Getting Started
Install Airlock and run your first push in under five minutes.
Prerequisites
- macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel)
- Homebrew installed
- A Git repository with an
originremote pointing to GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or any Git host
Installation & First Push
Install Airlock
brew install --cask airlockThis installs three components: the airlock CLI, the background daemon airlockd, and the desktop app.
Initialize your repository
cd your-project
airlock initThis rewires your Git remotes. Your original origin is renamed to upstream, and origin now points to a local gate repository managed by Airlock. Your day-to-day Git workflow doesn't change — you still push to origin.
Push a branch
git push origin my-featureThe daemon intercepts the push, creates a Push Request, and runs the default workflow: lint, freeze, describe, test, then pauses for your approval.
Review in the desktop app
Open the Airlock desktop app. Your Push Request appears with four tabs:
- Overview — Summary, status, and generated PR title/description
- Changes — Full diff with inline review comments
- Patches — Additional changes suggested
- Activity — Step-by-step workflow log
Approve
Click Approve in the desktop app. Airlock pushes your code to the upstream remote and creates a pull request automatically.
Escape Hatch
Need to bypass Airlock? Push directly to the upstream remote:
git fetch upstream
git push upstream mainThis skips the gate repo and pushes straight to the original remote.
What's Next?
- How It Works — Understand the architecture behind the scenes
- Push Requests — Learn about the Push Request lifecycle
- Workflows — Customize what runs on each push