vim-git-blame

Inline git blame plugin for Vim. Shows git blame information for the current line using text properties.

Features

• Inline git blame display using Vim's text properties
• CoC/LSP compatible - does not override inline diagnostics
• Caching for performance
• Relative time display (e.g., "2 hours ago")
• Customizable format and highlight
• Toggle on/off with commands

Requirements

• Vim 8.2 or higher (for text properties support)
• Git installed and available in PATH
• File must be in a git repository

Installation

Using vim-plug

Add to your .vimrc:

Plug 'fmflurry/vim-git-blame'

Using Vundle

Add to your .vimrc:

Plugin 'fmflurry/vim-git-blame'

Manual Installation

Copy the plugin files to your ~/.vim directory:

cp -r vim-git-blame/plugin ~/.vim/
cp -r vim-git-blame/autoload ~/.vim/

Usage

Once installed, the plugin automatically displays git blame information for the current line.

Commands

• :GitBlameToggle - Toggle git blame on/off
• :GitBlameEnable - Enable git blame
• :GitBlameDisable - Disable git blame

Configuration

Add to your .vimrc to customize:

" Enable/disable (default: 1)
let g:git_blame_enabled = 1

" Highlight group (default: 'GitBlame')
let g:git_blame_highlight_group = 'GitBlame'

" Format string (default: '%an · %ar · %s')
" Available placeholders:
"   %an - author name
"   %ae - author email
"   %ar - author date (relative)
"   %s - commit summary
"   %h - abbreviated commit hash
let g:git_blame_format = '%an · %ar · %s'

Custom Colors

To customize the highlight color, add to your .vimrc:

" Using specific colors
hi GitBlame guifg=#6a737d guibg=NONE ctermfg=243 ctermbg=NONE

" Or link to an existing highlight group
hi link GitBlame Comment
hi link GitBlame LineNr

How It Works

The plugin uses Vim's text properties feature (available in Vim 8.2+) to display inline text without modifying the actual buffer content.

CoC/LSP Compatibility

This plugin is designed to work alongside CoC and other LSP plugins:

1. Different property type: Uses GitBlame property type, distinct from CoC's virtual text
2. Lower priority: Set to priority 10, while LSP diagnostics typically use higher priorities
3. End-of-line placement: Blame info appears after line content, avoiding conflicts with inline diagnostics

The blame information appears as:

your code here                     John Doe · 2 hours ago · Fix the bug

Performance

• Blame information is cached per file and line
• Debounced cursor movement (100ms) to prevent excessive updates
• Cache is automatically invalidated when buffer is saved

Troubleshooting

Blame not showing

1. Check if file is in a git repository
2. Ensure you're using Vim 8.2+: :version should show 8.2 or higher
3. Check if text properties are available: :echo exists('*prop_add') should return 1
4. Verify git blame works: :!git blame -p -L 5,5 % in Vim

Conflicts with CoC diagnostics

If you see conflicts, adjust the priority in plugin/git-blame.vim:

" Lower priority (shown before diagnostics)
call prop_type_add('GitBlame', #{priority: 10})

" Higher priority (shown after diagnostics)
call prop_type_add('GitBlame', #{priority: 1000})

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.