Open a Git changeset in Kaleidoscope, then continue working. Until now, changes made after opening the document would not appear until you reopened it. Kaleidoscope 7 changes that. Working Copy Changes now update as your files change, whether those changes come from you, your editor, a terminal command, or a coding agent.
That makes Kaleidoscope particularly useful when you’re reviewing work that is still in progress. Leave the comparison open, watch new changes appear, and inspect them as they arrive.
Keep the comparison open
Normally, a Git changeset is a snapshot. If a file changes after you open it, you have to close the document and open it again.
Working Copy Changes in Kaleidoscope 7 are different. The document stays connected to your working copy and updates as files are modified, added, staged, committed, or reverted. You get the same behavior when launching a comparison with git difftool. When Kaleidoscope recognizes that you’re comparing a working copy, it keeps the changeset up to date instead of treating it as a one-time operation.
Review changes while they’re being made
Coding agents are good at producing code quickly. They are also good at producing more code than you intended.
A sidebar showing recently edited files can tell you where something happened, but it doesn’t replace a proper comparison. Kaleidoscope shows the complete changeset, with the tools you already rely on to understand it. Now you can keep that comparison open while the work continues.
The sidebar keeps up, too
The sidebar updates along with the changeset. Files that become modified appear automatically, including files that were clean when you first opened the document.
Untracked files are included
Working Copy Changes aren’t limited to files already known to Git. New files added to your working directory appear in real time, too. These files are marked with a question mark to show that they are not yet tracked by Git. After you add them to Git, the question mark changes to the familiar plus sign.
Staged changes are visible at a glance
Kaleidoscope also reflects the staging state of each file:
- Unstaged files use the regular file icon.
- Fully staged files use a solid icon.
- Partly staged files use a hollow icon.
This makes it easy to distinguish changes that are already prepared for a commit from those that are still being worked on.
Open Git File History
You can open the Git File History of any file directly from the sidebar, using either its context menu or the Navigate menu.
The comparison you already know
The comparison itself remains familiar. You still get Kaleidoscope’s different comparison modes, syntax highlighting, filtering, and quick navigation between changes. The important difference is that the document no longer becomes stale while you’re reviewing it.
Navigate through every change
Kaleidoscope 7 adds a navigation option for changesets that lets you move through changes across every file with a single command. You can review an entire project without switching between files by hand or losing track of where you left off.
You don’t have to keep watching
If you leave Kaleidoscope in the background while an agent works, you’ll receive notifications as your working copy changes. Clicking a notification takes you directly to the relevant changes. Kaleidoscope also reports Git operations such as commits and reverts, so you can follow what is happening in your working copy even when you aren’t looking at it.
Notifications are grouped by document and disappear when you close the changeset. You can also disable them or choose which kinds of events to receive.
A couple of useful controls
The toolbar next to the sidebar toggle includes controls for Live Working Copy Changes.
Pause updates
Sometimes you want to examine a particular state without the comparison changing underneath you. Pause updates temporarily, then resume when you’re ready.
Configure notifications
You can turn notifications off completely or choose which events should be reported for a changeset.
Keep the changeset open
Kaleidoscope 7 makes working copy changes something you can leave open while work is still underway. You can even open it before starting to work on a feature and it will populate as you go.
Review your own changes, follow along as an agent modifies a project, or keep an eye on several working copies. The comparison updates in place, so you can see what changed without repeatedly reopening it.
Kaleidoscope 7 is available now via Software Update. Check out the Release Notes page for a comprehensive list of changes.