:Blame — inline blame for the current line
:BlamePrints the commit hash, author, subject, and GitHub URL for the line under the cursor — all in the Vim message area without leaving the file.
Example output:
Commit:
https://github.com/you/repo/commit/3b753cf8
- 3b753cf (Marian P) fix: handle edge case in parserHow it differs from fugitive's :Git blame
:Blame (custom) | :Git blame (fugitive) | |
|---|---|---|
| Output | Inline message, stays in current buffer | Opens a full interactive split |
| Navigation | None | Full commit browsing with <Enter> |
| Speed | Instant | Loads full blame for the file |
Use :Blame for a quick "who wrote this line?" check. Use :Git blame when you want to navigate the history.
:LogSearch / <leader>gs — find which commit introduced a line
Searches git log -S (the "pickaxe") for the exact text of the current line or visual selection, then prints the first matching commit URL.
| Key / Command | Action |
|---|---|
<leader>gs | Search for current line (normal mode) |
<leader>gs | Search for selected text (visual mode) |
:'<,'>LogSearch | Same, via command |
When to use it
Use <leader>gs when you want to know which commit first added or removed a specific string, rather than who last touched the line (that's :Blame). It is especially useful for tracking down when a particular value, function call, or bug was introduced.
Example: cursor on a line containing MAX_RETRIES = 5:
<leader>gs → finds the commit that first introduced that exact textRelation to vim-rhubarb's :GBrowse
Both tools build a GitHub URL, but for different purposes:
| Tool | Opens / shows |
|---|---|
:Blame | Commit URL in the message area (stay in Vim) |
:GBrowse | Opens file / line / commit in the browser |
<leader>gs | Commit URL for the line's origin in the message area |