roramirez · roramirez · Jul 18, 2026
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ Format follows [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/).
 ## [Unreleased]
 
 ### Added
+- add Visual Line mode (`V`) to select whole lines
 - show the hovered link's URL in the status bar
 - add triple-click to select the whole line
 - add `--maximized` and `--fullscreen` flags to start the window in that mode

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -309,6 +309,7 @@ visual_bell = true   # default: false
 | Binding | Action |
 |---|---|
 | `v` | Enter Visual mode |
+| `V` | Enter Visual LINE mode (linewise selection) |
 | `i` / `Escape` | Return to Insert mode |
 | `j` / `k` | Scroll down / up |
 | `/` | Open search |
@@ -318,13 +319,16 @@ visual_bell = true   # default: false
 
 Navigate freely to position the cursor, press `v` to set the selection anchor, then move to the end and copy.
 
+`V` enters Visual LINE mode, where the selection always spans whole lines: `j`/`k` extend it line by line and `y` copies every selected line. `v` returns to characterwise selection. The status bar badge reads `V-LINE`. Triple-clicking a line also leaves you in Visual LINE, so the selection can be extended from there.
+
 | Binding | Action |
 |---|---|
 | `h/j/k/l` or arrows | Move cursor (scrolls viewport at boundaries) |
 | `w` / `b` / `e` | Forward word / backward word / end of word |
 | `0` / `$` | Start / end of line |
 | `g` / `G` | Top / bottom of viewport |
-| `v` | Set selection anchor at cursor (starts highlighting) |
+| `v` | Set selection anchor at cursor (starts highlighting; returns to charwise) |
+| `V` | Visual LINE: anchor a whole-line selection at the cursor |
 | `o` | Swap anchor and cursor |
 | `y` / `Ctrl+C` | Copy selection and exit |
 | `Y` | Yank (copy) the entire line at cursor |

diff --git a/doc/LLMs.md b/doc/LLMs.md
@@ -38,10 +38,18 @@ Constants in `src/ui/layout.rs`: `TAB_BAR_H = 22`, `STATUS_BAR_H = 22`.
 
 ## Visual Mode Selection (implemented)
 
-- `InputMode::Visual { start_col, start_row, cur_col, cur_row, anchored: bool }`
+- `InputMode::Visual { start_col, start_row, cur_col, cur_row, anchored: bool, linewise: bool }`
 - `anchored: false` — cursor navigates freely, no selection highlight shown
 - `anchored: true` — selection highlighted from `(start_col, start_row)` to `(cur_col, cur_row)`
-- `v` in Visual mode → `Action::VisualAnchor` → sets `start = cur, anchored = true`
+- `v` in Visual mode → `Action::VisualAnchor` → sets `start = cur, anchored = true, linewise = false`
+- `V` (Normal or Visual) → `Action::VisualLineAnchor` → `set_visual_line_anchor()` sets `start_col = 0, start_row = cur_row, anchored = true, linewise = true`
+- `V` must NOT travel via `Action::SetMode(Visual{..})`: `do_set_mode` discards keybinding-supplied fields on a Normal→Visual transition, silently dropping `linewise`
+- `linewise: true` — the selection spans whole rows; only two computations are linewise-aware:
+  1. `selection_range` in `src/renderer/text.rs` normalizes to `(0, start_row, grid.cols-1, cur_row)` — nothing downstream changes
+  2. `do_visual_copy` passes `sc = 0, ec = grid.cols-1` to `grid.selected_text` (its `row_col_range` already makes interior rows full-width)
+- Every reconstruction of the `Visual` variant (motions, scroll, boundary scroll, swap anchor) must carry `linewise` through unchanged
+- Status bar badge: `V-LINE` when `linewise`, else `VISUAL` (`mode_style` in `src/renderer/draw_fns.rs`)
+- Triple-click (`select_line_at` in `src/input/mouse_ops.rs`) enters `linewise: true`, so the picked line can be extended with `j`/`k`
 - `o` → `Action::VisualSwapAnchor` → swaps start ↔ cur
 - `w`/`b`/`e` → `Action::VisualWordForward/Backward/End` → handled in `main.rs` via `motion::word_*`
 - `y` → `Action::Copy`; `Y` → `Action::VisualYankLine` (copies `cur_row`, exits to Insert)

diff --git a/doc/SPEC.md b/doc/SPEC.md
@@ -533,6 +533,7 @@ writing a file.
 |---|---|
 | `i` / `Escape` | Return to Insert mode |
 | `v` | Enter Visual mode |
+| `V` | Enter Visual LINE mode |
 | `/` | Enter Search mode |
 | `n` | Next search match |
 | `N` | Previous search match |
@@ -555,13 +556,21 @@ selection by moving the cursor. `k`/↑ at the top row and `j`/↓ at the bottom
 row scroll the viewport, making the entire scrollback buffer reachable. Scroll
 actions shift the anchor coordinates so the selected content stays stable.
 
