All Features

Editor Decorations

Visual conflict indicators right where you code.

Overview

GitSpectra provides rich visual feedback directly in your editor, so you never miss a potential conflict. Gutter icons, line highlighting, and overview ruler markers give you instant awareness.

Screenshot

Editor with gutter icons, line highlighting, and overview ruler markers visible

Decoration Types

Gutter Icons

Small icons in the editor gutter (left margin) indicate line-level conflicts:

Screenshot

Close-up of gutter with red and yellow conflict icons

IconMeaning
🔴 Red dotHard conflict — this line will cause a merge conflict
🟡 Yellow dotSoft warning — nearby changes in the same file
👤 AvatarAuthor's Gravatar (when configured)

Line Highlighting

Entire lines with conflicts get subtle background highlighting:

Screenshot

Line highlighting showing red and yellow tinted backgrounds on conflict lines

  • Red tint — Hard conflicts
  • Yellow tint — Soft warnings
  • Customizable — Adjust colors in settings

Overview Ruler

The vertical ruler on the right side of the editor shows conflict positions:

Screenshot

Overview ruler with colored markers indicating conflict positions

Quickly scroll to conflicts anywhere in the file.

Author Avatars

When enabled, gutter icons show the author's avatar (via Gravatar):

Screenshot

Small author avatar displayed as gutter decoration next to a conflict line

At a glance, see who made the conflicting change without hovering.

Decoration Persistence

Decorations update automatically when:

  • You edit lines (recalculates overlap)
  • Remote changes are fetched
  • You switch between files
  • You dismiss conflicts

Customization

Colors

{
  "workbench.colorCustomizations": {
    "gitspectra.conflictGutterBackground": "#ff4444",
    "gitspectra.warningGutterBackground": "#ffaa00",
    "gitspectra.conflictLineBackground": "rgba(255, 68, 68, 0.1)",
    "gitspectra.warningLineBackground": "rgba(255, 170, 0, 0.1)"
  }
}

Decoration Settings

{
  "gitspectra.decorations.showGutterIcons": true,
  "gitspectra.decorations.showLineHighlights": true,
  "gitspectra.decorations.showOverviewRuler": true,
  "gitspectra.decorations.showAuthorAvatars": true
}

Performance

Decorations are highly optimized:

  • Only visible lines are decorated
  • Updates are debounced during rapid typing
  • Minimal impact on editor performance

Ready to prevent merge conflicts?

GitSpectra is free and open source.

Install for VS Code