Git over I2P

Cloning and pushing repositories inside I2P uses the same Git commands you already know—your client simply connects through I2P tunnels instead of TCP/IP. This guide walks through setting up an account, configuring tunnels, and dealing with slow links.

Quick start: Read-only access works through the HTTP proxy: http_proxy=http://127.0.0.1:4444 git clone http://example.i2p/project.git. Follow the steps below for SSH read/write access.

1. Create an Account

Choose an I2P Git service and register:

• Inside I2P: http://git.idk.i2p
• Clearnet mirror: https://i2pgit.org

Registration may require manual approval; check the landing page for instructions. Once approved, fork or create a repository so you have something to test with.

2. Configure an I2PTunnel Client (SSH)

1. Open the router console → I2PTunnel and add a new Client tunnel.
2. Enter the service’s destination (Base32 or Base64). For git.idk.i2p you’ll find both HTTP and SSH destinations on the project home page.
3. Choose a local port (for example localhost:7442).
4. Enable autostart if you plan to use the tunnel frequently.

The UI will confirm the new tunnel and show its status. When it is running, SSH clients can connect to 127.0.0.1 on the chosen port.

3. Clone via SSH

Use the tunnel port with GIT_SSH_COMMAND or an SSH config stanza:

GIT_SSH_COMMAND="ssh -p 7442" \
    git clone git@127.0.0.1:your-project/example.git

If the first attempt fails (tunnels can be slow), try a shallow clone:

GIT_SSH_COMMAND="ssh -p 7442" \
    git clone --depth 1 git@127.0.0.1:your-project/example.git
cd example
git fetch --unshallow

Configure Git to fetch all branches:

git config remote.origin.fetch "+refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*"
git fetch origin

Performance Tips

• Add one or two backup tunnels in the tunnel editor to improve resilience.
• For testing or low-risk repos you may reduce tunnel length to 1 hop, but be aware of the anonymity trade-off.
• Keep GIT_SSH_COMMAND in your environment or add an entry to ~/.ssh/config:

Host git.i2p
    HostName 127.0.0.1
    Port 7442
    User git

Then clone using git clone git@git.i2p:namespace/project.git.

4. Workflow Suggestions

Adopt a fork-and-branch workflow common on GitLab/GitHub:

1. Set an upstream remote: git remote add upstream git@git.i2p:I2P_Developers/i2p.i2p
2. Keep your master in sync: git pull upstream master
3. Create feature branches for changes: git checkout -b feature/new-thing
4. Push branches to your fork: git push origin feature/new-thing
5. Submit a merge request, then fast-forward your fork’s master from upstream.

5. Privacy Reminders

• Git stores commit timestamps in your local timezone. To force UTC timestamps:

git config --global alias.utccommit '!git commit --date="$(date --utc +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z)"'

Use git utccommit instead of git commit when privacy matters.

• Avoid embedding clearnet URLs or IPs in commit messages or repository metadata if anonymity is a concern.

6. Troubleshooting

For advanced scenarios (mirroring external repos, seeding bundles), see the companion guides: Git bundle workflows and Hosting GitLab over I2P.