diff --git a/Documentation/config/diff.adoc b/Documentation/config/diff.adoc
index 1135a62a0ad3de..475736c6edacd5 100644
--- a/Documentation/config/diff.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/config/diff.adoc
@@ -218,6 +218,16 @@ endif::git-diff[]
 	Set this option to `true` to make the diff driver cache the text
 	conversion outputs.  See linkgit:gitattributes[5] for details.
 
+`diff.<driver>.process`::
+	The command to run as a long-running diff process.
+	The tool communicates via the pkt-line protocol and returns
+	hunks that are fed into Git's diff and blame pipelines.
+	If the tool returns zero hunks, the file is treated as
+	unchanged for both diff output and blame attribution.
+	Git provides `git diff-process-normalize` as a built-in
+	tool that detects whitespace-only changes.
+	See linkgit:gitattributes[5] for details.
+
 `diff.indentHeuristic`::
 	Set this option to `false` to disable the default heuristics
 	that shift diff hunk boundaries to make patches easier to read.
diff --git a/Documentation/gitattributes.adoc b/Documentation/gitattributes.adoc
index f20041a323d174..3f1d7affd8fbe1 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitattributes.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/gitattributes.adoc
@@ -821,6 +821,64 @@ NOTE: If `diff.<name>.command` is defined for path with the
 (see above), and adding `diff.<name>.algorithm` has no effect, as the
 algorithm is not passed to the external diff driver.
 
+Using an external diff process
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+An external tool can provide content-aware line matching by
+setting `diff.<name>.process` to the command that runs
+the tool.  The tool is a long-running process that communicates via
+the pkt-line protocol (see
+linkgit:gitprotocol-long-running-process[5]).
+
+------------------------
+*.c diff=cdiff
+------------------------
+
+----------------------------------------------------------------
+[diff "cdiff"]
+  process = /path/to/diff-process-tool
+----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The tool receives file pairs and returns hunk descriptors indicating
+which lines changed.  Git feeds these hunks into its standard diff
+pipeline, so all output features (word diff, function context,
+color) work normally.
+
+If the tool fails or returns an error, Git silently falls back to
+the builtin diff algorithm.  If the tool returns invalid hunks
+(out of bounds, overlapping), Git also falls back silently.
+
+The handshake negotiates `version=1` and `capability=hunks`.
+Per-file requests send `command=hunks` and `pathname=<path>`,
+followed by the old and new file content as packetized data.
+The tool responds with lines of the form
+`hunk <old_start> <old_count> <new_start> <new_count>`
+(1-based line numbers), a flush packet, and `status=success`.
+
+If the tool returns zero hunks with `status=success`, Git treats
+the file as having no changes and produces no diff output.
+`git blame` also consults the diff process and skips commits
+where it reports zero hunks, attributing lines to earlier commits
+instead.
+
+Git ships with a built-in diff process, `git diff-process-normalize`,
+that detects whitespace-only changes.  Files whose only differences
+are whitespace produce zero hunks; files with non-whitespace changes
+fall back to the builtin diff algorithm.  To use it:
+
+----------------------------------------------------------------
+[diff "cdiff"]
+  process = git diff-process-normalize
+----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+This is useful after running a code formatter: `git diff` shows
+no output for files that only had whitespace changes,
+`git blame` skips whitespace-only commits automatically without
+requiring a `.git-blame-ignore-revs` file.
+
+Tools should ignore unknown keys in the per-file request to
+remain forward-compatible.
