branchdiff

Visual git diff in your browser — local, no cloud, no telemetry.

Install

npm install -g @encryptioner/branchdiff

Requires Node.js 18+ and git on your PATH. Tab-completion installs automatically — restart your terminal after install.

Also works without installing: npx @encryptioner/branchdiff main..feature

Common tasks

I want to…	Command
See my uncommitted changes	branchdiff
Compare with main	branchdiff main
Compare two branches	branchdiff main feat
View a GitHub PR	branchdiff https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123
Browse repo files	branchdiff tree
View last commit	branchdiff HEAD~1
Dark mode / unified view	branchdiff main --dark --unified

Any ref works: branch name, commit SHA, tag, HEAD~N, origin/<branch>.

AI review

branchdiff main feat    # 1. Start branchdiff (leave running)

Claude Code — install skills once, then use slash commands:

branchdiff review skill   # creates .claude/skills/branchdiff-{review,resolve}.md

Then in Claude Code chat:

• /branchdiff-review → AI reviews the diff and posts inline comments
• /branchdiff-resolve → AI fixes all open comments

Any other AI — copy-paste one of these prompts:

Review:

You are reviewing code using branchdiff agent commands (not any other tool).
Run `branchdiff review guide` first to load the full reference, then:
1. Run `branchdiff agent diff` to read the full diff.
2. Post comments: branchdiff agent comment --file <path> --line <n> --body "[tag] message"
   Tags: [must-fix] bugs/security · [suggestion] improvements · [nit] style · [question] unclear
3. Confirm: branchdiff agent list --status open
Start: branchdiff review guide

Resolve:

You are resolving open review comments using branchdiff agent commands.
Run `branchdiff review guide` first to load the full reference, then:
1. Run `branchdiff agent list --status open --json` to get open threads.
2. Fix the code, then: branchdiff agent resolve <id> --summary "what you did"
   Or dismiss: branchdiff agent dismiss <id> --reason "why"
Start: branchdiff review guide

Or pipe to a CLI AI tool:

branchdiff review context | claude -p "review for security"
branchdiff review run --exec "claude" --mode review

→ Full guide with 8 AI workflows: AI-REVIEW.md

Keyboard shortcuts (in the browser)

Key	Action
j / k	Next / previous file
n / p	Next / previous hunk
Shift+X	Collapse / expand all
?	Show all shortcuts

Docs

Guide	What it covers
USAGE.md	All commands, modes, options, troubleshooting
AI-REVIEW.md	AI review, resolve, tour, security audit workflows
DEVELOPMENT.md	Contributor setup, build, releasing

Why branchdiff?

Standard git diff compares commit ancestry — it can show a "change" when both branches actually contain identical content (just via different commits). branchdiff's file mode compares actual file content at each branch tip:

main:  A → B → C → D   (file.js = "hello world")
feat:  A → X → Y       (file.js = "hello world")

git diff main..feat  →  shows diff  (different commit paths)
branchdiff main feat →  no diff     (same content)

Switch between modes in the browser toolbar, or use --mode file / --mode git.

Features

• Syntax highlighting (150+ languages), split and unified views
• Inline comments with severity tags ([must-fix], [suggestion], [nit], [question])
• Full view mode — VS Code-style side-by-side full file view
• Delta mode (Δ) — highlights what each diff mode reports differently
• GitHub PR integration — push/pull review comments
• Multiple repos open simultaneously on different ports
• 100% local — no telemetry, no cloud, no API key

Contributing

Bug reports and PRs welcome: https://github.com/Encryptioner/branchdiff/issues

See DEVELOPMENT.md for setup.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.md

Support

Inspired by Diffity