Git Log Pickaxe

Search your git history for a string using git log -S (pickaxe) — scoped to the active file.

Find exactly which commits introduced or removed a specific string, function name, variable, or any text.

Features

• Pickaxe search (-S) — shows commits where the string count changed (introduced or removed)
• Regex search (-G) — shows commits where the expression appears anywhere in the diff
• Search history — last 10 searches are saved and offered as quick picks
• Diff view — open any found commit as a side-by-side diff directly in VS Code
• GitHub PR links — #123 references in commit messages become clickable links
• Multi-root workspace support — each file finds its own git repository
• Three ways to trigger — Explorer context menu, tab context menu, or editor title button

Usage

1. Open a file that is part of a git repository
2. Trigger the command via one of:
   • Right-click the file in the Explorer → Git: Git Log: Pickaxe Search
   • Right-click the editor tab → Git: Git Log: Pickaxe Search
   • Click the search icon in the editor title bar
   • Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) → Git Log: Pickaxe Search
3. Choose the search mode (-S exact string or -G regex)
4. Enter a search string (or pick from your recent searches)
5. Results appear in the Git Log Pickaxe output panel
6. Optionally open one or more commits as a diff view

Requirements

• git must be installed and available in your system PATH
• The file must be inside a git repository

Output example

======================================================================
Git Log Pickaxe: "getUserById"
Mode:       git log -S (exact string)
File:       src/services/userService.ts
Repository: /home/user/projects/myapp
======================================================================
a3f2c1d  2024-11-15  Max Mustermann    feat: add user service
7b8e9f0  2024-10-03  Anna Schmidt      refactor: rename getUser to getUserById

Release Notes

See CHANGELOG.md.