+
 Defining a custom hunk-header
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index cedc234173e377..01acfaf7b80764 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1142,6 +1142,7 @@ LIB_OBJS += diff-delta.o
 LIB_OBJS += diff-merges.o
 LIB_OBJS += diff-lib.o
 LIB_OBJS += diff-no-index.o
+LIB_OBJS += diff-process.o
 LIB_OBJS += diff.o
 LIB_OBJS += diffcore-break.o
 LIB_OBJS += diffcore-delta.o
@@ -1408,6 +1409,7 @@ BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/diagnose.o
 BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/diff-files.o
 BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/diff-index.o
 BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/diff-pairs.o
+BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/diff-process-normalize.o
 BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/diff-tree.o
 BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/diff.o
 BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/difftool.o
diff --git a/blame.c b/blame.c
index a3c49d132e4ae1..8a5f14db7a0f87 100644
--- a/blame.c
+++ b/blame.c
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 #include "tag.h"
 #include "trace2.h"
 #include "blame.h"
+#include "diff-process.h"
+#include "userdiff.h"
 #include "alloc.h"
 #include "commit-slab.h"
 #include "bloom.h"
@@ -315,16 +317,47 @@ static struct commit *fake_working_tree_commit(struct repository *r,
 
 
 static int diff_hunks(mmfile_t *file_a, mmfile_t *file_b,
-		      xdl_emit_hunk_consume_func_t hunk_func, void *cb_data, int xdl_opts)
+		      xdl_emit_hunk_consume_func_t hunk_func, void *cb_data,
+		      int xdl_opts, struct index_state *istate,
+		      const char *path)
 {
 	xpparam_t xpp = {0};
 	xdemitconf_t xecfg = {0};
 	xdemitcb_t ecb = {NULL};
+	struct xdl_hunk *ext_hunks = NULL;
+	int ret;
 
 	xpp.flags = xdl_opts;
 	xecfg.hunk_func = hunk_func;
 	ecb.priv = cb_data;
-	return xdi_diff(file_a, file_b, &xpp, &xecfg, &ecb);
+
+	if (path && istate) {
+		struct userdiff_driver *drv;
+		drv = userdiff_find_by_path(istate, path);
+		if (drv && drv->process) {
+			size_t nr = 0;
+			if (!diff_process_get_hunks(drv, path,
+						    file_a->ptr, file_a->size,
+						    file_b->ptr, file_b->size,
+						    &ext_hunks, &nr)) {
+				if (!nr) {
+					/*
+					 * Zero hunks: the diff process
+					 * considers these files equivalent.
+					 * Skip so blame looks past this
+					 * commit.
+					 */
+					return 0;
+				}
+				xpp.external_hunks = ext_hunks;
+				xpp.external_hunks_nr = nr;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	ret = xdi_diff(file_a, file_b, &xpp, &xecfg, &ecb);
+	free(ext_hunks);
+	return ret;
 }
 
 static const char *get_next_line(const char *start, const char *end)
@@ -1961,7 +1994,8 @@ static void pass_blame_to_parent(struct blame_scoreboard *sb,
 			 &sb->num_read_blob, ignore_diffs);
 	sb->num_get_patch++;
 
-	if (diff_hunks(&file_p, &file_o, blame_chunk_cb, &d, sb->xdl_opts))
+	if (diff_hunks(&file_p, &file_o, blame_chunk_cb, &d, sb->xdl_opts,
+		       sb->revs->diffopt.repo->index, target->path))
 		die("unable to generate diff (%s -> %s)",
 		    oid_to_hex(&parent->commit->object.oid),
 		    oid_to_hex(&target->commit->object.oid));
@@ -2114,7 +2148,8 @@ static void find_copy_in_blob(struct blame_scoreboard *sb,
 	 * file_p partially may match that image.
 	 */
 	memset(split, 0, sizeof(struct blame_entry [3]));
-	if (diff_hunks(file_p, &file_o, handle_split_cb, &d, sb->xdl_opts))
+	if (diff_hunks(file_p, &file_o, handle_split_cb, &d, sb->xdl_opts,
+		       NULL, NULL))
 		die("unable to generate diff (%s)",
 		    oid_to_hex(&parent->commit->object.oid));
 	/* remainder, if any, all match the preimage */
diff --git a/builtin.h b/builtin.h
index 235c51f30e5380..c713a0417f615f 100644
--- a/builtin.h
+++ b/builtin.h
@@ -178,6 +178,7 @@ int cmd_diff_files(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repos
 int cmd_diff_index(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
 int cmd_diff(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
 int cmd_diff_pairs(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
+int cmd_diff_process_normalize(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
 int cmd_diff_tree(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
 int cmd_difftool(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
 int cmd_env__helper(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
diff --git a/builtin/diff-process-normalize.c b/builtin/diff-process-normalize.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..1580f6b7d958a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/builtin/diff-process-normalize.c
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+/*
+ * Built-in diff process that returns zero hunks for files whose
+ * only differences are whitespace, and status=error otherwise.
