New User Experience, fixes #7.

Author: cpojer

electron/main.cjs

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ const {
   existsSync,
   lstatSync,
   mkdirSync,
+  realpathSync,
   readFileSync,
   symlinkSync,
   unlinkSync,
@@ -78,8 +79,12 @@ const parseCommandLineArguments = (commandLine = process.argv) => {
 
   const envCommitRef = useEnvironment ? process.env.CODIFF_COMMIT_REF || '' : '';
   const sourceRef = envCommitRef || commitRef;
+  const repositoryPathProvided = Boolean(
+    repositoryPath || (useEnvironment && process.env.CODIFF_REPOSITORY_PATH),
+  );
   return {
     launchOptions: {
+      repositoryPathProvided,
       source: sourceRef
         ? {
             ref: sourceRef,
@@ -196,13 +201,63 @@ const openRepositoryFolder = async (browserWindow) => {
   });
 
   if (!result.canceled && result.filePaths[0]) {
-    createWindow(result.filePaths[0], { walkthrough: false });
+    createWindow(result.filePaths[0], { repositoryPathProvided: true, walkthrough: false });
   }
 };
 
 const getTerminalHelperSourcePath = () =>
   app.isPackaged ? join(process.resourcesPath, 'app/bin/codiff-app') : join(root, 'bin/codiff.js');
 
+const getTerminalHelperTargetPaths = () => [
+  '/opt/homebrew/bin/codiff',
+  '/usr/local/bin/codiff',
+  join(app.getPath('home'), '.local/bin/codiff'),
+];
+
+const getPreferredTerminalHelperTargetPath = () => {
+  for (const directory of ['/opt/homebrew/bin', '/usr/local/bin']) {
+    try {
+      if (existsSync(directory)) {
+        accessSync(directory, constants.W_OK);
+        return join(directory, 'codiff');
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // Keep looking for a writable install location.
+    }
+  }
+
+  return join(app.getPath('home'), '.local/bin/codiff');
+};
+
+const isInstalledTerminalHelper = (targetPath) => {
+  try {
+    if (!existsSync(targetPath)) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    const target = lstatSync(targetPath);
+    if (!target.isSymbolicLink()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    return realpathSync(targetPath) === realpathSync(getTerminalHelperSourcePath());
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+};
+
+const getTerminalHelperStatus = () => {
+  const installedPath = getTerminalHelperTargetPaths().find((targetPath) =>
+    isInstalledTerminalHelper(targetPath),
+  );
+
+  return {
+    command: 'codiff',
+    installed: installedPath != null,
+    path: installedPath || getPreferredTerminalHelperTargetPath(),
+  };
+};
+
 const getWritableHelperDirectory = () => {
   for (const directory of ['/opt/homebrew/bin', '/usr/local/bin']) {
     try {
@@ -246,13 +301,15 @@ const installTerminalHelper = async (browserWindow) => {
       message: `Installed codiff at ${targetPath}.`,
       type: 'info',
     });
+    return true;
   } catch (error) {
     await dialog.showMessageBox(browserWindow ?? undefined, {
       buttons: ['OK'],
       detail: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
       message: 'Could not install the terminal helper.',
       type: 'error',
     });
+    return false;
   }
 };
 
@@ -392,7 +449,10 @@ const buildApplicationMenu = () =>
     },
   ]);
 
-const createWindow = (repositoryPath, launchOptions = { walkthrough: false }) => {
+const createWindow = (
+  repositoryPath,
+  launchOptions = { repositoryPathProvided: true, walkthrough: false },
+) => {
   const display = screen.getPrimaryDisplay();
   const { height, width } = display.workAreaSize;
   const window = new BrowserWindow({
@@ -491,10 +551,18 @@ ipcMain.handle(
   'codiff:getLaunchOptions',
   (event) =>
     windowLaunchOptions.get(event.sender.id) || {
+      repositoryPathProvided: false,
       walkthrough: false,
     },
 );
 
+ipcMain.handle('codiff:getTerminalHelperStatus', () => getTerminalHelperStatus());
+
+ipcMain.handle('codiff:installTerminalHelper', async (event) => {
+  await installTerminalHelper(BrowserWindow.fromWebContents(event.sender));
+  return getTerminalHelperStatus();
+});
+
 ipcMain.handle('codiff:getWalkthrough', async (event, source) => {
   const repositoryPath = windowRepositories.get(event.sender.id) || getLaunchPath();
   const launchOptions = windowLaunchOptions.get(event.sender.id);

electron/preload.cjs

@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('codiff', {
   getPreferences: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('codiff:getPreferences'),
   getRepositoryHistory: (limit) => ipcRenderer.invoke('codiff:getRepositoryHistory', limit),
   getRepositoryState: (source) => ipcRenderer.invoke('codiff:getRepositoryState', source),
+  getTerminalHelperStatus: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('codiff:getTerminalHelperStatus'),
   getWalkthrough: (source) => ipcRenderer.invoke('codiff:getWalkthrough', source),
+  installTerminalHelper: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('codiff:installTerminalHelper'),
   onFindInDiffs: (callback) => {
     const listener = () => callback();
     ipcRenderer.on('codiff:findInDiffs', listener);

src/App.css

@@ -1334,19 +1334,54 @@
   border: 1px solid var(--file-border);
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
-  gap: 6px;
+  gap: 10px;
   max-width: min(560px, 84vw);
   padding: 28px;
   text-align: center;
 }
 
-.empty-panel span {
+.empty-panel p {
   color: var(--muted);
-  font-family: var(--font-mono);
-  font-size: 12px;
+  font-size: 13px;
+  line-height: 1.45;
+  margin: 0;
   overflow-wrap: anywhere;
 }
 
+.empty-panel code {
+  color: var(--text);
+}
+
+.empty-panel-menu-path {
+  color: var(--text);
+  font-weight: 600;
+}
+
+.empty-panel-actions {
+  -webkit-app-region: no-drag;
+  display: flex;
+  gap: 8px;
+  margin-top: 8px;
+}
+
+.empty-panel-actions button {
+  background: var(--text);
+  border: 0;
+  border-radius: 14px;
+  color: var(--app-bg);
+  corner-shape: squircle;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  font-size: 13px;
+  font-weight: 700;
+  min-height: 34px;
+  padding: 0 14px;
+}
+
+.empty-panel-actions button:disabled {
+  cursor: default;
+  opacity: 0.58;
+}
+
 @media (max-width: 880px) {
   .app-shell {
     grid-template-columns: 220px minmax(0, 1fr);

src/App.test.tsx

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import {
   buildReviewCommentsMarkdown,
   fileHasVisibleDiff,
   getDiffSearchResult,
+  getRepositoryLoadError,
   getVisibleDiffSections,
   isDiffSearchShortcut,
   shouldDiscardReviewCommentOnEscape,
@@ -126,6 +127,18 @@ test('diff search shortcut does not claim fullscreen shortcut', () => {
   );
 });
 
+test('repository load errors hide raw git output for non-repositories', () => {
+  const error = getRepositoryLoadError(
+    new Error('Command failed: git -C /tmp rev-parse --show-toplevel fatal: not a git repository'),
+  );
+
+  expect(error).toEqual({
+    kind: 'not-a-repository',
+    message:
+      'Codiff was opened outside a Git repository. Run `codiff` from inside a repo, or choose File → Open Folder… to open one.',
+  });
+});
+
 test('review comment markdown includes file and patch context', () => {
   const file = {
     fingerprint: 'comment-export',