# kactus-io/kactus

:cactus: A true version control tool for designers

Repository: https://github.com/kactus-io/kactus
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/kactus
Homepage: https://kactus.io
Language: TypeScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: kactus, git, github, designer, sketch
Last push: 2022-07-22T08:24:14+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3375, "days_push": 1503, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1511, forks 76 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:55.968121+00:00)

## What it is
Kactus is an open-source desktop application that brings Git-based version control to designers, specifically Sketch users. It provides a GUI for branches, commits, pull requests, and collaboration on design files without using the command line.

## Use cases
- version control for sketch design files
- collaborate with designers on the same sketch file
- create branches and pull requests for designs without the command line
- merge changes across team members' sketch files
- share pages across multiple sketch files

## When to choose
- you are a Sketch designer who wants Git workflows without the terminal
- your design team needs to collaborate on the same Sketch file and merge changes
- you want an open-source alternative to design version control tools

## When to avoid
- you use design tools other than Sketch (e.g. Figma, Adobe XD)
- you need a tool with active development and recent releases
- you are on Windows or Linux, since installers target macOS

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: maintenance
- function: version-control, gui, developer-tools
- domain: web-design, version-control, developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: -
- tags: git, sketch, designers, version-control, desktop-app, macos, desktop

## Member repositories
- kactus-io/kactus (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:55.968121+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:32:23.482408+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/kactus-io/kactus (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:55.968121+00:00, sha 39752cb4e894)
  - homepage: https://kactus.io (fetched 2026-08-29T11:36:32.047751+00:00, sha 9228af0ac591)
  - site_page: https://kactus.io/pricing (fetched 2026-08-29T11:36:32.056717+00:00, sha f3575ee07b57)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.