+ * See diff-process.c for the protocol and gitattributes(5) for usage.
+ *
+ * Uses xdiff_compare_lines() with XDF_IGNORE_WHITESPACE to compare
+ * lines, giving the same whitespace handling as "git diff -w".
+ */
+
+#include "builtin.h"
+#include "pkt-line.h"
+#include "strbuf.h"
+#include "xdiff-interface.h"
+
+/*
+ * Read a single pkt-line.  Returns 1 for data, 0 for flush, -1 for EOF.
+ */
+static int read_pkt(int fd, struct strbuf *line)
+{
+	int len;
+	char *data;
+
+	if (packet_read_line_gently(fd, &len, &data) < 0)
+		return -1;
+	if (!data || !len)
+		return 0; /* flush */
+	strbuf_reset(line);
+	strbuf_add(line, data, len);
+	strbuf_rtrim(line);
+	return 1;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Read packetized content until a flush packet.
+ */
+static int read_content(int fd, struct strbuf *out)
+{
+	strbuf_reset(out);
+	if (read_packetized_to_strbuf(fd, out, PACKET_READ_GENTLE_ON_EOF) < 0)
+		return -1;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Compare two buffers line by line using xdiff_compare_lines() with
+ * XDF_IGNORE_WHITESPACE (same logic as "git diff -w").
+ * Returns 1 if all lines match, 0 otherwise.
+ */
+static int whitespace_equivalent(const char *a, long size_a,
+				 const char *b, long size_b)
+{
+	const char *ea = a + size_a;
+	const char *eb = b + size_b;
+
+	while (a < ea && b < eb) {
+		const char *eol_a = memchr(a, '\n', ea - a);
+		const char *eol_b = memchr(b, '\n', eb - b);
+		long len_a = (eol_a ? eol_a : ea) - a;
+		long len_b = (eol_b ? eol_b : eb) - b;
+
+		if (!xdiff_compare_lines(a, len_a, b, len_b,
+					 XDF_IGNORE_WHITESPACE))
+			return 0;
+
+		a += len_a + (eol_a ? 1 : 0);
+		b += len_b + (eol_b ? 1 : 0);
+	}
+
+	/* Both sides must be exhausted */
+	return a >= ea && b >= eb;
+}
+
+int cmd_diff_process_normalize(int argc UNUSED, const char **argv UNUSED,
+			       const char *prefix UNUSED,
+			       struct repository *repo UNUSED)
+{
+	struct strbuf line = STRBUF_INIT;
+	struct strbuf old_content = STRBUF_INIT;
+	struct strbuf new_content = STRBUF_INIT;
+	int ret;
+
+	/* Handshake: read client greeting */
+	ret = read_pkt(0, &line);
+	if (ret <= 0 || strcmp(line.buf, "git-diff-client"))
+		return 1;
+	ret = read_pkt(0, &line);
+	if (ret <= 0 || strcmp(line.buf, "version=1"))
+		return 1;
+	read_pkt(0, &line); /* flush */
+
+	/* Send server greeting */
+	packet_write_fmt(1, "git-diff-server\n");
+	packet_write_fmt(1, "version=1\n");
+	packet_flush(1);
+
+	/* Read client capabilities until flush */
+	while ((ret = read_pkt(0, &line)) > 0)
+		; /* consume */
+
+	/* Send our capabilities */
+	packet_write_fmt(1, "capability=hunks\n");
+	packet_flush(1);
+
+	/* Main loop: process file pairs */
+	for (;;) {
+		int have_command = 0;
+
+		/* Read request headers until flush */
+		while ((ret = read_pkt(0, &line)) > 0) {
+			if (starts_with(line.buf, "command="))
+				have_command = 1;
+		}
+		if (ret < 0)
+			break; /* EOF: client closed connection */
+		if (!have_command)
+			break;
+
+		/* Read old file content */
+		if (read_content(0, &old_content) < 0)
+			break;
+		/* Read new file content */
+		if (read_content(0, &new_content) < 0)
+			break;
+
+		if (whitespace_equivalent(old_content.buf, old_content.len,
+					  new_content.buf, new_content.len)) {
+			/* Whitespace-only differences */
+			packet_flush(1); /* zero hunks */
+			packet_write_fmt(1, "status=success\n");
+			packet_flush(1);
+		} else {
+			/* Non-whitespace differences: fall back */
+			packet_flush(1);
+			packet_write_fmt(1, "status=error\n");
+			packet_flush(1);
+		}
+	}
+
+	strbuf_release(&line);
+	strbuf_release(&old_content);
+	strbuf_release(&new_content);
+	return 0;
+}
diff --git a/diff-process.c b/diff-process.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..7b0f0e1f7e2084
--- /dev/null
+++ b/diff-process.c
@@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+/*
+ * Diff process backend: communicates with a long-running external
+ * tool via the pkt-line protocol to obtain content-aware hunks.
