Gitnotate

Sub-line commenting for Markdown files in GitHub PR reviews. Highlight specific words and phrases, not just lines.

Gitnotate — Sub-Line Commenting for GitHub PR Reviews Comment on specific words and phrases in GitHub Pull Request diffs — not just whole lines. GitHub's built-in review tools only let you comment on entire lines. But when you're reviewing Markdown changes — documentation, READMEs, changelogs, blog posts — you often want to point out a specific word choice, a typo in one phrase, or a formatting issue in part of a line. Gitnotate gives you that precision. WHAT GITNOTATE DOES Gitnotate is a browser extension that adds sub-line commenting to GitHub Pull Request reviews. Select any word, phrase, or sentence within a PR diff, and Gitnotate helps you attach a review comment to that exact selection — not the whole line. Your comment is posted as a standard GitHub PR comment with a small metadata tag (^gn) that records the selection. Other Gitnotate users see highlighted text and color-matched comment threads. Users without the extension still see a clean, readable comment — no broken workflows, no confusion. WHY IT MATTERS • Line-level comments aren't precise enough. When a line contains multiple changes or a long paragraph, pointing at "the third word" requires extra explanation. • Sub-line comments are self-explanatory. The highlighted selection shows exactly what you mean — no ambiguity. • Markdown reviews benefit the most. Documentation, prose, and content files often have long lines where word-level precision makes a real difference. KEY FEATURES Precise Text Selection in Diffs Select any word, phrase, or sentence within a GitHub PR diff. Gitnotate captures the exact text range — line number, character offsets — and embeds it into your review comment. Conversation View Support Comments with Gitnotate metadata are also processed on the PR Conversation tab. The metadata is hidden, the referenced text is highlighted in each thread's code snippet, and threads are color-coded — so you can review feedback at a glance without switching to the Files tab. Visual Highlights Submitted comments with Gitnotate metadata are rendered with colored highlights directly in the diff view. Multiple comments on the same line get distinct colors from a 6-color palette, so you can tell them apart at a glance. Color-Matched Comment Threads Comment threads in the PR sidebar are color-coded to match their corresponding highlights in the diff, making it easy to connect feedback to the exact text it references. Highlight Style Options Choose the highlight style that works best for you: • Dashed underline (default) • Solid underline • Background highlight Graceful Degradation Comments work for everyone — with or without the extension installed: • With Gitnotate: Highlighted text, color-matched threads, full visual experience. • Without Gitnotate: Comments display normally with a readable quoted snippet. The ^gn metadata is small and unobtrusive. All standard GitHub features — threading, resolving, @mentions, reactions, notifications — work exactly as expected. Per-Repository Control Enable Gitnotate only on the repositories where you want it. The extension shows an opt-in banner when you visit a new repo's PR, and you can manage your preferences from the popup at any time. Privacy-First Design • All data stays in your browser. Preferences are stored locally in Chrome/Edge storage. • No analytics, no tracking, no telemetry. Zero data collection. • No network requests. The extension does not communicate with any server. • Open source. The full source code is available for inspection. HOW IT WORKS 1. Open a Pull Request on GitHub and navigate to the Files Changed tab. 2. Select text — highlight any word, phrase, or sentence within a diff line. 3. Comment — Gitnotate injects a small ^gn metadata tag into the comment that records your selection. 4. Submit — your comment is posted as a normal GitHub PR comment. Gitnotate users see highlights; everyone else sees a clean comment. The ^gn metadata format is compact and human-readable: ^gn:42:R:10:25 This means: line 42, character offsets 10 to 25 — the exact sub-line range you selected. GETTING STARTED Installation 1. Install Gitnotate from the Edge Add-ons store or Chrome Web Store. 2. Click the Gitnotate icon in your browser toolbar. Setup 1. Visit a Pull Request on any repository. 2. Gitnotate shows an opt-in banner — click "Enable" to activate it for that repo. 3. Or manage repositories from the popup menu. Usage • Navigate to any PR's "Files changed" tab on an enabled repository. • Select text in the diff — Gitnotate captures the selection. • Write your comment and submit — done. PRIVACY Gitnotate is designed with privacy as a core principle: • Local storage only — your preferences never leave your browser. • No network requests — does not communicate with any server. • No data collection — zero analytics, tracking, or telemetry. • Minimal permissions — only activeTab, storage, and access to github.com. Full privacy policy: https://pedrofuent.es/gitnotate/privacy-policy.html OPEN SOURCE Gitnotate is free and open source under the MIT License. Source code: https://github.com/pedrofuentes/gitnotate Contributions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome. REQUIREMENTS • Browser: Chrome or Edge (Manifest V3) • GitHub: A GitHub account • Works on: Any GitHub repository with Pull Requests Gitnotate — because code review should be precise.