Add a diff-only view/keybind for reviewing just agent code changes
- Dominant language
- Shell
- Stars
- 11.2k
- Forks
- 1.9k
- Avg merge
- 14h 16m
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 6
Description
### Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve
Copilot CLI has useful visibility controls, but none that focus specifically on **code line changes only**.
- `Ctrl+O` / expanded timeline shows too much: shell commands, script output, session-state files, markdown/session artifacts, and other operational noise.
- `Ctrl+T` is about reasoning, not code review.
- `/diff` is helpful, but it doesn't map to the quick "show me exactly what code changed from the agent" interaction I want while staying inside the main terminal flow.
When I'm working in the terminal, I care most about **how the agent changed my code**. I usually don't care about session-state updates, helper scripts, or verbose command output.
### Proposed solution
Add a **diff-only review mode** in Copilot CLI for agent edits.
Ideal behavior:
1. A dedicated keybind to toggle **code diff view only**.
2. Show only edited file hunks, grouped by file.
3. Hide shell/script output, session artifacts, state files, and unrelated timeline items by default.
4. Support scoping such as:
- **last turn only**
- **all changes in current session**
5. Render diffs in a clean terminal-native viewer instead of requiring users to expand the entire timeline or open an external editor.
This would make it much easier to audit agent changes quickly and confidently from inside the CLI.
### Example prompts or workflows
1. I ask Copilot CLI to refactor a function, then hit a keybind to see only the code hunks it changed in that turn.
2. I let the agent make several edits, then toggle a session-wide diff-only view without seeing all shell commands and background task output.
3. I review changes in a terminal-only workflow without switching to VS Code or manually running `git diff`.
4. I compare the agent's edits before deciding whether to keep working, rewind, or undo.
### Additional context
The main gap is not "can I see changes at all?" — it's that the current visibility options are too broad or noisy for the common "review only code edits" workflow.
A dedicated diff-only view would be especially valuable for users who prefer terminal-first workflows and want a fast audit surface similar to focused code-diff review in other coding agents.
Contributor guide
Research direction
Start by examining the existing Ctrl+O expanded timeline, Ctrl+T reasoning view, and /diff workflow to understand their current scopes and rendering. Define how a terminal-native diff-only mode would identify code hunks, group edited files, and distinguish last-turn changes from all session changes. Done means the interaction, keybind, scoping behavior, and handling of non-code artifacts are specified well enough to implement and review.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- shell
- Domain
- cli
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 30/100