GitDiffSearch

Search within your Git branch changes — find code in the lines you actually changed, not the entire codebase.

The Problem

When working on a feature branch, you often need to find code you recently wrote. VS Code's built-in search returns results from the entire codebase, forcing you to wade through unrelated code.

GitDiffSearch solves this by searching only within the added and modified lines of your branch compared to main/master.

Features

Core Search

• 🔍 Search in changed lines — Find code in additions and deletions from your branch diff
• 🎯 Click to navigate — Jump directly to the line in your file or view the diff
• ⚙️ Search options — Case-sensitive, regex, whole word matching
• 🌿 Branch selector — Compare against any branch

File Tree View

• 🌲 Visual file tree — See all changed files organized by folder
• 📊 Inline search results — Matching diff lines appear under each file
• 🏷️ Working tree status — Colored dots show git state: amber (unstaged), blue (staged), gray (committed)
• ⭐ Favorites — Star important files for quick access
• 🎯 Active file highlight — Currently open file is highlighted in the tree

Powerful Filters

• 📁 Filter by status — Show only added, modified, or deleted files
• 🔵 Filter by git state — Show only unstaged, staged, or committed files
• 📄 Filter by file type — Focus on .ts, .tsx, .css, etc.
• 🔍 Glob patterns — Filter with patterns like *.ts, src/**/*.tsx, or !**/test/**
• 🚫 Exclude filters — Cmd+Click any filter to hide matching files instead
• 🔤 Smart search prefix — Use file: to filter by filename
• 📈 Live count — Shows "5 of 20 files" when filters are active

Multi-Workspace Support

• 📂 Multiple repositories — Switch between repos in multi-root workspaces
• 🔀 Per-folder branches — Each workspace folder remembers its base branch

Per-Commit Diff

• 🔎 Commit diff mode — Toggle to view exactly what a single commit changed (stats, tree, search all scoped)
• 📋 Copy commit hash — One-click copy for cherry-picking
• 🔀 Commit selector — Filter the tree to files touched by a specific commit

Stay Up to Date

• ⚠️ Rebase warning — Badge shows how many commits behind the base branch
• 🔄 Auto-refresh — Detects rebases, merges, and file changes automatically

Quick Start

1. Open a Git repository in VS Code
2. Press Cmd+Shift+D (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+D (Windows/Linux) to open the sidebar
3. Or press Cmd+Shift+T (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+T (Windows/Linux) to open as a panel
4. Or find it in the Source Control panel as a collapsible section
5. Type your search query to find code in your diff
6. Click a result to jump to that line

Search Tips

Use Cases

• "Where did I add that function?" — Search for the function name in your branch changes
• "Find all TODOs I added" — Search for TODO with additions filter
• "What did I remove?" — Filter by deletions to see removed code
• "PR review prep" — Quickly find specific changes before submitting
• "Focus on one file type" — Filter to only .tsx files you modified
• "Hide test files" — Cmd+Click on .test.ts filter to exclude tests from view
• "What did this commit change?" — Select a commit and toggle commit diff to see its isolated changes
• "Working on multiple repos" — Switch between workspace folders with one click

Configuration

Keyboard Shortcuts

Free vs Pro

GitDiffSearch is fully functional for free. All search, filtering, diff viewing, and commit diff features work without a license.

Pro ($3/month or $30/year) unlocks:

Activate via the gear menu → "Enter License", or run the GitDiffSearch: Activate License command.

Requirements

• Git 2.0+
• VS Code 1.74.0+

Comparison with Other Tools

GitDiffSearch is focused on one thing: finding code within your branch changes.

Feedback

Found a bug or have a feature request? Leave a review on the VS Code Marketplace.

License

MIT © LazarianTech