aimux

Git mode is a dedicated in-app workflow for reviewing, staging, committing, and pushing changes without leaving aimux.

Enter it with Ctrl+D from navigation. Exit with Esc.

Overview

Git mode splits the screen into two regions:

Panel (left) — file tree of the working copy, grouped into Staged Changes, Changes, and Untracked.
Diff view (right) — the diff of the currently selected file, with syntax highlighting.

The active file is selected in the panel; the diff view follows.

The Panel

Each row is either a folder or a file. Files show a status letter (M, A, D, R, C, U, ?) and, when available, numstat counters (+N −N).

Folder rows and file rows use distinct text colors so the hierarchy is visible at a glance.

Two list layouts are available and the choice is persisted per profile:

tree — folders are collapsible, indentation reflects depth
flat — one row per file, with the directory shown dimmed after the basename

Toggle between them with t.

The Diff View

Two layouts:

stacked (default) — classic unified diff with + / − gutters
split — old on the left, new on the right, row-aligned

Toggle with v.

Unchanged context is progressively folded; the view auto-focuses on the first change so reviewing a large file doesn't start from the top of an unchanged prologue.

Syntax highlighting is provided by shiki, using the shiki theme variant bound to the active aimux theme, so the diff colors stay consistent with the rest of the UI.

Keybindings

Actions on the selected file:

Key	Action
`a`	Stage
`d`	Unstage / delete (two-press for destructive ops)
`c`	Open the commit modal
`p`	Push
`v`	Toggle split / stacked diff
`t`	Toggle flat / tree list
`]`	Older commit (HEAD~N → N+1)
`[`	Newer commit (HEAD~N → N-1)
`?`	Help (scoped to git mode)
`Esc`	Exit git mode

Navigation in the panel:

j / k — next / prev entry (files and folders)
Ctrl+N / Ctrl+P — next / prev file (skips folders)
h / l — toggle the selected folder
Left / Right — collapse / expand the selected folder

Diff view scroll and layout:

Down / Up — scroll one line
Ctrl+D / Ctrl+U — page down / page up
Ctrl+L — widen the file-bar pane
Backspace / Ctrl+H — narrow the file-bar pane

The destructive d requires two presses on unstaged or untracked files (the first arms the action, the second confirms) to prevent accidental data loss.

] and [ shift a HEAD~N offset. At N=0 (default) the panel shows the usual Staged / Changes / Untracked split against HEAD. At N>0 the panel collapses into a single HEAD~N section listing every file that differs between HEAD~N and the working tree; the diff view and binary detection use HEAD~N as the baseline, and untracked files still appear since they aren't in any commit.

While the offset is non-zero:

a / d / c / p are disabled and surface a one-line message; the status-bar footer drops them from its hint list so you see only the keys that actually do something.
The current offset is shown above the panel (HEAD~N · [ newer · ] older) and next to the session label in the status bar.
Pressing ] past the oldest available commit clamps the offset and shows no older commit — clamped to HEAD~N.

Leaving git mode (Esc) resets the offset back to 0.

Press ? inside git mode to open a help modal scoped to git-mode bindings. The modal renders as an overlay on top of the git view: the selection, scroll position, split / stacked toggle, and fold state all stay intact behind it, and closing with Esc returns you to exactly where you left off.

The same ? in navigation mode opens the full help modal with every mode listed.

Commit Flow

c opens a two-field commit modal:

title — subject line
body — optional longer description

Tab switches fields. Submitting the form runs git commit; Esc cancels and returns to git mode.

p pushes the current branch.

Status Bar

While in git mode, the status bar shows the main action keys on the left and ? Help right-aligned (next to the version), so the two surfaces you need during review stay one glance apart.

References

The review ergonomics in git mode — the side-by-side diff, progressive context folding, and the focus on the first change — were directly inspired by Pierre — diffs.com.

Git Mode