+ *
+ * Protocol: pkt-line over stdin/stdout, following the pattern of
+ * the long-running filter process protocol (see convert.c).
+ *
+ * Handshake:
+ *   git> git-diff-client / version=1 / flush
+ *   tool< git-diff-server / version=1 / flush
+ *   git> capability=hunks / flush
+ *   tool< capability=hunks / flush
+ *
+ * Per-file:
+ *   git> command=hunks / pathname=<path> / flush
+ *   git> <old content packetized> / flush
+ *   git> <new content packetized> / flush
+ *   tool< hunk <old_start> <old_count> <new_start> <new_count>
+ *   tool< ... / flush
+ *   tool< status=success / flush
+ *
+ * Zero hunks with status=success means the tool considers the
+ * files equivalent.  Git will skip the diff for that file.
+ */
+
+#include "git-compat-util.h"
+#include "diff-process.h"
+#include "userdiff.h"
+#include "sub-process.h"
+#include "pkt-line.h"
+#include "strbuf.h"
+#include "xdiff/xdiff.h"
+
+#define CAP_HUNKS (1u << 0)
+
+struct diff_subprocess {
+	struct subprocess_entry subprocess;
+	unsigned int supported_capabilities;
+};
+
+static int subprocess_map_initialized;
+static struct hashmap subprocess_map;
+
+static int start_diff_process_fn(struct subprocess_entry *subprocess)
+{
+	static int versions[] = { 1, 0 };
+	static struct subprocess_capability capabilities[] = {
+		{ "hunks", CAP_HUNKS },
+		{ NULL, 0 }
+	};
+	struct diff_subprocess *entry =
+		(struct diff_subprocess *)subprocess;
+
+	/* Uses dying pkt-line variant, same as convert.c filters. */
+	return subprocess_handshake(subprocess, "git-diff",
+				    versions, NULL,
+				    capabilities,
+				    &entry->supported_capabilities);
+}
+
+static struct diff_subprocess *find_or_start_process(const char *cmd)
+{
+	struct diff_subprocess *entry;
+
+	if (!subprocess_map_initialized) {
+		subprocess_map_initialized = 1;
+		hashmap_init(&subprocess_map, cmd2process_cmp, NULL, 0);
+	}
+
+	entry = (struct diff_subprocess *)
+		subprocess_find_entry(&subprocess_map, cmd);
+	if (entry)
+		return entry;
+
+	entry = xcalloc(1, sizeof(*entry));
+	if (subprocess_start(&subprocess_map, &entry->subprocess,
+			     cmd, start_diff_process_fn)) {
+		free(entry);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	return entry;
+}
+
+static int send_file_content(int fd, const char *buf, long size)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	if (size > 0)
+		ret = write_packetized_from_buf_no_flush(buf, size, fd);
+	else
+		ret = 0;
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+	return packet_flush_gently(fd);
+}
+
+static int parse_hunk_line(const char *line, struct xdl_hunk *hunk)
+{
+	char *end;
+
+	/* Format: "hunk <old_start> <old_count> <new_start> <new_count>" */
+	if (!skip_prefix(line, "hunk ", &line))
+		return -1;
+
+	hunk->old_start = strtol(line, &end, 10);
+	if (end == line || *end != ' ')
+		return -1;
+	line = end;
+
+	hunk->old_count = strtol(line, &end, 10);
+	if (end == line || *end != ' ')
+		return -1;
