diff --git a/ftplugin/gitlog.lua b/ftplugin/gitlog.lua
index e37f80d..60aed0f 100644
--- a/ftplugin/gitlog.lua
+++ b/ftplugin/gitlog.lua
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ vim.keymap.set("n", "<CR>", function()
             .nvim_get_current_line()
             :match("^[*|/\\_ ]*(%x%x%x%x%x%x%x+)")
     if sha then
-        require("git.show").open_commit(worktree, sha, { split = false })
+        require("git.show").open_commit_object(worktree, sha, { split = false })
     else
         -- "n" mode = no remap, so this doesn't recurse into our mapping.
         vim.api.nvim_feedkeys(cr, "n", false)
diff --git a/lua/git/show.lua b/lua/git/show.lua
index 87cc1b0..cfdc25f 100644
--- a/lua/git/show.lua
+++ b/lua/git/show.lua
@@ -168,19 +168,94 @@ function M.open_commit(worktree, ref, opts)
     vim.bo[buf].filetype = "git"
 end
 
+---Open a commit's body via `git cat-file -p` for the header (raw object
+---form, flush-left message) plus `git diff-tree -p` for the patch. The
+---`-m --first-parent` flags collapse merges and stashes into single
+---`diff --git` blocks per file, so `M.open_at_cursor`'s `<CR>` parser
+---can navigate them. (`git show` would emit `diff --cc` combined diffs
+---in those cases, which the parser can't follow.) Used by the gitlog
+---`<CR>` flow.
+---@param worktree string
+---@param ref string
+---@param opts ow.Git.OpenCommitOpts?
+function M.open_commit_object(worktree, ref, opts)
+    local split = opts and opts.split
+    local sha = repo.rev_parse(worktree, ref, true) or ref
+    local name = "git://" .. sha .. "//"
+    local existing = vim.fn.bufnr(name)
+    if existing ~= -1 and vim.api.nvim_buf_is_loaded(existing) then
+        if split == false then
+            vim.cmd.normal({ "m'", bang = true })
+            vim.api.nvim_set_current_buf(existing)
+        else
+            vim.api.nvim_open_win(existing, true, {
+                split = split or (vim.o.splitbelow and "below" or "above"),
+            })
+        end
+        return
+    end
+
+    local header = util.exec(
+        { "git", "cat-file", "-p", ref },
+        { cwd = worktree }
+    )
+    if not header then
+        return
+    end
+    -- `--root` lets initial commits show their full tree.
+    local patch = util.exec({
+        "git",
+        "diff-tree",
+        "-p",
+        "-m",
+        "--first-parent",
+        "--root",
+        "--no-commit-id",
+        ref,
+    }, { cwd = worktree })
+    if not patch then
+        return
+    end
+
+    local parent = repo.rev_parse(worktree, ref .. "^", true)
+    local buf, _ = git.new_scratch({ name = name, split = split })
+    vim.b[buf].git_worktree = worktree
+    vim.b[buf].git_ref = sha
+    vim.b[buf].git_parent_ref = parent
+    vim.bo[buf].modifiable = true
+    -- Normalise to exactly one blank line between the message body and
+    -- the patch, regardless of trailing newlines on the header.
+    local content = (header:gsub("\n*$", "\n\n")) .. patch
+    vim.api.nvim_buf_set_lines(buf, 0, -1, false, util.split_lines(content))
+    vim.bo[buf].modifiable = false
+    vim.bo[buf].modified = false
+    vim.bo[buf].filetype = "git"
+end
+
 ---@return boolean dispatched true if the cursor was on an actionable line
 function M.open_at_cursor()
     local ctx = context()
     if not ctx then
         return false
     end
+
+    local line = vim.api.nvim_get_current_line()
+
+    -- Cat-file header navigation. `parent <sha>` opens the referenced
+    -- commit. (`git show` doesn't emit a `parent` line, so this only
+    -- fires inside `M.open_commit_object` buffers.)
+    local parent_sha = line:match("^parent (%x+)$")
+    if parent_sha then
+        M.open_commit_object(ctx.worktree, parent_sha, { split = false })
+        return true
+    end
+
     local section = diff_section()
     if not section then
         return false
     end
     local parent = ctx.parent_ref or "0"
 
-    local line = vim.api.nvim_get_current_line()
     if line:match("^diff %-%-git ") then
         show_diff(ctx, section)
         return true