Option for org-cycle-only-current-subtree-h to emulate Doom Emacs cycling behavior

[aaratha]

Does this feature exist in Emacs orgmode core?

No

Orgmode link

Hi everyone,

Doom Emacs exposes an option org-cycle-only-current-subtree-h that disables the third stage in org cycling, where all heading contents are shown. With this option, TAB cycles only between folded → children visible → folded, without revealing the full subtree, which can make browsing notes faster for some workflows.

I understand this behavior differs from vanilla Org mode, but I thought it might be a useful optional feature in nvim-orgmode for users who prefer Doom Emacs–style cycling.

If this is not accepted, I plan to experiment with implementing it as a separate plugin.

Thanks for considering!

Feature value

• Faster navigation: Avoids accidentally expanding entire subtrees, letting users skim headlines and sub-headlines quickly.
• Reduced visual clutter: Large documents remain easier to read and focus on without unnecessary content expansion.
• Workflow customization: Provides a toggle for users who prefer limited expansion during navigation.
• Consistency in TAB behavior: Makes cycling predictable and less “jumpy” when moving through hierarchical notes.

Additional context

No response

[aaratha]

I ended up publishing this feature as a plugin, see aaratha/org-cycle-lite.nvim.

I'm keeping this issue open in case anyone wants to comment or implement this as a default feature. Feel free to close it if it's outside the project's scope.