Use focus mode
This guide shows you how to use focus mode for distraction-free PR review.
What is focus mode?
Section titled “What is focus mode?”Focus mode is an ephemeral, minimalist UI for PR review. It strips away the sidebar, navigation, and all non-essential chrome to give you a clean, full-screen diff viewer.
It’s built for deep review sessions where you need to concentrate on the code without interruptions, such as large PRs, security-sensitive changes, or any review where the surrounding shell competes for your attention.
Enter focus mode
Section titled “Enter focus mode”- Open any PR
- Click the focus mode toggle in the PR header (or use the keyboard shortcut)
- The sidebar and title bar collapse, leaving only the diff viewer
In focus mode
Section titled “In focus mode”- Full-width diff viewer: the diff takes the entire window, so wide hunks and side-by-side views have room to breathe.
- Keyboard navigation: move between files and changes without reaching for the mouse. See Keyboard shortcuts for the full map.
- Inline comments: leave comments directly on the diff, exactly as you would in the full layout.
- File list: a collapsible file tree for quick jumps between files.
What’s preserved
Section titled “What’s preserved”Focus mode is ephemeral. It changes the layout you see without starting a separate review session, so switching in or out never loses work:
- Your viewed-file progress carries across the toggle.
- Draft comments are preserved when you exit and re-enter.
- The PR’s review state (approvals, requested changes) is unaffected. Focus mode changes the layout you see; the review state stays the same.
Focus mode vs. the full layout
Section titled “Focus mode vs. the full layout”| Focus mode | Full layout | |
|---|---|---|
| Sidebar & title bar | Hidden | Visible |
| Diff width | Full window | Shared with the shell |
| Notifications & agent activity | Out of view | In the sidebar |
| Best for | Deep, uninterrupted review | Reviewing while watching the fleet |
Use the full layout when you want to stay aware of other agents’ activity while you review; switch to focus mode when a change deserves your undivided attention.
Exit focus mode
Section titled “Exit focus mode”Press Escape or click the exit button to return to the normal shell layout.
When to use focus mode
Section titled “When to use focus mode”- Large PRs with many files to review
- Security-sensitive code that requires deep attention
- When you want to avoid distraction from notifications and sidebar activity