DiffLink

Open VSCode's built-in diff viewer directly from inline @DiffLink markers.

Add @DiffLink:path/to/file or @DiffLink:source, destination in a comment (or anywhere in a markdown / plain-text file), and a clickable CodeLens appears above the line plus a gutter icon — one click opens the diff.

DiffLink is designed for refactoring and migration workflows where you frequently compare old and new implementations.

Marker examples

// @DiffLink:src/legacy/OldImplementation.ts
// @DiffLink:git://HEAD~1
# @DiffLink:/Users/me/project/v1/file.py, /Users/me/project/v2/file.py
<!-- @DiffLink:docs/old.md, docs/new.md -->

Path rules

• Relative path (no leading /): resolved from the workspace root, e.g. src/main/file.ts.
• Absolute path (leading / or drive letter): used directly as a filesystem path.
• Git revision (git://HEAD~1): compares the current document with the same file at that git ref. The ref must exist in the current git repository, and the current file must exist at that ref.
• Path traversal (.., ~) and external URLs (http://, file://) are rejected.

Highlights

• One-click diff from a CodeLens above the marker line
• Visual gutter icon (blue diff icon, or red error icon when the path can't be resolved)
• Single-target and explicit two-file compare formats
• Works across common text-based files (TypeScript, Java, Python, JavaScript, Markdown, XML, shell, config, ...)
• Local-only behavior: no source upload, no remote diff processing

Settings

Privacy

Local-only processing. DiffLink does not upload source code or diff content.