+`V` switches to **Visual LINE**, a linewise variant: the selection always spans
+whole rows regardless of the cursor column, `j`/`k` extend it a line at a time,
+and `y` copies every selected line (trailing spaces trimmed, rows joined with
+`\n`). `v` returns to characterwise selection. The status bar badge reads
+`V-LINE`. Triple-click also enters Visual LINE, so a mouse-picked line can be
+extended with `j`/`k`.
+
 | Key | Action |
 |---|---|
 | `h/j/k/l` or arrows | Move cursor (scrolls viewport when at boundary) |
 | `w` / `b` / `e` | Start of next word / start of prev word / end of word |
 | `0` / `$` | Start / end of line |
 | `g` / `G` | Top / bottom of viewport |
-| `v` | Set selection anchor at cursor (activates highlight) |
+| `v` | Set selection anchor at cursor (activates highlight; charwise) |
+| `V` | Visual LINE: anchor a whole-line selection at the cursor |
 | `o` | Swap anchor and cursor (extend from either end) |
 | `y` / `Ctrl+C` | Copy selection to clipboard, return to Insert mode |
 | `Y` | Yank (copy) the entire line at the cursor, return to Insert mode |

diff --git a/src/app_state.rs b/src/app_state.rs
@@ -338,6 +338,7 @@ impl AppState {
             cur_col,
             cur_row,
             anchored,
+            linewise,
         } = self.mode().clone()
         else {
             return;
@@ -356,6 +357,7 @@ impl AppState {
             cur_col: nc,
             cur_row: nr,
             anchored,
+            linewise,
         };
     }
 
@@ -382,6 +384,7 @@ impl AppState {
             cur_col,
             cur_row,
             anchored,
+            linewise,
         } = self.mode().clone()
         {
             self.tab_mut().mode = InputMode::Visual {
@@ -390,6 +393,7 @@ impl AppState {
                 cur_col,
                 cur_row: (cur_row + n).min(grid_rows.saturating_sub(1)),
                 anchored,
+                linewise,
             };
         }
     }
@@ -401,6 +405,7 @@ impl AppState {
             cur_col,
             cur_row,
             anchored,
+            linewise,
         } = self.mode().clone()
         {
             self.tab_mut().mode = InputMode::Visual {
@@ -409,6 +414,7 @@ impl AppState {
                 cur_col,
                 cur_row: cur_row.saturating_sub(n),
                 anchored,
+                linewise,
             };
         }
     }
@@ -439,17 +445,17 @@ impl AppState {
             cur_col,
             cur_row,
             anchored: true,
+            linewise,
         } = self.mode().clone()
         {
             let text = self.active_entry().and_then(|entry| {
                 entry.pane.grid_read().map(|g| {
-                    g.selected_text(
-                        start_col,
-                        start_row,
-                        cur_col,
-                        cur_row,
-                        entry.pane.scroll_offset,
-                    )
+                    let (sc, ec) = if linewise {
+                        (0, g.cols.saturating_sub(1))
+                    } else {
+                        (start_col, cur_col)
+                    };
+                    g.selected_text(sc, start_row, ec, cur_row, entry.pane.scroll_offset)
                 })
             });
             if let Some(text) = text {
@@ -481,6 +487,7 @@ impl AppState {
             cur_col,
             cur_row,
             anchored,
+            linewise,
         } = self.mode().clone()
         {
             let grid_rows = self.active_grid_rows();
@@ -490,6 +497,7 @@ impl AppState {
                 cur_col: start_col,
                 cur_row: start_row.min(grid_rows.saturating_sub(1)),
                 anchored,
+                linewise,
             };
         }
     }
@@ -505,15 +513,36 @@ impl AppState {
                 cur_col,
                 cur_row,
                 anchored: true,
+                linewise: false,
             };
         }
     }
 
+    /// `V` — enter (or switch to) Visual LINE: anchor a whole-row selection at
+    /// the current row.
+    fn set_visual_line_anchor(&mut self) {
+        let (cur_col, row) = match self.mode().clone() {
+            InputMode::Visual {
+                cur_col, cur_row, ..
+            } => (cur_col, cur_row),
+            _ => self.visual_start_pos(),
+        };
+        self.tab_mut().mode = InputMode::Visual {
+            start_col: 0,
+            start_row: row,
+            cur_col,
+            cur_row: row,
+            anchored: true,
+            linewise: true,
+        };
+    }
+
     fn dispatch_visual_action(&mut self, action: Action) -> Vec<AppEffect> {
         match action {
             Action::Copy => self.do_visual_copy(),
             Action::VisualSwapAnchor => self.swap_visual_anchor(),
             Action::VisualAnchor => self.set_visual_anchor(),
+            Action::VisualLineAnchor => self.set_visual_line_anchor(),
             Action::VisualWordForward => {
                 self.move_visual_cursor(crate::input::motion::word_forward)
             }
@@ -536,6 +565,7 @@ impl AppState {
             start_row,
             cur_col,
             anchored,
+            linewise,
             ..
         } = self.mode().clone()
         {
@@ -545,6 +575,7 @@ impl AppState {
                 cur_col,
                 cur_row: 0,
                 anchored,
+                linewise,
             };
         }
     }
@@ -559,6 +590,7 @@ impl AppState {
             start_row,
             cur_col,
             anchored,
+            linewise,
             ..
         } = self.mode().clone()
         {
@@ -568,6 +600,7 @@ impl AppState {
                 cur_col,
                 cur_row: grid_rows.saturating_sub(1),
                 anchored,
+                linewise,
             };
         }
     }
@@ -688,6 +721,7 @@ impl AppState {
             Action::Copy
             | Action::VisualSwapAnchor
             | Action::VisualAnchor
+            | Action::VisualLineAnchor
             | Action::VisualWordForward
             | Action::VisualWordBackward
             | Action::VisualWordEnd
@@ -858,6 +892,7 @@ impl AppState {
                     cur_col: col,
                     cur_row: row,
                     anchored: false,
+                    linewise: false,
                 }
             }
         } else {