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Claude Code Adds a Diff Panel for Reviewing Changes in Fullscreen Mode

Claude CodeView original changelog

Claude Code 2.1.260 introduced a diff panel that opens beside the conversation when running in fullscreen mode, showing uncommitted changes as Claude edits files in real time. Users toggle the panel with the new /diff command. The addition gives developers a persistent, live view of what an agent is changing without having to switch to a separate terminal or editor tab to run git diff.

Key Takeaways

  • A new /diff command opens a persistent diff panel next to the conversation in fullscreen mode.
  • The panel updates live as Claude edits files, rather than requiring a manual git diff check after the fact.
  • It is fullscreen-mode-specific, building on Claude Code's alternate-screen-buffer rendering path introduced earlier in the 2.1.x series.
  • The feature lowers the friction of reviewing agent output, encouraging developers to check changes turn-by-turn instead of only at the end of a task.
  • It complements, rather than replaces, /review, which runs a deeper subagent-based analysis of the current diff.

A Live Diff View Inside the Terminal

Claude Code 2.1.260 added a diff panel that sits beside the conversation when the CLI is running in fullscreen mode. As Claude edits files during a session, the panel updates to show the accumulating uncommitted changes, so developers can watch the diff grow turn by turn instead of interrupting their flow to check a separate git diff in another pane.

Toggling the panel

The panel is opened and closed with the new /diff command. Because it lives inside fullscreen mode, alongside the conversation, it does not require switching to a different application or terminal tab: the diff and the chat transcript are visible at the same time.

Why it matters

Reviewing an agent's changes as they happen, rather than only at the end of a task, makes it easier to catch an unwanted edit early, understand why a particular file changed by tracing it back to the turn that produced it, and build the habit of reviewing AI-written code before it gets committed. This is a small but genuinely useful addition to Claude Code's growing set of in-terminal review tools, alongside commands like /review.