Inline code review on any git diff, right inside Neovim and export to markdown file.
Review workflow — Two-panel layout (explorer + diff) with unified or side-by-side split view, markdown export with prompt flow or direct :W save, git difftool --dir-diff integration.
Inline notes — Smart add/edit on any diff line, visual-selection notes with captured code context, virtual text with visibility toggle, Telescope picker for all notes.
Navigation — File explorer with badges and note counts, ]n/[n and ]f/[f bracket motions, ? help window with all keymaps. Two explorer layouts: flat (filename first, directory dimmed) and tree (files grouped by directory), toggled with t.
Enhanced diff display — Inline word-level highlighting shows exactly what changed within each line, gutter line numbers for old/new files, sign column with +/- markers, dimmed metadata lines. All features configurable.
Safety — Unsaved-note protection on close, large diff pagination with configurable thresholds.
Running :w or :W generates a review file. Two formats are available via review.export_format:
"default" — markdown with headings per file, code blocks with syntax highlighting, and enriched header:
# Code Review 2026-03-14
> `main..feature` — 2 files, 3 notes
## src/foo.js
```js{10}
const result = a + b;
```
revisit this calculation
---
```js{67,72}
function handleUser(user) {
if (user.name) {
return user.name;
}
}
```
null check `user` before `.name`
## handlers/user.js
```js{120}
logger.info(event);
```
consider structured logging"table" — pipe-separated with header, one line per note, optimized for LLM token efficiency:
file|line|side|text
src/foo.js|10|new|revisit this calculation
src/foo.js|67-72|new|null check user before .name
handlers/user.js|120|new|consider structured logging- Install the plugin (see Installation)
- Open a review:
:CodeReview - Navigate files with
j/k, pressaon any diff line to add a note, export with:w
{
"MaraniMatias/codereview.nvim",
event = "VeryLazy",
dependencies = {
"nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim", -- optional: enables notes picker (<Space>n)
"nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons", -- optional: file icons in the explorer
},
config = function()
require("codereview").setup({})
end,
}:CodeReview accepts any arguments you would pass to git diff.
:CodeReview " unstaged changes
:CodeReview main..feature " branch comparison
:CodeReview HEAD~3 " last 3 commits
:CodeReview --staged " staged changes only
:CodeReview -- path/to/file " single file
:CodeReview --staged -- path/to/file " staged + single file| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
:w |
Opens save prompt and writes the markdown review when notes exist |
:W |
Saves directly to the auto-generated filename when notes exist |
:q |
Warns if you have unsaved notes |
:q! |
Forces the review tab to close |
Notes live in memory for the current session only; exporting saves the Markdown review, not the in-editor note state.
If there are no notes yet, :w and :W do not create an empty Markdown file.
Add this to ~/.gitconfig:
[difftool "codereview"]
cmd = nvim -c "lua require('codereview').difftool('$LOCAL', '$REMOTE')"
trustExitCode = true
[difftool]
prompt = falseThen run:
git difftool --dir-diff -t codereview
git difftool --dir-diff --cached -t codereview
git difftool --dir-diff -t codereview main..feature-branch--dir-diff gives the plugin all changed files at once, enabling the multi-file explorer.
Alternative: wrapper script
You can also point difftool at the wrapper shipped in bin/codereview:
[difftool "codereview"]
cmd = /path/to/codereview/bin/codereview "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE"
trustExitCode = trueThe wrapper automatically captures $MERGED from git's environment to build a stable, repo-relative file identity — preventing note collisions when multiple files share the same basename (e.g. src/utils/helpers.js vs src/components/helpers.js).
All keybindings are remappable via keymaps in your setup config.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
j / k |
Navigate files and note entries |
Enter / l |
Focus the diff panel for the selected item |
za |
Expand or collapse notes for the selected file |
]f / [f |
Next or previous file |
t |
Toggle flat / tree layout |
R |
Refresh file list |
<Tab> |
Focus diff panel |
? |
Show help window |
q |
Close review |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
a |
Smart add or edit note on current line |
V then a |
Add note from visual selection |
]n / [n |
Next or previous note in current file |
]f / [f |
Next or previous file |
L |
Load more lines for a truncated diff |
za |
Toggle fold for the current hunk |
gf |
Open file in a new tab at cursor line |
gF |
Open full file in a new tab |
<leader>uh |
Toggle virtual text notes |
<Space>n |
Open Telescope notes picker |
<Tab> |
Focus explorer panel |
q |
Close review |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
<C-s> |
Save note (normal & insert) |
q |
Discard note without asking |
<Esc> |
Ask to save or discard |
<C-d> |
Delete note (with confirmation) |
Most users won't need any config — defaults are tuned for a typical review workflow.
