How to use Git and GitHub in VS Code | Tutorial for beginners

GitHub walks beginners through using Git and GitHub directly inside VS Code, covering the core source control workflow from initializing a repo and committing changes to branching, merging, and publishing to GitHub.

Overview

This beginner tutorial focuses on managing version control without leaving Visual Studio Code.

Initialize, stage, and commit local changes

• Initialize a new Git repository in a local project.
• Stage changes.
• Create commits from within VS Code.

Create new branches and merge code

• Create branches for isolated work.
• Merge changes back together.

Publish to and clone from GitHub

• Publish a local repository to GitHub.
• Clone an existing GitHub repository into VS Code.

Use AI tools and the Model Context Protocol

• Introduces using AI tools and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) in the context of the VS Code + GitHub workflow.