GitChrono

Pick a custom date and time for a Git commit, right from the IDE's native Commit tool window.

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What it does

No terminal, no git commit --amend juggling — just:

1. Open the Commit tool window and stage your changes, as usual.
2. Click the calendar icon above the commit message box.
3. Pick a date and time, then Apply.
4. Commit as usual — the button now reads Commit on <your date>.

GitChrono amends HEAD automatically right after the commit succeeds, so both the commit date and author date match what you picked.

Screenshots

Features

• 📅 Pick any past or future date and time for a commit, without leaving the Commit tool window.
• 🔄 The Commit button updates live to reflect the picked date, so you always know what's about to happen.
• 🟡 A small indicator dot shows when a custom date is active — and whether it's backdated or future-dated.
• 🧹 One click on Clear resets to committing with the current date and time, as normal.
• 🔒 No extra permissions, no network calls — everything happens locally via Git.

Requirements

• An IntelliJ Platform IDE with Git support (Git4Idea) — IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, and others.
• A Git repository open in the project.

Installation

• From JetBrains Marketplace (recommended): search for Git Chrono in Settings/Preferences → Plugins → Marketplace, or install directly from the plugin page.
• From disk: download the latest release .zip and install via Settings/Preferences → Plugins → ⚙️ → Install Plugin from Disk....

How it works

GitChrono replaces IntelliJ's native CheckinProject action at startup so the existing Commit UI (button, menu, shortcuts) keeps working exactly as before, just reflecting the picked date. The actual date rewrite happens after a real commit succeeds, via a CheckinHandler that runs git commit --amend --no-edit --date=<picked date> with GIT_COMMITTER_DATE/GIT_AUTHOR_DATE set to match.

See CLAUDE.md for a full breakdown of the source layout and each component's responsibility.

Building from source

Standard Gradle IntelliJ Platform plugin project. Use the wrapper (./gradlew), not a global gradle.

./gradlew runIde          # Launch a sandbox IDE with the plugin installed, for manual testing
./gradlew test            # Run tests
./gradlew verifyPlugin    # Check plugin compatibility against target IDEs
./gradlew buildPlugin     # Build the distributable plugin .zip

The built plugin ends up under build/distributions/.

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome at github.com/sinadalvand/GitChrono. Please run ./gradlew test verifyPlugin before submitting a PR.

License

MIT © Sina Dalvand