diff --git a/assets/settings/default.json b/assets/settings/default.json
index 5c45194dfe8ab3be37c2a70543b3760ea2127c3a..c86f0bff80ecef0f428794f5a07eadf6704b0872 100644
--- a/assets/settings/default.json
+++ b/assets/settings/default.json
@@ -922,6 +922,10 @@
     ///
     /// Default: false
     "tree_view": false,
+    // Whether the git panel should open on startup.
+    //
+    // Default: false
+    "starts_open": false,
     // Whether to show a badge on the git panel icon with the count of uncommitted changes.
     //
     // Default: false
diff --git a/crates/git_ui/src/git_panel.rs b/crates/git_ui/src/git_panel.rs
index b9846e1df7430d7b9cf9a5267f790d44e6649447..5a63a0662272b5d627bbb8e03ebaa18127d190cd 100644
--- a/crates/git_ui/src/git_panel.rs
+++ b/crates/git_ui/src/git_panel.rs
@@ -5824,6 +5824,10 @@ impl Panel for GitPanel {
         Box::new(ToggleFocus)
     }
 
+    fn starts_open(&self, _: &Window, cx: &App) -> bool {
+        GitPanelSettings::get_global(cx).starts_open
+    }
+
     fn activation_priority(&self) -> u32 {
         2
     }
diff --git a/crates/git_ui/src/git_panel_settings.rs b/crates/git_ui/src/git_panel_settings.rs
index baf453e310c02097da1d11344e79bac31f891d0b..16a1113b60a53544834f1484a2fa7e6fcbea9aca 100644
--- a/crates/git_ui/src/git_panel_settings.rs
+++ b/crates/git_ui/src/git_panel_settings.rs
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ pub struct GitPanelSettings {
     pub tree_view: bool,
     pub diff_stats: bool,
     pub show_count_badge: bool,
+    pub starts_open: bool,
 }
 
 impl ScrollbarVisibility for GitPanelSettings {
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@ impl Settings for GitPanelSettings {
             tree_view: git_panel.tree_view.unwrap(),
             diff_stats: git_panel.diff_stats.unwrap(),
             show_count_badge: git_panel.show_count_badge.unwrap(),
+            starts_open: git_panel.starts_open.unwrap(),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/settings_content/src/settings_content.rs b/crates/settings_content/src/settings_content.rs
index 8ab0ad6874a9c87a2104ba580c7fb1a90276027e..19ffca06e131c177656e229d2101eb259256f318 100644
--- a/crates/settings_content/src/settings_content.rs
+++ b/crates/settings_content/src/settings_content.rs
@@ -640,6 +640,11 @@ pub struct GitPanelSettingsContent {
     ///
     /// Default: false
     pub show_count_badge: Option<bool>,
+
+    /// Whether the git panel should open on startup.
+    ///
+    /// Default: false
+    pub starts_open: Option<bool>,
 }
 
 #[derive(
diff --git a/docs/src/reference/all-settings.md b/docs/src/reference/all-settings.md
index 4af2d70de71b6372f68931826e0192ff5f218602..da93b290b4486599cf3cecc05b08f5f7a7ea1984 100644
--- a/docs/src/reference/all-settings.md
+++ b/docs/src/reference/all-settings.md
@@ -5097,7 +5097,8 @@ See the [debugger page](../debugger.md) for more information about debugging sup
     "collapse_untracked_diff": false,
     "scrollbar": {
       "show": null
-    }
+    },
+    "starts_open": false
   }
 }
 ```
@@ -5112,6 +5113,7 @@ See the [debugger page](../debugger.md) for more information about debugging sup
 - `sort_by_path`: Whether to sort entries in the panel by path or by status (the default)
 - `collapse_untracked_diff`: Whether to collapse untracked files in the diff panel
 - `scrollbar`: When to show the scrollbar in the git panel
+- `starts_open`: Whether the git panel should open on startup
 
 ## Git Worktree Directory