Diff Base

Pin a base commit or branch per repository, then see every change against that base — in the Explorer, in the editor, and on the scrollbar.

VS Code compares against HEAD. Diff Base compares against whatever you pin, so you can review an entire branch's worth of work as one continuous delta instead of only uncommitted changes.

Features

Per-repo base. Every git repository under your workspace is discovered automatically, including nested ones, and each gets its own independent base. Built for multi-root and monorepo-of-repos layouts.

Explorer decorations. Changed files are badged ⊕ added, ▸ modified, ⊖ deleted, ⇄ renamed. Parent folders are marked too, so a collapsed folder still tells you something inside it changed.

Inline line highlighting. Changed lines get a full-line wash and a colored left edge in the editor — no side-by-side diff needed.

Scrollbar markers. Changes appear in the overview ruler, so you can find them in a long file without scrolling.

Per-repo colors. Assign each repository one of eight colors. Explorer badges and editor highlights both follow it, so when you're reviewing across several repos you always know which one a file belongs to.

Usage

1. Open the Diff Base view from the Activity Bar.
2. Click a repository to pick its base — a branch, tag, or recent commit.
3. Use the paint-can icon to give a repository its own color.

Use Set Base for All Repos… in the view's title bar to pin one ref across every repository at once.

Bases and colors are stored per workspace.

Settings

The eight palette colors are themeable. To redefine one:

"workbench.colorCustomizations": {
  "diffBase.palette.blue":     "#7aa2f7",
  "diffBase.palette.blue.dim": "#7aa2f799"
}

Known limitations

• Intra-line (word-level) diff is not implemented; highlighting is per line.
• Deleted lines are marked with a border on the surviving line above, since there is no line to paint.
• Very large files (over 20,000 lines) skip line highlighting.

License

MIT