How do I open a vertical diff between index and working tree for the current file in vim-fugitive?

Explanation

When reviewing staged versus unstaged changes, jumping between terminal git commands and editor windows is slow. Fugitive's :Gvdiffsplit! opens a focused vertical diff for the current file directly inside Vim, so you can inspect hunks and resolve edits without leaving your editing context.

How it works

• :Gvdiffsplit! is a fugitive command that opens a vertical diff layout
• It compares the working tree version of the current file against the index/HEAD context
• The ! variant asks fugitive to prefer vertical layout behavior and is often easier to scan on wide monitors
• Once in diff mode, you can use standard Vim diff motions and operations like ]c, [c, :diffget, and :diffput

Example

From a file with both staged and unstaged edits:

:Gvdiffsplit!

Use ]c to jump hunk by hunk, then apply targeted transfers with:

:diffget

This lets you reconcile sections interactively before finalizing commits.

Tips

• Pair with :Gwrite to stage the current buffer quickly after resolving hunks
• Use :Gvdiffsplit HEAD~1 when you want to compare against an explicit commit
• Close the diff layout cleanly with :diffoff! when done