diff --git a/pkg/gui/branches_panel.go b/pkg/gui/branches_panel.go
index 4efbe6397..79b436c4e 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/branches_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/branches_panel.go
@@ -454,18 +454,6 @@ func (gui *Gui) onBranchesTabClick(tabIndex int) error {
 	return gui.switchContext(context)
 }
 
-func (gui *Gui) tabIndexForContext(c Context, tabContexts tabContexts) int {
-	for i, tabContext := range tabContexts {
-		for _, context := range tabContext.contexts {
-			if context.GetKey() == c.GetKey() {
-				return i
-			}
-		}
-	}
-	gui.Log.Errorf("tab not found for context %s", c.GetKey())
-	return 0
-}
-
 func (gui *Gui) refreshBranchesViewWithSelection() error {
 	branchesView := gui.getBranchesView()
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/context.go b/pkg/gui/context.go
index ef3139f48..e41224d2a 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/context.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/context.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package gui
 import (
 	"fmt"
 
+	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
 	"github.com/jesseduffield/gocui"
 )
 
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ func GetKindWrapper(k int) func() int { return func() int { return k } }
 type Context interface {
 	HandleFocus() error
 	HandleFocusLost() error
+	HandleRender() error
 	GetKind() int
 	GetViewName() string
 	GetKey() string
@@ -26,11 +28,19 @@ type Context interface {
 type BasicContext struct {
 	OnFocus     func() error
 	OnFocusLost func() error
+	OnRender    func() error
 	Kind        int
 	Key         string
 	ViewName    string
 }
 
+func (c BasicContext) HandleRender() error {
+	if c.OnRender != nil {
+		return c.OnRender()
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (c BasicContext) GetViewName() string {
 	return c.ViewName
 }
@@ -159,7 +169,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) deactivateContext(c Context) error {
 }
 
 func (gui *Gui) activateContext(c Context) error {
-	gui.Log.Warn(gui.renderContextStack())
+	gui.Log.Warn(spew.Sdump(gui.renderContextStack()))
 
 	viewName := c.GetViewName()
 	_, err := gui.g.View(viewName)
@@ -205,7 +215,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) activateContext(c Context) error {
 func (gui *Gui) renderContextStack() string {
 	result := ""
 	for _, context := range gui.State.ContextStack {
-		result += context.GetViewName() + "\n"
+		result += context.GetKey() + "\n"
 	}
 	return result
 }
@@ -446,9 +456,9 @@ func (gui *Gui) changeMainViewsContext(context string) {
 	gui.State.MainContext = context
 }
 
-func (gui *Gui) viewTabContextMap() map[string]tabContexts {
-	return map[string]tabContexts{
-		"branches": tabContexts{
+func (gui *Gui) viewTabContextMap() map[string][]tabContext {
+	return map[string][]tabContext{
+		"branches": []tabContext{
 			{
 				tab:      "Branches",
 				contexts: []Context{gui.Contexts.Branches.Context},
@@ -465,7 +475,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) viewTabContextMap() map[string]tabContexts {
 				contexts: []Context{gui.Contexts.Tags.Context},
 			},
 		},
-		"commits": tabContexts{
+		"commits": []tabContext{
 			{
 				tab:      "Commits",
 				contexts: []Context{gui.Contexts.BranchCommits.Context},
@@ -481,10 +491,13 @@ func (gui *Gui) viewTabContextMap() map[string]tabContexts {
 }
 
 func (gui *Gui) setViewTabForContext(c Context) {
+	gui.Log.Warnf("in set view tab: %s", c.GetKey())
+
 	// search for the context in our map and if we find it, set the tab for the corresponding view
 
 	tabContexts, ok := gui.ViewTabContextMap[c.GetViewName()]
 	if !ok {
+		gui.Log.Warnf("in set view tab: returning")
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -497,6 +510,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) setViewTabForContext(c Context) {
 					gui.Log.Error(err)
 					return
 				}
+				gui.Log.Warnf("index: %d", tabIndex)
 				v.TabIndex = tabIndex
 				return
 			}
@@ -504,7 +518,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) setViewTabForContext(c Context) {
 	}
 }
 
-type tabContexts []struct {
+type tabContext struct {
 	tab      string
 	contexts []Context
 }
diff --git a/pkg/gui/gui.go b/pkg/gui/gui.go
index 818cfbf60..5aede3f9b 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/gui.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/gui.go
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ type Gui struct {
 	// recent repo with the recent repos popup showing
 	showRecentRepos   bool
 	Contexts          ContextTree
-	ViewTabContextMap map[string]tabContexts
+	ViewTabContextMap map[string][]tabContext
 }
 
 // for now the staging panel state, unlike the other panel states, is going to be
diff --git a/pkg/gui/list_context.go b/pkg/gui/list_context.go
index 7a1248d22..9454aadf9 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/list_context.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/list_context.go
@@ -11,9 +11,12 @@ type ListContext struct {
 	OnFocusLost           func() error
 	OnItemSelect          func() error
 	OnClickSelectedItem   func() error
-	Gui                   *Gui
-	RendersToMainView     bool
-	Kind                  int
+
+	// OnFocus assumes that the content of the context has already been rendered to the view. OnRender is the function which actually renders the content to the view
+	OnRender          func() error
+	Gui               *Gui
+	RendersToMainView bool
+	Kind              int
 }
 
 func (lc *ListContext) GetKey() string {
@@ -40,6 +43,10 @@ func (lc *ListContext) HandleFocus() error {
 	return lc.OnFocus()
 }
 
+func (lc *ListContext) HandleRender() error {
+	return lc.OnRender()
+}
+
 func (lc *ListContext) handlePrevLine(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
 	return lc.handleLineChange(-1)
 }
@@ -187,9 +194,9 @@ func (gui *Gui) branchesListContext() *ListContext {
 		GetSelectedLineIdxPtr: func() *int { return &gui.State.Panels.Branches.SelectedLine },
 		OnFocus:               gui.handleBranchSelect,
 		OnItemSelect:          gui.handleBranchSelect,
-		Gui:                   gui,
-		RendersToMainView:     true,
-		Kind:                  SIDE_CONTEXT,
+		Gui:               gui,
+		RendersToMainView: true,
+		Kind:              SIDE_CONTEXT,
 	}
 }