Work offline¶

GitM keeps working when you lose your connection. Going offline is a mode, not an error — you can keep editing and checkpointing locally, and anything that needs the cloud is paused until you reconnect. Your work is never lost.

How you know you're offline¶

When GitM detects no connection, an amber ⊘ Offline pill appears in the top bar (where the sync icon normally sits). Hover it to see how many local check-ins are waiting to publish. The pill clears itself the next time you refresh after the connection returns.

GitM detects this from your network adapter (so it appears the moment you drop Wi‑Fi) and from any cloud action that fails. It does not poll the network in the background.

What still works offline¶

You can…	Notes
Edit files you already checked out	The lock and the file bytes are already on your PC.
Save Local Version	Local checkpoints are 100% on your machine. Use this as your offline check-in.
View status, Snapshots, and file versions	All read from your local copy.
Restore an earlier version you already have	Per-file Versions overlay → Restore, for versions already on your PC.
Generate a BOM	Extraction is local; the BOM is saved and viewable. It publishes to the cloud automatically next time you're online.

What's paused until you reconnect¶

These need the cloud, so GitM blocks them up front with a short "You're offline — … needs a connection" message instead of a confusing error:

Check Out a new file (the lock lives on the server)
Check In to the cloud, Publish Snapshot, Get Latest
Release Lock, Continue editing (re-acquire a lock)
Create / Merge / Update a branch
Freeze / Unfreeze, Mark milestone, Delete a published file
Assign a part number, Share with a supplier
Make available on this PC (downloading a placeholder's bytes)

Publish Snapshot also greys out while you're offline.

Plan ahead before you go offline

The one thing you can't do offline is check out a new file. If you know you'll be disconnected (travel, site visit), check out everything you'll need first while you still have a connection. Once a file is checked out, you can edit it and save as many local versions as you like offline.

The offline workflow¶

Before losing connection: check out the files you'll edit.
While offline: edit in SolidWorks and save your work. Use Save Local Version (save a local version) for checkpoints — this is your offline "check-in." Stack as many as you want.
When you reconnect: the ⊘ Offline pill clears on the next refresh, and a short "Back online" notice tells you how many local versions are waiting. Now Check In to publish them, or Publish a snapshot for a milestone.

Locks while offline¶

Your Locked by Me files stay marked as checked out the whole time you're offline — GitM preserves the last known lock state rather than blanking it. You cannot lose a lock by going offline. The Team tab likewise keeps showing the last known locks (with an "Offline — locks show last known state" note) instead of going empty.

What GitM can't show you offline is what changed on the server while you were away: a teammate could take or release a lock and you won't see it until you reconnect and refresh.

Expected result¶

Editing and Save Local Version behave exactly as online.
Cloud actions show a calm "You're offline" message and do nothing else — no half-finished state, no stranded commits.
Nothing you do offline is lost; it publishes when you choose to, after reconnecting.

Troubleshooting¶

Symptom	Cause	Fix
⊘ Offline pill stays after reconnecting	The pill clears on refresh.	Click Refresh (or switch tabs); the pill clears and a "Back online" notice appears.
"You're offline — Check Out needs a connection"	You tried to check out a new file with no connection.	Reconnect, or work on files you already have checked out. Use Save Local Version for local checkpoints.
A file says `·placeholder·` and won't open offline	Its bytes were never downloaded.	You must be online to make it available. Download the files you'll need before going offline.
Team tab shows old locks	Expected offline — it shows the last known state.	Reconnect and refresh for the live list.

Known limitations¶

You can't check out new files offline. Checking out reserves a lock on the server. Plan ahead and check out what you need before disconnecting.
Placeholders need a connection. A file whose bytes aren't on your PC can't be opened offline.
Offline shows last known state. Locks and team activity reflect the moment you went offline, not live server state.
GitMCloud (the browser companion) is online-only — it reads from GitHub directly and has no offline mode.