Git File Rewind

Browse a file's git history with rename-aware diffs, conventional-commit cues, pickaxe search, and side-by-side compare. No LOC limits, no external services, no telemetry.

Features

• Horizontal commit timeline — newest right, oldest left. Click or use ←/→ (or j/k) to step through history.
• Rename-aware — follows files across git mv and content-detected renames (-M). Pre-rename diffs render correctly. Renamed commits show a purple R badge.
• Word-level diff — intra-line additions and deletions highlighted, not just whole-line changes.
• Compare any two commits — Alt-click (or Cmd-click on macOS) any commit to set it as the base, then pick another to diff against it.
• Pickaxe search — find commits that added or removed a code string (git log -S). Narrows the timeline to matching commits.
• Filter by author/message/SHA — type in the search box; press / to focus.
• Conventional Commits cues — colored stripes per type (feat, fix, docs, …), badges in the callout, breaking-change ! markers.
• Syntax-highlighted diffs — Shiki, theme-aware (light, dark, high-contrast).
• Per-file memory — last viewed commit is restored when you reopen the panel.
• Initial-commit handling — when a file was introduced in a commit, the full file is shown as context.
• Jump to next/prev change — n / p while focused on the diff.

Usage

Open any file in a Git repository, then:

• Editor title bar → click the ⏱ icon
• Right-click in editor → "View File History"
• Right-click in Explorer → "View File History"
• Keyboard → Alt+Cmd+H (macOS) / Alt+Ctrl+H (Windows/Linux)
• Command palette → "Git Rewind: View File History"

Keyboard shortcuts (inside the panel)

Commands

• Git Rewind: View File History
• Git Rewind: Refresh File History
• Git Rewind: Next Commit
• Git Rewind: Previous Commit

Requirements

• VS Code 1.85.0 or newer
• Git installed and on PATH
• File must be inside a Git working tree

Limitations

• Inline diff only (no side-by-side mode yet)
• No "open on remote" link (GitHub / GitLab) yet
• No ignore-whitespace toggle yet
• Commit subject only — body is not displayed yet
• File path under git is converted using path.relative — Windows path separators may need testing in deeply nested repos

Development

bun install
bun run typecheck
bun run build
# or
bun run watch

Press F5 in VS Code to launch an extension-host window with the dev build.

Privacy

Everything runs locally against your git binary. No network calls. No telemetry.

License

MIT