+	line = end;
+
+	hunk->new_start = strtol(line, &end, 10);
+	if (end == line || *end != ' ')
+		return -1;
+	line = end;
+
+	hunk->new_count = strtol(line, &end, 10);
+	if (end == line || *end != '\0')
+		return -1;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int diff_process_get_hunks(struct userdiff_driver *drv,
+			   const char *path,
+			   const char *old_buf, long old_size,
+			   const char *new_buf, long new_size,
+			   struct xdl_hunk **hunks_out,
+			   size_t *nr_hunks_out)
+{
+	struct diff_subprocess *backend;
+	struct child_process *process;
+	int fd_in, fd_out;
+	struct strbuf status = STRBUF_INIT;
+	struct xdl_hunk *hunks = NULL;
+	struct xdl_hunk hunk;
+	size_t nr_hunks = 0, alloc_hunks = 0;
+	int len;
+	char *line;
+
+	if (!drv || !drv->process)
+		return -1;
+
+	backend = find_or_start_process(drv->process);
+	if (!backend)
+		return -1;
+
+	if (!(backend->supported_capabilities & CAP_HUNKS))
+		return -1;
+
+	process = subprocess_get_child_process(&backend->subprocess);
+	fd_in = process->in;
+	fd_out = process->out;
+
+	/* Send request */
+	if (packet_write_fmt_gently(fd_in, "command=hunks\n") ||
+	    packet_write_fmt_gently(fd_in, "pathname=%s\n", path) ||
+	    packet_flush_gently(fd_in))
+		goto error;
+
+	/* Send old file content */
+	if (send_file_content(fd_in, old_buf, old_size))
+		goto error;
+
+	/* Send new file content */
+	if (send_file_content(fd_in, new_buf, new_size))
+		goto error;
+
+	/* Read hunks until flush packet */
+	while ((len = packet_read_line_gently(fd_out, NULL, &line)) >= 0 &&
+	       line) {
+		if (parse_hunk_line(line, &hunk) < 0)
+			goto error;
+		ALLOC_GROW(hunks, nr_hunks + 1, alloc_hunks);
+		hunks[nr_hunks++] = hunk;
+	}
+	if (len < 0)
+		goto error;
+
+	/* Read status */
+	if (subprocess_read_status(fd_out, &status))
+		goto error;
+
+	if (strcmp(status.buf, "success")) {
+		if (!strcmp(status.buf, "abort"))
+			backend->supported_capabilities &= ~CAP_HUNKS;
+		goto error;
+	}
+
+	*hunks_out = hunks;
+	*nr_hunks_out = nr_hunks;
+	strbuf_release(&status);
+	return 0;
+
+error:
+	free(hunks);
+	strbuf_release(&status);
+	return -1;
+}
diff --git a/diff-process.h b/diff-process.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..4c84951e0273fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/diff-process.h
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#ifndef DIFF_PROCESS_H
+#define DIFF_PROCESS_H
+
+struct userdiff_driver;
+struct xdl_hunk;
+
+/*
+ * Query a diff process for hunks describing the changes
+ * between old_buf and new_buf.
+ *
+ * The backend is a long-running subprocess configured via
+ * diff.<driver>.process.  It receives file content via
+ * pkt-line and returns hunks with 1-based line numbers.
+ *
+ * On success, sets *hunks_out and *nr_hunks_out to a newly allocated
+ * array (caller must free) and returns 0.
+ *
+ * On failure, returns -1.  The caller should fall back to the
+ * builtin diff algorithm.
