gitlineage.nvim

View git history for selected lines in Neovim.

Select a range of lines in visual mode, use the :GitLineage command, or press the keymap in normal mode to see how they evolved through git commits using git log -L.

How it Works

1. Select a range of lines in visual mode, or just place your cursor on a line.

   

2. Press <leader>gl (all bindings are customizable, see the Installation section below), or run :GitLineage. A new split window opens with the git history of the selected lines (or current line if no selection).

   

3. Advance through commits with ]c.

   

4. Quickly yank the commit SHA with yc.

   

5. Go back to previous commits with [c.

   

6. If diffview.nvim is installed, open the full commit diff by hitting <CR> on a commit line.

   

Requirements

Required:

• Neovim >= 0.7.0
• Git

Optional:

• diffview.nvim - for viewing full commit diffs

Installation

lazy.nvim

{
    "lionyxml/gitlineage.nvim",
    dependencies = {
        "sindrets/diffview.nvim", -- optional, for open_diff feature
    },
    config = function()
        require("gitlineage").setup()
    end
}

mini.deps

Using mini.deps:

local add = require("mini.deps").add

add("sindrets/diffview.nvim") -- optional, for open_diff feature
add("lionyxml/gitlineage.nvim")

require("gitlineage").setup()

vim.pack.add() (Neovim >= 0.12)

Using native vim.pack.add():

vim.pack.add({
	"https://github.com/sindrets/diffview.nvim", -- optional, for open_diff feature
	"https://github.com/lionyxml/gitlineage.nvim",
})

require("gitlineage").setup()

vim-plug

call plug#begin()

Plug 'sindrets/diffview.nvim' " optional, for open_diff feature
Plug 'lionyxml/gitlineage.nvim'

call plug#end()

lua require("gitlineage").setup()

Configuration

require("gitlineage").setup({
    split = "auto",       -- "vertical", "horizontal", or "auto"
    keymap = "<leader>gl", -- set to nil to disable default keymap
    keys = {
        close = "q",       -- set to nil to disable
        next_commit = "]c", -- set to nil to disable
        prev_commit = "[c", -- set to nil to disable
        yank_commit = "yc", -- set to nil to disable
        open_diff = "<CR>", -- set to nil to disable (requires diffview.nvim)
    },
})

Option	Default	Description
split	auto	How to open the history buffer. auto picks vertical for wide windows, horizontal for tall.
keymap	<leader>gl	Normal and visual mode keymap. Set to nil to define your own.
keys.close	q	Close the history buffer.
keys.next_commit	]c	Jump to next commit.
keys.prev_commit	[c	Jump to previous commit.
keys.yank_commit	yc	Yank commit SHA when on a commit line.
keys.open_diff	<CR>	Open full commit diff (requires diffview.nvim).

Custom keymaps

require("gitlineage").setup({
    keymap = "<leader>gh",
    keys = {
        close = "<Esc>",
        next_commit = "<C-n>",
        prev_commit = "<C-p>",
        yank_commit = "y",
        open_diff = "d",
    },
})

Usage

Using the keymap

1. In normal mode, press <leader>gl to show history for the current line
2. In visual mode, select lines and press <leader>gl to show history for the selection

Using the command

• :GitLineage — show history for the current line
• :'<,'>GitLineage — show history for the visual selection (just type :GitLineage while in visual mode)
• :10,20GitLineage — show history for an explicit line range

Buffer keymaps

Once the history buffer is open, navigate using:

Key	Action
q	Close the history buffer
]c	Jump to next commit
[c	Jump to previous commit
yc	Yank commit SHA (on commit line)
<CR>	Open full commit diff (requires diffview.nvim)

Health check

Verify your setup:

:checkhealth gitlineage

This checks:

• Neovim version
• Git availability
• Git repository status
• diffview.nvim availability (optional)
• Plugin configuration

Documentation

:h gitlineage

License

MIT

Similar Plugins

• mini-git - MiniGit.show_range_history()
• diffview.nvim - :DiffviewFileHistory