# lumen
A fast terminal diff viewer and code review TUI, written in Rust.
[](https://crates.io/crates/lumen)
[](https://github.com/jnsahaj/lumen/releases)
Review `git diff`, commits, branches, or GitHub PRs side-by-side without leaving your terminal. Ships as a single static Rust binary and stays snappy on multi-thousand-line diffs.
- Side-by-side diff viewer with tree-sitter syntax highlighting
- Review GitHub Pull Requests with `lumen diff --pr 123`
- Annotate selections, hunks, or whole files
- Watch mode and stacked-commit review
- Optional AI commit messages and change explanations (10+ providers)
- Works with Git and Jujutsu (jj)
[](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/70d07324-8394-423c-bbc3-9460ed84877b)
## Special Thanks
## Table of Contents
- [Getting Started](#getting-started-)
- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Usage](#usage-)
- [Visual Diff Viewer](#visual-diff-viewer)
- [AI Features](#ai-features-)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Generate Commit Messages](#generate-commit-messages)
- [Generate Git Commands](#generate-git-commands)
- [Explain Changes](#explain-changes)
- [Tips & Tricks](#tips--tricks)
- [AI Providers](#ai-providers)
- [Coding Agent Integrations](#coding-agent-integrations-)
- [Advanced Configuration](#advanced-configuration-)
- [Configuration File](#configuration-file)
- [Configuration Precedence](#configuration-precedence)
## Getting Started 🔅
### Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have:
1. `git` installed on your system
2. [fzf](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf) (optional) - Required for `lumen explain --list` command
3. [mdcat](https://github.com/swsnr/mdcat) (optional) - Required for pretty output formatting
### Installation
#### Using Homebrew (MacOS and Linux)
```bash
brew install jnsahaj/lumen/lumen
```
#### Using Cargo
> [!IMPORTANT]
> `cargo` is a package manager for `rust`,
> and is installed automatically when you install `rust`.
> See [installation guide](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/getting-started/installation.html)
```bash
cargo install lumen
```
## Usage 🔅
### Visual Diff Viewer
Launch an interactive side-by-side diff viewer in your terminal:
```bash
# View uncommitted changes
lumen diff
# View changes for a specific commit
lumen diff HEAD~1
# View changes between branches
lumen diff main..feature/A
# View changes in a GitHub Pull Request
lumen diff --pr 123 # (--pr is optional)
lumen diff https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123
# Open the PR associated with the current branch
lumen diff --detect-pr
# Filter to specific files
lumen diff --file src/main.rs --file src/lib.rs
# Watch mode - auto-refresh on file changes
lumen diff --watch
# Stacked mode - review commits one by one
lumen diff main..feature --stacked
# Jump to a specific file on open
lumen diff --focus src/main.rs
# Soft-wrap long lines (also settable in lumen.config.json)
lumen diff --wrap
```
#### Stacked Diff Mode
Review a range of commits one at a time with `--stacked`:
```bash
lumen diff main..feature --stacked
lumen diff HEAD~5..HEAD --stacked
```
This displays each commit individually, letting you navigate through them:
- `ctrl+h` / `ctrl+l`: Previous / next commit
- Click the `‹` / `›` arrows in the header
The header shows the current commit position, SHA, and message. Viewed files are tracked per commit, so your progress is preserved when navigating.
When viewing a PR, you can mark files as viewed (syncs with GitHub) using the `space` keybinding.
#### Theme Configuration
Customize the diff viewer colors with preset themes:
```bash
# Using CLI flag
lumen diff --theme dracula
# Using environment variable
LUMEN_THEME=catppuccin-mocha lumen diff
# Or set permanently in config file (~/.config/lumen/lumen.config.json)
{
"theme": "dracula"
}
```
**Available themes:**
| Theme | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Default (auto-detect) | `dark`, `light` |
| Catppuccin | `catppuccin-mocha`, `catppuccin-latte` |
| Dracula | `dracula` |
| Nord | `nord` |
| One Dark | `one-dark` |
| Gruvbox | `gruvbox-dark`, `gruvbox-light` |
| Solarized | `solarized-dark`, `solarized-light` |
| Flexoki | `flexoki-dark`, `flexoki-light` |
Priority: CLI flag > config file > `LUMEN_THEME` env var > OS auto-detect.
