DiffStream
DiffStream is a Visual Studio Code extension that shows a local timeline of file changes in your workspace. It turns recent edits into compact line-level diffs so you can review what changed without leaving the editor.
Why DiffStream
Modern development often touches many files quickly. A file may change because you saved it, a formatter ran, generated code was updated, or a project task modified local files. Git can show the final result later; DiffStream helps you review the local change timeline as it happens.
Use DiffStream when you want to:
- Review workspace changes without waiting for commits.
- See file creations, deletions, saves, and local updates in one place.
- Review compact line-level diffs while tools are modifying the project.
- Copy a clean change summary for handoff, review, or context sharing.
Features
- Live local workspace timeline across multiple workspace folders.
- Line-level diffs for added, removed, modified, saved, created, deleted, renamed, and locally changed files.
- Compact event cards with timestamps, relative paths, line ranges, and change counts.
- Sidebar feed with search, type filters, pause/resume, clear, open file, and copy diff actions.
- Best-effort rename detection for rapid delete/create operations with identical content.
- Configurable ignored folders, ignored extensions, debounce delay, feed size, and max file size.
- Binary and large-file safeguards to keep the extension responsive in large repositories.
- Recent feed persistence through VS Code workspace state.
- Theme-aware UI using VS Code color variables.
Getting Started
Install dependencies and compile the extension:
npm install
npm run compile
Run it in an Extension Development Host:
code --new-window --extensionDevelopmentPath=.
In the development window, open the Command Palette and run:
DiffStream: Open Feed
DiffStream starts automatically when a workspace opens, provided diffstream.enabled and diffstream.autoStart are enabled.
Commands
| Command |
Description |
DiffStream: Open Feed |
Opens the live change feed. |
DiffStream: Start Watching |
Starts workspace monitoring. |
DiffStream: Stop Watching |
Stops workspace monitoring. |
DiffStream: Pause Feed |
Pauses new feed entries while keeping the watcher available. |
DiffStream: Resume Feed |
Resumes feed updates. |
DiffStream: Clear Feed |
Removes all current feed entries. |
Configuration
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
diffstream.enabled |
true |
Enables DiffStream. |
diffstream.maxFeedItems |
300 |
Maximum number of feed events kept in memory. |
diffstream.debounceMs |
300 |
Per-file debounce delay in milliseconds. |
diffstream.maxFileSizeBytes |
1048576 |
Maximum text file size to diff. |
diffstream.ignoredGlobs |
Common heavy folders |
Glob patterns ignored by the watcher. |
diffstream.showInitialFileContentOnCreate |
true |
Shows initial added lines for created files. |
diffstream.showRemovedContentOnDelete |
false |
Shows removed lines for deleted files. |
diffstream.autoStart |
true |
Starts watching automatically when a workspace opens. |
diffstream.ignoredExtensions |
[] |
File extensions to ignore, such as .png or .lock. |
Architecture
VS Code FileSystemWatcher
|
v
FileWatcherService -> SnapshotStore -> DiffService
| |
v v
DiffStreamController -----------> FeedStore
| |
v v
StatusBarController FeedWebviewProvider
Development
Compile:
npm run compile
Run tests:
npm test
Run linting:
npm run lint
Create a local VSIX package:
npm run package
Roadmap
- Export feed to a Markdown file.
- Group related rapid changes by file and time window.
- Add optional workspace decorations for recent changes.
- Improve rename detection with similarity scoring.
- Add a compact tree view grouped by file.
Contributing
Issues and pull requests are welcome. Please keep changes focused, typed, and covered by tests when behavior changes.
License
MIT
