~/.bash-git-prompt

Install fonts:

cd ~/.bash-git-prompt
./install-fonts.sh

Add the following to your Bash configuration:

# Git Prompt Start
if [ -f "$HOME/.bash-git-prompt/bash-git-prompt" ]; then
    export GIT_PROMPT_THEME=1
    source "$HOME/.bash-git-prompt/bash-git-prompt"
fi
# Git Prompt Stop

Reload your environment:

source ~/.bashrc

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Switching Themes

Change themes dynamically with:

gpchange <theme number>

Example:

gpchange 3

This updates the theme instantly for your current session.

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Available Themes

Preview of all five themes (clean and dirty shown together for comparison):

Branch → Staged → Changed → Untracked → Stashed → Ahead → Behind → No-Remote → Conflict → Dirty → Clean

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Terminal Font Setup

Set your terminal to use:

DejaVuSansMono Nerd Font Mono

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Troubleshooting

Symbols not showing correctly:
Make sure your terminal uses DejaVuSansMono Nerd Font Mono.
Restart your terminal after installing fonts.
Log out and back in after installing fonts.

Prompt not loading:
Verify these lines exist and are correct in ~/.bashrc:

# Git Prompt Start
if [ -f "$HOME/.bash-git-prompt/bash-git-prompt" ]; then
    export GIT_PROMPT_THEME=1
    source "$HOME/.bash-git-prompt/bash-git-prompt"
fi
# Git Prompt Stop

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FAQ

Q: Does this replace my default prompt entirely?
A: No — the Git-aware segment only appears when your current directory is inside a Git repository.
Outside Git repos, your prompt remains normal (aside from minimal styling applied by the script).
To modify the non-Git prompt, edit this line in the script:

PS1='\u@\h:\[\e[38;5;178m\]\w\[\e[0m\] '"${PROMPT_CHAR} "

Q: Can I create my own theme?
A: Absolutely. Each theme is defined in the script under set_git_prompt_theme_icons().
You can modify or extend it, then set your new theme using export GIT_PROMPT_THEME=<number>.

Q: Does it slow down Git-heavy directories?
A: Negligibly. The script uses optimized Git calls and caches status checks for performance.

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More Information

More guides and documentation can be found on wiki.x-files.dk

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License

Licensed under the MIT License.

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