Tracer

Terminal UI for reviewing git diffs with intelligent navigation and AI-powered analysis.

What it does

Syntax-highlighted diff viewer with multiple navigation modes and optional AI classification of changes. Navigate by file, by hunk, or let AI sort changes by importance (breaking changes first, then features, fixes, etc).

Intelligent mode is optimized for large PRs/diffs where semantic ordering and automatic prioritization save significant review time. For small changes (a few files), manual review is typically faster than waiting for AI analysis. The real value emerges when reviewing:
- Large PRs with dozens of files
- Unfamiliar codebases where you need context quickly
- Complex refactors where understanding the critical path matters
- Diffs where LLM-generated code needs efficient human verification

Usage

``bash


View unstaged changes

tracer

View staged changes

tracer --staged

View specific commit

tracer --commit HEAD~1

View git ref

tracer main..feature-branch

AI-powered analysis (press 'm' to cycle to INTELLIGENT mode)

tracer --model claude # or --model codex

Pick files from another branch

tracer pick feature-branch

Git difftool integration

git config --global diff.tool tracer
git config --global difftool.tracer.cmd 'tracer difftool "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE"'
git difftool
`

Navigation

- m - Cycle modes (FILE / HUNK / HUNK_ONLY / INTELLIGENT)
- ctrl+p - Quick file search
- Arrow keys - Navigate (behavior changes per mode)
- q or esc` - Quit

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Early experimentation: This tool is in active exploration of how AI can reduce PR review time. Design ideas and implementation feedback are welcome.

Scaffolded from critique.