Extension Details

Review a branch without leaving Nova. Branch Review lists every file a branch changed against its base, opens the diff with a double-click, and keeps track of which files you have already read.

Features

• Changed Files with lines added and removed, and an icon for added, modified, deleted or renamed files
• Only what the branch introduced, compared from where it diverged, so later changes on the base are not noise
• Uncommitted changes to tracked files included when you review the checked-out branch
• Commits section: pick a commit to see just its files, or pick All commits to go back
• Reviewed marks for files or whole folders, with progress shown, plus Open Next Unreviewed File
• Marks reset when a file's diff changes, so new edits are never missed
• Folder tree or flat list, filtering by change type, and hiding reviewed files
• Review any branch without checking it out
• Stays current after saves, commits and branch switches

Using it

Open a project that is a git repository, then open the Branch Review sidebar. The list fills in on its own: the target is the checked-out branch and the base is main.

• Double-click a file to open its diff, or the full file, depending on the setting below. Diffs open as temporary files, so Nova never asks you to save them. They are kept in the extension's private storage for this project; Extensions › Branch Review › Clear Cache deletes them.
• Right-click a file or folder to mark it reviewed, or to open the diff or full file.
• Choose Target Branch… and Choose Base Branch… (buttons in the Commits header, and in Extensions › Branch Review) change what is compared. They are remembered per project, along with your reviewed marks, in the extension's own storage rather than the project's .nova folder, so nothing is committed with the project.
• If no base is chosen, the first of main, origin/main, master, origin/master, develop that exists is used, then the remote's default branch.

Preferences

• Show files as: a folder tree or a flat list
• Double-click opens: the diff or the full file
• Hide reviewed files

Requirements

Git, installed through Homebrew, at /usr/local/bin, or from Apple's command-line tools.

Unreleased

• Diffs and files from other branches are now written to the extension's private per-project storage instead of the shared /tmp/branch-review folder, which other users on the Mac could read.
• New Clear Cache command (Extensions › Branch Review) deletes those files.
• Reviewed marks and the chosen base and target branches are now kept in the extension's private storage instead of the project's .nova settings. A branch under review could commit those settings to pre-mark its own files as reviewed or to hide its changes behind a different base. Marks saved by 0.1 aren't carried over.

Version 0.1

• First release: a sidebar that lists the files a branch changed against its base, with diffs, commit filtering and reviewed marks.

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Tom Krush

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.