#### Selection & Annotations
**Selection**: Click-drag in the content area for character-level selection, or on line numbers for line-level selection. Selected text can be copied or annotated.
**Annotations**: Add review comments at three levels of granularity:
- **Selection** — select lines with mouse, press `i` to annotate the selected range
- **Hunk** — focus a hunk with `{`/`}`, press `i` to annotate the hunk
- **File** — press `i` with no selection or hunk focus to annotate the whole file
Annotated lines display a `▍` gutter indicator. Use `I` to view, edit, delete, copy, or export all annotations.
#### Keybindings
- `j/k` or arrow keys: Navigate
- `{/}`: Jump between hunks
- `w`: Toggle watch mode
- `tab`: Toggle sidebar
- `space`: Mark file as viewed
- `e`: Open file in editor
- `y`: Copy selection (or filename)
- `i`: Annotate selection / hunk / file
- `I`: View all annotations
- `ctrl+h/l`: Previous/next commit (stacked mode)
- `?`: Show all keybindings
## AI Features 🔅
Lumen also bundles optional AI helpers for commit messages, explanations, and natural-language git commands. These require configuring an AI provider — the diff viewer above does not.
### Configuration
Run `lumen configure` for interactive setup (provider, API key, model). Settings are saved to `~/.config/lumen/lumen.config.json`.
### Generate Commit Messages
Create meaningful commit messages for your staged changes:
```bash
# Basic usage - generates a commit message based on staged changes
lumen draft
# Output: "feat(button.tsx): Update button color to blue"
# Add context for more meaningful messages
lumen draft --context "match brand guidelines"
# Output: "feat(button.tsx): Update button color to align with brand identity guidelines"
```
### Generate Git Commands
Ask Lumen to generate Git commands based on a natural language query:
```bash
lumen operate "squash the last 3 commits into 1 with the message 'squashed commit'"
# Output: git reset --soft HEAD~3 && git commit -m "squashed commit" [y/N]
```
The command will display an explanation of what the generated command does, show any warnings for potentially dangerous operations, and prompt for confirmation before execution.
### Explain Changes
Understand what changed and why:
```bash
# Working directory or staged changes
lumen explain
lumen explain --staged
# Specific commits or ranges
lumen explain HEAD
lumen explain HEAD~3..HEAD
lumen explain main..feature/A
# Ask specific questions
lumen explain --query "What's the performance impact of these changes?"
# Interactive commit selection (requires: fzf)
lumen explain --list
```
### Tips & Tricks
```bash
# Copy commit message to clipboard (macOS / Linux)
lumen draft | pbcopy
lumen draft | xclip -selection c
# Directly commit using the generated message
lumen draft | git commit -F -
```
[lazygit](https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit) integration is available — see the [user config docs](https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/blob/master/docs/Config.md) for binding `lumen draft` to a custom command.
### AI Providers
Configure your preferred AI provider:
```bash
# Using CLI arguments
lumen -p openai -k "your-api-key" -m "gpt-5-mini" draft
# Using environment variables
export LUMEN_AI_PROVIDER="openai"
export LUMEN_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export LUMEN_AI_MODEL="gpt-5-mini"
```
#### Supported Providers
| Provider | API Key Required | Models |
|----------|-----------------|---------|
| [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com/docs/models) `openai` (Default) | Yes | `gpt-5.2`, `gpt-5`, `gpt-5-mini`, `gpt-5-nano`, `gpt-4.1`, `gpt-4.1-mini`, `o4-mini` (default: `gpt-5-mini`) |
| [Claude](https://www.anthropic.com/pricing) `claude` | Yes | `claude-sonnet-4-5-20250930`, `claude-opus-4-5-20251115`, `claude-haiku-4-5-20251015` (default: `claude-sonnet-4-5-20250930`) |
| [Gemini](https://ai.google.dev/) `gemini` | Yes (free tier) | `gemini-3-pro`, `gemini-3-flash-preview`, `gemini-2.5-pro`, `gemini-2.5-flash`, `gemini-2.5-flash-lite` (default: `gemini-2.5-flash`) |
| [Groq](https://console.groq.com/docs/models) `groq` | Yes (free) | `llama-3.3-70b-versatile`, `llama-3.1-8b-instant`, `meta-llama/llama-4-maverick-17b-128e-instruct`, `openai/gpt-oss-120b` (default: `llama-3.3-70b-versatile`) |