require("codereview").setup({
explorer_width = 30,
keymaps = {
save = "<C-s>", -- disabled by default; set to enable a save shortcut
},
})require("codereview").setup({
diff_view = "unified", -- "unified" | "split" (side-by-side)
explorer_width = 30, -- width of the file explorer panel
border = "rounded", -- "rounded" | "single" | "double" | "solid" | "none"
explorer_title = " Files ",
diff_title = " Diff ",
note_truncate_len = 30, -- max chars per line in explorer note sub-rows
note_multiline = false, -- false = collapse note to one line | true = show each line
note_glyph = "⊳", -- glyph prefix for note rows; use ">" for ASCII fallback
virtual_text_truncate_len = 60, -- truncation of virtual text annotations
virtual_text_max_lines = 3, -- extra lines shown below the code line (0 = eol only)
max_diff_lines = 1200, -- initial visible diff lines before truncation
diff_page_size = 400, -- extra lines revealed per load-more action
explorer_layout = "flat", -- "flat" (filename first + dimmed dir) | "tree" (grouped by dir)
explorer_path_hl = "Comment", -- highlight group for the dimmed directory portion (flat layout)
explorer_show_help = true, -- show "(? help)" hint in explorer header
explorer_path_separator = " ", -- separator between filename and dir in flat layout
explorer_status_icons = nil, -- override status icons, e.g. { M = "M", A = "A", D = "D" }
note_count_hl = "WarningMsg", -- highlight group for note count "(3)" in explorer
note_float_width = 80, -- max width for the note editor float window
show_untracked = false, -- show untracked files in review mode
treesitter_max_lines = 5000, -- disable treesitter highlighting above this line count
-- Diff display enhancements
show_line_numbers = true, -- show old/new line numbers in the diff gutter
line_number_hl = "LineNr", -- highlight group for gutter line numbers
inline_diff = true, -- highlight changed characters within modified lines (DiffText)
inline_diff_max_len = 500, -- skip inline diff for lines longer than this
show_diff_signs = false, -- show +/- signs in the sign column
dim_metadata = true, -- dim diff metadata lines (index, similarity, etc.)
keymaps = {
note = "a", -- smart add/edit note on current line
toggle_virtual_text = "<leader>uh",
next_note = "]n",
prev_note = "[n",
next_file = "]f",
prev_file = "[f",
cycle_focus = "<Tab>",
save = false, -- set to e.g. "<C-s>" to enable a save shortcut
notes_picker = "<Space>n",
quit = "q",
toggle_notes = "za",
toggle_layout = "t", -- toggle between flat / tree explorer layout
refresh = "R",
load_more_diff = "L",
go_to_file = "gf", -- open file in new tab at cursor line
view_file = "gF", -- open full file in new tab
toggle_hunk_fold = "za", -- fold/unfold the current hunk
},
review = {
default_filename = "review-%Y-%m-%d.md",
path = nil, -- nil = git root
context_lines = 0, -- extra lines above/below when auto-reading code from disk
export_format = "default", -- "default" | "table"
},
})Set diff_view = "split" to display diffs side by side — old file on the left, new file on the right. Both panels scroll together via Neovim's scrollbind. All keybindings, notes, and pagination work the same in both views.
require("codereview").setup({
diff_view = "split",
})Large diffs keep the current behavior when they fit within max_diff_lines. When a diff exceeds that limit, CodeReview renders the first slice, shows a truncation sentinel at the bottom, and each load_more_diff action reveals another diff_page_size lines.
CodeReview ships with several visual enhancements enabled by default. Set any of these to false to disable:
require("codereview").setup({
show_line_numbers = true, -- old/new line numbers in the gutter
inline_diff = true, -- word-level highlighting within changed lines
show_diff_signs = false, -- +/- markers in the sign column
dim_metadata = true, -- dim "index", "similarity" header lines
})Inline diff compares adjacent deleted/added line pairs character by character and highlights only the changed portion using the DiffText highlight group. Lines longer than inline_diff_max_len (default 500) fall back to full-line highlighting.
Line numbers are rendered as inline virtual text showing the old-file and new-file line numbers side by side. In split mode, each panel shows its respective side's numbers.
Diff signs place + and - markers in the Neovim sign column alongside added and deleted lines.
- Notes are session-only; closing CodeReview discards in-memory notes unless you export the review
- Note anchors are based on new-file line numbers
This plugin was inspired by the talk "Programar en 2026: the human-in-the-loop" at JSConf ES by Javi Velasco @javivelasco.