fix(diff): close plugin-created split on cleanup

[ThomasK33]

Fixes #155.

This PR prevents leftover diff splits by tracking which windows are created by the diff UI and cleaning them up deterministically when close_tab is invoked.

Summary

• Track when the original-side window was created via an automatic split, and close it during cleanup.
• When open_diff_blocking() is called with an existing tab_name, resolve/cleanup the prior diff state to avoid leaked windows.
• Add unit tests for both the split-created and reuse-existing-window cases.
• Update docs to prefer modern diff_opts keys and clarify legacy aliases.

Testing

• make check / make test could not be run in this environment because luacheck / busted are not installed.
• Lua syntax checks were run for lua/ and tests/.

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📋 Implementation Plan

Plan: Fix issue #155 (diff splits left behind)

Context / Why

Issue #155 reports that during Claude-driven edits the plugin frequently opens a 2-pane diff (original + proposed) as vertical splits, but after accepting the change one split remains. Over time, repeated diffs accumulate these leftover windows, forcing users to manually :q them.

Goal: make diff UI cleanup deterministic so that, when a diff is closed (via the close_tab MCP tool), the plugin closes any windows it created for the diff and does not leak extra splits.

Evidence (what I inspected)

• Issue text + comments via GitHub API (6 comments). Key repro note: when the file is not already open, the plugin opens it in a new split and then splits again for the diff; on accept it returns to the extra split (comment by ehaynes99, 2025-11-14).
• lua/claudecode/diff.lua
  • Window creation: _create_diff_view_from_window() calls choose_original_window(...) and, when decision == "split", runs create_split() and uses that new window for the original side (around lines ~933–941).
  • Cleanup: _cleanup_diff_state() closes diff_data.new_window but only runs :diffoff in diff_data.target_window (around lines ~1029–1039). If target_window was created by create_split(), it stays open.
  • Replacement: open_diff_blocking() calls _resolve_diff_as_rejected() when an active diff with the same tab_name already exists, but does not clean up its windows (around ~1262–1265).
• lua/claudecode/config.lua: legacy options vertical_split and open_in_current_tab are mapped onto modern diff_opts.layout and diff_opts.open_in_new_tab (lines ~205–215).
• Docs drift:
  • README.md still documents legacy keys like vertical_split / open_in_current_tab and mentions auto_close_on_accept (which is validated but not implemented).
  • CLAUDE.md documents open_in_new_tab but includes an example that also sets legacy keys, which overrides the new setting.

Plan

1) Track which diff windows were created by the plugin

Why: cleanup must differentiate between windows that were part of the user’s pre-existing layout vs windows created solely to render the diff.

• Extend the diff layout/state structures to record window ownership:
  • Add target_window_created_by_plugin: boolean (or original_window_created_by_plugin) to the object returned by _create_diff_view_from_window().
  • Persist the flag into active_diffs[tab_name] in _setup_blocking_diff().
• Set the flag conservatively:
  • If choose_original_window(...).decision == "split", then target_window_created_by_plugin = true because we just created original_window via create_split().
  • Otherwise, false (reused an existing window).

Optional hardening (if you want to cover more layouts)

There is another window-creation path when _create_diff_view_from_window() is called with target_window == nil and it needs to create_split() away from a terminal/sidebar buffer (around ~908–927). If this path is contributing to “mystery splits”, consider tracking a small list like created_windows = { ... } instead of a single boolean, so cleanup can close all plugin-created windows deterministically.

2) Close the plugin-created original-side window during cleanup

• Update _cleanup_diff_state(tab_name, reason) (non-new-tab branch):
  • Keep existing behavior of closing diff_data.new_window (proposed side).
  • For diff_data.target_window:
    • If diff_data.target_window_created_by_plugin == true and the window is still valid, close it with nvim_win_close(..., true).
    • Else, preserve current behavior (vim.cmd("diffoff")) so we don’t destroy a user’s pre-existing window.

Safety: only close windows we explicitly created.

3) Clean up when replacing an active diff with the same tab_name

Why: avoids accumulating stale diff windows/state when the CLI requests a new diff before the old one is fully closed.

• In open_diff_blocking():
  • If active_diffs[tab_name] exists, call _resolve_diff_as_rejected(tab_name) and then _cleanup_diff_state(tab_name, "replaced by new diff") before starting the new diff.
  • This is safe because the close_tab tool already treats “diff not found” as success.

4) Add/extend unit tests to prevent regressions

Add a focused spec that reproduces issue #155 using the existing vim mock (which simulates :vsplit and window closing).

• Test: closes plugin-created original window after accept

  1. Create a real temp file (old file) and set current window to a different named buffer so choose_original_window must split.
  2. Call diff._setup_blocking_diff(...).
  3. Capture target_window + new_window from diff._get_active_diffs()[tab_name].
  4. Call diff._resolve_diff_as_saved(tab_name, new_buffer) then diff.close_diff_by_tab_name(tab_name).
  5. Assert both new_window and target_window are no longer valid, and the original user window is still valid.

• Test: does not close reused existing window

  • Set current window to already display the old file (or an empty unmodified buffer) so decision == "reuse".
  • Ensure cleanup closes only new_window, and keeps the reused window alive.

5) Documentation cleanup (reduce user confusion)

• Update README.md diff section to document modern keys:
  • diff_opts.layout = "vertical"|"horizontal"
  • diff_opts.open_in_new_tab
  • diff_opts.keep_terminal_focus, diff_opts.hide_terminal_in_new_tab, diff_opts.on_new_file_reject
  • Mark vertical_split / open_in_current_tab as legacy aliases (or remove them from examples).
• Fix CLAUDE.md example so it doesn’t set both open_in_new_tab and legacy open_in_current_tab at the same time.
• Either remove or explicitly label auto_close_on_accept / show_diff_stats as legacy/no-op until implemented.

Acceptance Criteria

• Repro from issue [BUG] Claude Code spawns a lot of splited windows #155 no longer leaves an extra split after accept (and likewise after reject for existing files).
• Repeated diffs do not accumulate leftover diff windows.
• Unit tests covering window ownership + cleanup pass (make test).
• Docs reflect the actual supported configuration knobs.

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Generated with mux • Model: openai:gpt-5.2 • Thinking: xhigh

[ThomasK33]

@codex review

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

Codex Review: Didn't find any major issues. Nice work!

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[ThomasK33]

@codex review

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

Codex Review: Didn't find any major issues. Keep them coming!

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