pi-show-diffs

warp.dev inspired pi extension that stops and shows an editable diff before file changes are applied.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8bda7619-fcd2-4615-a93a-d15b2fee408b

It currently reviews:

• edit
• hashline_edit
• write

This gives pi an interactive pre-apply diff review step, so you can inspect the proposed change first and then decide whether to allow it.

Diff review UX

For normal file changes, the modal uses a split diff viewer with:

• side-by-side Original / Updated columns
• syntax-aware ANSI highlighting for common code file types
• optional colored rail markers beside rendered diff lines
• collapsed unchanged regions with clear labels
• hunk-aware navigation
• unified diff fallback for narrow terminals or preview errors
• live toggle between split and unified views
• inline editing for edit, write, and valid hashline_edit previews directly inside the diff modal
• adjustable context expansion around hunks
• wrapped inline rendering for long lines

Install

Install from npm:

pi install npm:pi-show-diffs

Or install directly from GitHub:

pi install git:github.com/xRyul/pi-show-diffs

Commands

• /diff-approval — open approval settings; use ↑/↓ to select a setting and Space/Enter to cycle its value. The Keybindings row opens the keybinding editor.
• /show-diffs — alias for /diff-approval

Command args:

• /diff-approval on
• /diff-approval off
• /diff-approval toggle
• /diff-approval colors default — use built-in diff backgrounds (dark uses the original muted red/green; light uses light-friendly red/green)
• /diff-approval colors theme — use the active pi theme's tool success/error backgrounds
• /diff-approval keybindings — open the keybinding editor directly
• /diff-approval status

Shortcuts in the diff modal

Approval actions

• Enter, a, or y - approve
• r or Esc - reject
• E or e - enter inline edit mode for the updated side
• Esc in inline edit mode — leave editing and return to review mode
• s - steer and add feedback
• Shift+A - approve and turn on auto-approve

Navigation

• ↑ / ↓ - scroll
• PgUp / PgDn - jump by page
• Home / End — jump to top/bottom
• n / p - next / previous hunk
• inline edit mode: Ctrl+N / Ctrl+P jump hunks; Alt/Option + ↑ / ↓ also works if your terminal is configured to send Alt

View controls

• Tab - toggle split / unified view
• ← / → — decrease / increase shown context around hunks
• [ / ] - alternate context controls
• w - toggle wrapping
• Ctrl+F - when expandable layout is enabled, open/collapse the expanded overlay

Config

Persistent config is stored at:

~/.pi/agent/extensions/pi-show-diffs.json

Current config shape:

{
  "autoApprove": false,
  "diffColorMode": "default",
  "showDiffRail": true,
  "expandableLayout": false,
  "collapsedHeight": "30%",
  "expandedHeight": "100%",
  "expandedWidth": "100%",
  "keybindings": {
    "approve": ["Enter", "a", "y"],
    "reject": ["Escape", "r"]
  }
}

diffColorMode accepts:

• default — use pi-show-diffs predefined diff backgrounds. Dark themes use the original muted red/green; light themes use light-friendly red/green.
• theme — follow your active pi theme's tool success/error backgrounds.

Diff marker options:

• showDiffRail — when true, show a colored ▌ rail marker next to rendered diff lines.

Expandable layout options:

• expandableLayout — when true, render the diff inline first instead of as a centered overlay.
• collapsedHeight — inline diff height as a percentage string, clamped to 10%-100%.
• expandedHeight — maximum overlay height after Ctrl+F, clamped to 10%-100%.
• expandedWidth — overlay width after Ctrl+F, clamped to 10%-100%.

Keybindings are configured per action. Use comma-separated pi-tui key ids such as Enter, Escape, ctrl+f, pageUp, or up; set an action to false to disable it. Missing actions fall back to defaults.

Notes

• no edit/write tool overrides are registered, so it stays compatible with other tool-wrapping extensions like collapse-tools.ts
• non-interactive mode falls back to a text-based diff review flow
• steering rejects the current proposal and sends your feedback back to the model
• editing final file content applies immediately for edit, write, and hashline_edit after the original tool call succeeds
• auto-approve restores normal behavior until you turn it off again
• invalid hashline_edit previews (for example tag mismatches) skip the review modal and fall through to the tool's normal error handling