git-diff-viewer.nvim

View unstaged inline diffs for your current branch on demand. Designed for AstroNvim but works with any Neovim distribution.

Features

• Toggle diff view on/off with <leader>agt, :GitDiffViewerToggle, or your own mapping.
• Opens a fresh tab populated with one buffer per unstaged file (no splits to manage).
• Highlights additions (DiffAdd) and deletions (DiffDelete) using standard diff syntax; new files show the entire file as additions, deleted files show the full removed contents.
• When toggled off, diff buffers are closed but files remain open in the editor.
• Stage the current file directly from the diff buffer with <leader>aga (configurable).
• Switch to a whole-file diff view (headers stripped) with <leader>agf.
• Manual refresh via :GitDiffViewerRefresh or <leader>agr.

Installation

Lazy.nvim (AstroNvim default)

return {
  "yourname/git-diff-viewer.nvim",
  config = function()
    require("git_diff_viewer").setup()
  end,
}

Packer

use({
  "yourname/git-diff-viewer.nvim",
  config = function()
    require("git_diff_viewer").setup()
  end,
})

Configuration

require("git_diff_viewer").setup({
  keymap = "<leader>agt",   -- set to false to skip default toggle mapping
  open_in_tab = true,       -- open diffs in their own tab page
  accept_keymap = "<leader>aga", -- buffer-local mapping to stage the file
  refresh_keymap = "<leader>agr", -- global mapping to refresh the view
  full_file_keymap = "<leader>agf", -- buffer-local mapping to show whole-file diff
  full_file_context = 100000, -- line context for whole-file diff rendering
  diff_cmd = { "git", "diff", "--no-color" },
  status_cmd = { "git", "status", "--porcelain" },
})

Usage

• Press <leader>agt (or :GitDiffViewerToggle) to show diffs for unstaged changes on your current branch. A new tab opens with one diff buffer per unstaged file (each buffer named after the file).
• While focused on a diff buffer, press <leader>aga to stage the file and refresh the view.
• Press <leader>agr (or :GitDiffViewerRefresh) anytime to re-render the diffs after external changes.
• Press <leader>agf inside a diff buffer to swap into a whole-file diff (without the diff --git/index headers) for easier reading.
• Use <leader>agt (or :GitDiffViewerToggle) again to hide the diff view. The diff tab is closed, but file buffers remain open in the editor.

Notes

• The plugin only lists files with unstaged modifications (including untracked files). Stage or discard changes to remove them from the view.
• open_in_tab = false keeps the diffs in the current tab if you prefer a simpler layout.
• When hiding the diff view, the diff tab is closed but all file buffers remain available in your buffer list for easy access.

Roadmap

• Detect staged-only changes.
• Optionally show the working tree version side-by-side.
• Allow custom diff renderers (Tree-sitter, mini.diff, etc.).