diffs.nvim/README.md
Barrett Ruth a25f1e9d84 feat: treesitter highlighting for diff headers
Apply treesitter highlighting to diff metadata lines (diff --git, index,
---, +++) using the diff language parser. Header info is attached only
to the first hunk of each file to avoid duplicate highlighting.

Based on PR #52 by @phanen with fixes:
- header_lines now only contains diff metadata, not hunk content
- header info attached only to first hunk per file
- removed arbitrary hunk count restriction
2026-02-04 15:11:35 -05:00

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# diffs.nvim
**Syntax highlighting for diffs in Neovim**
Enhance `vim-fugitive` and Neovim's built-in diff mode with language-aware
syntax highlighting.
![diffs.nvim preview](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d3d64c96-b824-4fcb-af7f-4aef3f7f498a)
## Features
- Treesitter syntax highlighting in `:Git` diffs and commit views
- Diff header highlighting (`diff --git`, `index`, `---`, `+++`)
- `:Gdiffsplit` / `:Gvdiffsplit` syntax through diff backgrounds
- Background-only diff colors for any `&diff` buffer (`:diffthis`, `vimdiff`)
- Vim syntax fallback for languages without a treesitter parser
- Hunk header context highlighting (`@@ ... @@ function foo()`)
- Configurable debouncing, max lines, and diff prefix concealment
## Requirements
- Neovim 0.9.0+
## Installation
Install with your package manager of choice or via
[luarocks](https://luarocks.org/modules/barrettruth/diffs.nvim):
```
luarocks install diffs.nvim
```
## Documentation
```vim
:help diffs.nvim
```
## Known Limitations
- **Incomplete syntax context**: Treesitter parses each diff hunk in isolation
without surrounding code context. When a hunk shows lines added to an existing
block (e.g., adding a plugin inside `return { ... }`), the parser doesn't see
the `return` statement and may produce incorrect highlighting. This is
inherent to parsing code fragments—no diff tooling solves this without
significant complexity.
- **Syntax flashing**: `diffs.nvim` hooks into the `FileType fugitive` event
triggered by `vim-fugitive`, at which point the buffer is preliminarily
painted. The buffer is then re-painted after `debounce_ms` milliseconds,
causing an unavoidable visual "flash" even when `debounce_ms = 0`.
- **Conflicting diff plugins**: `diffs.nvim` may not interact well with other
plugins that modify diff highlighting. Known plugins that may conflict:
- [`diffview.nvim`](https://github.com/sindrets/diffview.nvim) - provides its
own diff highlighting and conflict resolution UI
- [`mini.diff`](https://github.com/echasnovski/mini.diff) - visualizes buffer
differences with its own highlighting system
- [`gitsigns.nvim`](https://github.com/lewis6991/gitsigns.nvim) - generally
compatible, but both plugins modifying line highlights may produce
unexpected results
- [`git-conflict.nvim`](https://github.com/akinsho/git-conflict.nvim) -
conflict marker highlighting may overlap with `diffs.nvim`
# Acknowledgements
- [`vim-fugitive`](https://github.com/tpope/vim-fugitive)
- [`codediff.nvim`](https://github.com/esmuellert/codediff.nvim)
- [`diffview.nvim`](https://github.com/sindrets/diffview.nvim)
- [@phanen](https://github.com/phanen) - diff header highlighting