| [DeepSeek](https://www.deepseek.com/) `deepseek` | Yes | `deepseek-chat` (V3.2), `deepseek-reasoner` (default: `deepseek-chat`) |
| [xAI](https://x.ai/) `xai` | Yes | `grok-4`, `grok-4-mini`, `grok-4-mini-fast` (default: `grok-4-mini-fast`) |
| [OpenCode Zen](https://opencode.ai/docs/zen) `opencode-zen` | Yes | [see list](https://opencode.ai/docs/zen#models) (default: `claude-sonnet-4-5`) |
| [Ollama](https://github.com/ollama/ollama) `ollama` | No (local) | [see list](https://ollama.com/library) (default: `llama3.2`) |
| [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/) `openrouter` | Yes | [see list](https://openrouter.ai/models) (default: `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5`) |
| [Vercel AI Gateway](https://vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway) `vercel` | Yes | [see list](https://vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway/supported-models) (default: `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5`) |
## Coding Agent Integrations 🔅
Use lumen as the review surface for your coding agent. When the agent finishes a turn, shell-escape to lumen, annotate the diff inline, and press `s` to send your annotations back as the agent's next prompt.
```
agent finishes turn → !lumen diff → annotate → press `s`
→ stdout returns to the agent → agent fixes your notes
```
The mechanics are just stdin/stdout — no plugins, no extensions:
- `s` in the diff TUI opens a confirmation modal. On `Enter`, lumen exits and writes the formatted annotations to stdout (the same text `y` copies to your clipboard).
- The TUI auto-routes to `/dev/tty` when stdout is captured, so the agent receives clean text — no escape codes.
Works with anything that has a shell-escape:
| Agent | How to trigger |
|-------|----------------|
| Claude Code | `!lumen diff` |
| Codex | `!lumen diff` |
| Any agent with shell access | `lumen diff` from a tool/bash call |
Annotate with `i` (selection / hunk / file), press `s` → `Enter` to send. Press `q` to dismiss without sending.
## Advanced Configuration 🔅
### Configuration File
Lumen supports configuration through a JSON file. You can place the configuration file in one of the following locations:
1. Project Root: Create a lumen.config.json file in your project's root directory.
2. Custom Path: Specify a custom path using the --config CLI option.
3. Global Configuration (Optional): Place a lumen.config.json file in your system's default configuration directory:
- Linux/macOS: `~/.config/lumen/lumen.config.json`
- Windows: `%USERPROFILE%\.config\lumen\lumen.config.json`
Lumen will load configurations in the following order of priority:
1. CLI arguments (highest priority)
2. Configuration file specified by --config
3. Project root lumen.config.json
4. Global configuration file (lowest priority)
```json
{
"provider": "openai",
"model": "gpt-5-mini",
"api_key": "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"theme": "catppuccin-mocha",
"wrap": true,
"draft": {
"commit_types": {
"docs": "Documentation only changes",
"style": "Changes that do not affect the meaning of the code",
"refactor": "A code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature",
"perf": "A code change that improves performance",
"test": "Adding missing tests or correcting existing tests",
"build": "Changes that affect the build system or external dependencies",
"ci": "Changes to our CI configuration files and scripts",
"chore": "Other changes that don't modify src or test files",
"revert": "Reverts a previous commit",
"feat": "A new feature",
"fix": "A bug fix"
}
}
}
```
### Configuration Precedence
Options are applied in the following order (highest to lowest priority):
1. CLI Flags
2. Configuration File
3. Environment Variables
4. Default options
Example: Using different providers for different projects:
```bash
# Set global defaults in .zshrc/.bashrc
export LUMEN_AI_PROVIDER="openai"
export LUMEN_AI_MODEL="gpt-5-mini"
export LUMEN_API_KEY="sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
# Override per project using config file
{
"provider": "ollama",
"model": "llama3.2"
}
# Or override using CLI flags
lumen -p "ollama" -m "llama3.2" draft
```
## Contributors
Made with [contrib.rocks](https://contrib.rocks).
### Interested in Contributing?
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
# Star History