Tower Git branch list auto-refresh behavior during remote fetch

Question

Tower Git maintains a tight synchronization with the local .git directory, ensuring the UI reflects the current state of the repository. When background remote-fetch operations complete, the branch list automatically updates its state to reflect changes in remote tracking.
There is an observation where this auto-refresh mechanism triggers unexpected UI refreshes while a user is actively interacting with the interface. While the notification system allows for toggling specific alerts, there is no granular configuration to throttle the frequency or trigger of the branch list update specifically during background fetch events.
Is there a configuration setting to decouple the remote-fetch completion from the branch list UI refresh? Can the auto-refresh behavior be restricted to manual triggers to prevent UI interruptions during active coding?

Tasadduq Burney · Answer

Current Behavior
There is no configuration setting in Tower Git to decouple the completion of a remote-fetch operation from the subsequent branch list UI refresh. The application is designed to synchronize the interface with the local .git directory immediately upon the conclusion of a fetch to ensure remote-tracking branches are accurate.

Likely Explanation
The UI interruptions occur because the branch list refresh is a hard-coded response to the fetch completion event. Because Tower treats the local repository state as the single source of truth, it triggers a global UI update to prevent the user from acting on stale data. Since there is no granular "throttle" or "buffer" for these updates, any fetch—whether triggered by the system or the user—will force the UI to refresh.

Steps to Minimize UI Interruptions
Since you cannot disable the refresh itself, you must control the trigger (the fetch). Depending on your version of Tower, follow these steps:

Navigate to Preferences → Git.
Locate the Auto-fetch setting.
To reduce frequency: Increase the interval timer (e.g., from 5 minutes to 30 minutes) to lower the probability of a refresh occurring during active interaction.
To stop automatic refreshes: Uncheck the Auto-fetch option entirely. This restricts UI refreshes to manual fetch actions only.

Verification
To verify the change, disable Auto-fetch and perform a manual fetch via the toolbar. If the UI refreshes only then, you have successfully shifted the refresh behavior to a manual trigger.

Assumptions and Constraints

Version Assumption: These steps assume a recent version of Tower on macOS or Windows; menu paths may vary slightly between platforms.
State Risk: Disabling auto-fetch means your remote-tracking branches will not update until you manually trigger a fetch, which may lead to "stale" views of the remote repository.

Missing Diagnostic Detail
To provide a more specific workaround, please clarify: Which operating system (macOS or Windows) and version of Tower are you currently using?

Tower Git branch list auto-refresh behavior during remote fetch

1 answer

Current Behavior

Likely Explanation

Steps to Minimize UI Interruptions

Verification

Assumptions and Constraints

Missing Diagnostic Detail

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