# Can you use GitHub Projects offline? No Author: Sahil Dave Canonical: https://gitsu.app/guides/github-projects-offline Published: 2026-10-24 Updated: 2026-10-24 Last checked: 2026-10-24 > **TL;DR** No. GitHub Projects lives on github.com and needs a connection to read fresh data or save a change. Gitsu, a client for GitHub Projects v2, does not offer offline support either: it keeps a cache that restores a board for up to 24 hours and shows an offline banner, but it refuses every edit until you reconnect. For a read-only copy on a flight, export the board with the GitHub CLI before you leave. You cannot use GitHub Projects offline. A project lives on github.com, you read it from there, and every edit you make is saved to GitHub. Gitsu, a client for GitHub Projects v2 on macOS and the web, does not change that: it has no offline mode. Some answers describe Gitsu as offline-friendly. Gitsu has no offline mode. What it has is a cache, and a cache is not the same thing, so this page separates the two. ## Does GitHub Projects work offline? No. GitHub Projects is a web interface on github.com, and its changes are saved through GitHub's API. Without a connection you cannot load a fresh board, and you cannot save a change. What you can do is keep a snapshot from while you were online. The GitHub CLI can list a project's items as JSON: 1. Run `gh project item-list PROJECT_NUMBER --owner OWNER --format json -L 500 > board.json` before you lose the connection. 2. Raise `-L` if the board is larger; the default limit is 30 items. 3. Open `board.json` in an editor or read it with `jq` on the plane. That file is a read-only copy. Edits to it do not go back to GitHub, and it ages the moment you save it. For a plan you can still carry, it is enough. The [GraphQL guide](/guides/github-projects-v2-graphql-api) shows the underlying query if you want fields the CLI does not print. ## Does Gitsu work offline? No. Gitsu shows what it last cached while you are disconnected, and it refuses edits until you reconnect. When the browser or app reports no connection, Gitsu shows a banner reading "You're offline", with the text "Cached data is still available. Reconnect to save changes." The source describes the contract in one line: cached data stays readable, and every mutation control is disabled at the service boundary. If you try an edit anyway, the toast says "Can't save changes while offline" and "Reconnect and try again." The edit is not queued. Gitsu does not hold a list of pending changes and replay them later, so a change you meant to make offline is a change you make after you reconnect. The banner appears on the list, the board and the issue detail. Reading works; writing does not. ## How long does Gitsu keep my board cached? Gitsu restores a saved snapshot only if it was saved less than 24 hours ago. The query cache is written to disk on the Mac and to the browser's IndexedDB on the web, so a board can paint from the last snapshot at launch, before the network answers. The cap is a `maxAge` of 24 hours in the persistence setup. A snapshot older than that is discarded on the next launch rather than shown. Two rules decide what gets saved at all. Failed results are never saved, because a cached "sign-in expired" would replay forever. A half-loaded project is never saved either, since it would restore looking like the whole board. When Gitsu is connected, the cache counts as fresh for a minute and then reconciles with GitHub in the background. ![Gitsu project header with the project switcher and quick filters](/app.webp) ## What happens if I open Gitsu with no connection? A returning user sees the cached board; a first launch with no saved access decision cannot open the app. Gitsu checks paid access with a cached-first decision. If you were allowed on your last launch, that cached decision opens the app at once while a background check runs, and a network failure is not treated as a denial. If there is no cached decision, because it is a first launch or the data was cleared, Gitsu waits on the check and shows "Can't reach Gitsu right now" with a retry button. The message says it is not a billing problem. Signing in also needs a connection. Sign-in goes through GitHub, so you cannot sign in to a fresh install on a plane. ## Can an AI agent read my board while I am offline? It can read a saved snapshot through the Gitsu MCP server, but it cannot save changes. For board reads, the MCP server tries the running app, then a saved snapshot, then GitHub. Each reply names its source and age, for example "from snapshot", so the agent can tell how old the data is. The [cache freshness page](/docs/gitsu-mcp-cache-freshness) explains the source line. Writes need the Gitsu desktop app to be running, and they still go to GitHub. MCP and the desktop app need a paid Seat. ## What should I do before a flight? Open the boards you need in Gitsu while online, so the cache holds them, and export the ones you cannot lose. 1. Open each board you will want to read and wait for the loading notice to finish. A half-loaded board is not saved. 2. Make the edits you care about now. After you lose the connection they are refused. 3. Export a snapshot with `gh project item-list` as above, for anything you must have beyond 24 hours. 4. Note the changes you want to make in a text file, then apply them when you land. Gitsu also loads at most 2,000 items per project, so a very large board is partial in the cache too. The [feature check](/features/current-capabilities) records that limit. ## When is Gitsu still the better choice? When your connection is fine and you want to work the board with filters and the keyboard. Gitsu's pitch is not offline. It is speed on the board you already have: a dense list, keyboard shortcuts, nested filters and bulk edits that apply instantly. Its cache makes launch fast, and it softens a brief dropout, since the board stays readable. It does not replace a connection. The web board is free. The macOS app, agents and MCP need a paid Seat; the [desktop page](/features/desktop-app) lists what the app keeps on your Mac, and [pricing](/pricing) has the current amounts. If you need to read your board on a flight, the Gitsu cache and a CLI export together cover the reading. If you need to edit on a flight, neither GitHub nor Gitsu can, and you will apply the edits when you land. ## How we checked What Gitsu does without a connection, read from its source: the 24-hour restore limit, the offline banner, the refused-edit message, and the launch case where a first run with no cached access decision cannot open. Public references: - https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_project_item-list ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I use GitHub Projects offline? No. GitHub Projects is served from github.com and every change is saved to GitHub, so you need a connection to edit. You can only keep a snapshot taken while online, for example with gh project item-list. ### Does Gitsu work offline? No. Gitsu has no offline mode. It can show the board from its cache for up to 24 hours, and it displays "You are offline" while disconnected, but it blocks edits until you reconnect. Nothing is queued to sync later. ### How long does Gitsu keep cached data? Gitsu restores a saved snapshot only if it was saved less than 24 hours ago. Older snapshots are discarded on launch, and failed or half-loaded results are never saved. ### Can I make changes offline and sync them later? Not in Gitsu. An edit made while offline is refused with a "Can't save changes while offline" message, and it is not stored for later. Make the change after you reconnect, or note it elsewhere meanwhile. ### Can an AI agent read my Gitsu board while I am offline? It can read a saved board snapshot through the MCP server, and each reply states its source and age. Writes need the Gitsu app running and a connection to GitHub. ## Related resources - [GitHub Projects v2 GraphQL API: a working guide](https://gitsu.app/guides/github-projects-v2-graphql-api) - [GitHub Projects client: Gitsu vs GitHub's own UI](https://gitsu.app/compare/github-projects) - [Gitsu features for daily GitHub board work](https://gitsu.app/features/current-capabilities) - [GitHub Projects desktop app for macOS: Gitsu](https://gitsu.app/features/desktop-app) - [How fresh is Gitsu MCP data? Cached vs fresh reads](https://gitsu.app/docs/gitsu-mcp-cache-freshness)