Git Log Viewer
A TortoiseGit-inspired git log viewer for VS Code. Right-click any file or folder in the Explorer — or a file open in the editor — to view its git history in an interactive, multi-panel tab.
Features
Git Log Dialog
Right-click a file or folder in the VS Code Explorer, or right-click inside an open file in the editor, and select Show Git Log to open a three-panel log viewer. You can also press Ctrl+Alt+] (Cmd+Alt+] on Mac) while editing a file to jump straight to its log.
- Commit list — sortable, resizable, filterable columns (SHA, Message, Author, Date) with lazy loading (100 commits per batch, loads more on scroll)
- Commit details — full SHA, author, date, and commit message body
- Changed files — files modified in the selected commit with status, lines added/removed
Commit Graph
The leftmost column of the commit list draws the branch/merge topology as a graph — one
lane per line of development, colored consistently down its length, connected by smooth
curves at every branch and merge point. Hover a commit's dot to see which branches and
tags it's actually reachable from — real containment, not just refs pointing directly at
it.
- Works in the main log, File Log, and Folder View alike — a path-scoped view's graph
correctly connects around commits that didn't touch that path, using real git ancestry
data rather than just what the visible list itself returns
- Stays correct while filtering — a filtered-out commit's line reconnects straight to its
nearest still-visible ancestor instead of leaving a dangling end
- Hidden automatically whenever the list isn't in git's own log order (a column sort is
active, or in Line History mode) — a graph only makes sense in real commit order
Branches
Right-click the commit list and select Branches to scope the log to one or more
specific branches (multi-select) instead of just the checked-out branch, or choose
All to combine every branch's commits into one view.
Filtering
- Text filters — each column header has a filter input; type to filter rows by that column
- Date range picker — the Date column has From/To date inputs that query git directly, so filtering works across the full history without needing to scroll-load everything
- When text filters are active and few matches are visible, additional commits are loaded automatically
Resizable UI
- Panel dividers — drag the horizontal dividers between the three panels to resize them
- Column widths — drag the right edge of any column header to resize; double-click the edge to auto-expand to fit content
- Blame and Compare panels — vertical dividers are also draggable
Compare Revisions
Ctrl+click two commits in the log view, then right-click and select Compare Selected Revisions to see all files changed between those commits. Each commit's details are shown side-by-side at the top for context.
When viewing a single file's log, comparing two revisions opens a direct diff of that file between the two commits.
File History
Right-click any file in the changed files list and select Show File Log to open a new log tab scoped to just that file.
Line History
Select one or more lines in the editor, right-click, and choose Show Line History
(also available from the Command Palette) to see just the commits that touched the
currently selected line(s).
Diff Viewer
Double-click any file in the changed files list to compare it against its previous revision using VS Code's built-in diff editor. Works in both the log view and the compare revisions view.
Right-click a file in the changed files list and select Compare with Working Tree to diff that revision of the file against the current contents on disk, including any uncommitted changes.
Right-click a file and select View File Contents to open that file's content at the
selected revision in a read-only tab, instead of only ever showing it as one side of a diff.
Folder View
Right-click the changed files list and toggle Folder View to group the list by
directory instead of showing a flat list.
Blame View
Right-click a file in the changed files list and select Blame to open an interactive blame view:
- Left panel — revision gutter showing SHA, author, and relative date, color-coded by commit
- Right panel — source code with line numbers, scroll-synced with the gutter
- Commit info panel — hover over any line to see full commit details; click to lock the selection
Blame is performed at the selected commit's revision, not HEAD.
Theme Support
All views automatically adapt to your VS Code theme (dark, light, or high contrast) using native CSS variables.
Usage
- Open a git repository in VS Code
- Either:
- In the Explorer sidebar, right-click any file or folder and select Show Git Log, or
- With a file open in the editor, right-click and select Show Git Log, or press Ctrl+Alt+] (Cmd+Alt+] on Mac), or
- Click the Git Log Viewer icon in the editor tab bar or the Source Control panel title
Keyboard & Mouse
| Action |
Effect |
| Ctrl+Alt+] / Cmd+Alt+] (editor) |
Show Git Log for the current file |
| Click commit |
Select commit, show details and changed files |
| Ctrl+Click commit |
Multi-select (up to 2 commits for comparison) |
| Right-click commit (2 selected) |
Compare Selected Revisions |
| Right-click commit |
Branches |
| Double-click file |
Compare with previous revision |
| Right-click file |
Show File Log, Compare with Previous, Compare with Working Tree, View File Contents, Blame, Copy Path |
| Right-click (changed files list) |
Folder View, Clear Filters, Refresh |
| Right-click (commit list) |
Branches, Clear Filters, Refresh |
| Drag column header edge |
Resize column |
| Double-click column header edge |
Auto-expand column to fit content |
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
gitLogViewer.pageSize |
100 |
Number of commits to load per batch when scrolling the commit list. |
Requirements
- VS Code 1.85 or later
- Git installed and available in PATH
No other extensions required.
License
MIT