+ */
+int diff_process_get_hunks(struct userdiff_driver *drv,
+			   const char *path,
+			   const char *old_buf, long old_size,
+			   const char *new_buf, long new_size,
+			   struct xdl_hunk **hunks_out,
+			   size_t *nr_hunks_out);
+
+#endif /* DIFF_PROCESS_H */
diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index 397e38b41cc6fa..c5e7c329b25609 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@
 #include "utf8.h"
 #include "odb.h"
 #include "userdiff.h"
+#include "diff-process.h"
 #include "submodule.h"
+#include "trace2.h"
 #include "hashmap.h"
 #include "mem-pool.h"
 #include "merge-ll.h"
@@ -3991,6 +3993,7 @@ static void builtin_diff(const char *name_a,
 		xpparam_t xpp;
 		xdemitconf_t xecfg;
 		struct emit_callback ecbdata;
+		struct xdl_hunk *ext_hunks = NULL;
 		unsigned ws_rule;
 		const struct userdiff_funcname *pe;
 
@@ -4031,6 +4034,27 @@ static void builtin_diff(const char *name_a,
 		xpp.ignore_regex_nr = o->ignore_regex_nr;
 		xpp.anchors = o->anchors;
 		xpp.anchors_nr = o->anchors_nr;
+
+		if (!o->ignore_driver_algorithm &&
+		    one->driver && one->driver->process) {
+			size_t ext_hunks_nr = 0;
+			if (!diff_process_get_hunks(
+				    one->driver, name_a,
+				    mf1.ptr, mf1.size,
+				    mf2.ptr, mf2.size,
+				    &ext_hunks, &ext_hunks_nr)) {
+				if (!ext_hunks_nr)
+					goto free_ab_and_return;
+				xpp.external_hunks = ext_hunks;
+				xpp.external_hunks_nr = ext_hunks_nr;
+			} else {
+				trace2_data_string("diff",
+						   o->repo,
+						   "diff-process-fallback",
+						   name_a);
+			}
+		}
+
 		xecfg.ctxlen = o->context;
 		xecfg.interhunkctxlen = o->interhunkcontext;
 		xecfg.flags = XDL_EMIT_FUNCNAMES;
@@ -4111,6 +4135,7 @@ static void builtin_diff(const char *name_a,
 		} else if (xdi_diff_outf(&mf1, &mf2, NULL, fn_out_consume,
 					 &ecbdata, &xpp, &xecfg))
 			die("unable to generate diff for %s", one->path);
+		free(ext_hunks);
 		if (o->word_diff)
 			free_diff_words_data(&ecbdata);
 		if (textconv_one)
diff --git a/git.c b/git.c
index 5a40eab8a26a66..6239240b021f1d 100644
--- a/git.c
+++ b/git.c
@@ -568,6 +568,7 @@ static struct cmd_struct commands[] = {
 	{ "diff-files", cmd_diff_files, RUN_SETUP | NEED_WORK_TREE | NO_PARSEOPT },
 	{ "diff-index", cmd_diff_index, RUN_SETUP | NO_PARSEOPT },
 	{ "diff-pairs", cmd_diff_pairs, RUN_SETUP | NO_PARSEOPT },
+	{ "diff-process-normalize", cmd_diff_process_normalize, NO_PARSEOPT },
 	{ "diff-tree", cmd_diff_tree, RUN_SETUP | NO_PARSEOPT },
 	{ "difftool", cmd_difftool, RUN_SETUP_GENTLY },
 	{ "fast-export", cmd_fast_export, RUN_SETUP },
diff --git a/t/t4080-diff-process.sh b/t/t4080-diff-process.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000000..a6fa1df456d7f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t4080-diff-process.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,430 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+test_description='diff process via long-running process'
+
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+if test_have_prereq PYTHON
+then
+	PYTHON_PATH=$(command -v python3) || PYTHON_PATH=$(command -v python)
+fi
+
+#
+# A single parametric diff process.
+# Usage: diff-process-backend --mode=<mode> [--log=<path>]
+#
+# Modes:
+#   whole-file  - report all lines as changed (default)
+#   fixed-hunk  - always report hunk 5 2 5 2
+#   bad-hunk    - report out-of-bounds hunk 999 1 999 1
+#   zero-hunk   - return zero hunks (files considered equivalent)
+#   error       - return status=error for every request
+#   abort       - return status=abort for every request
+#   crash       - read one request then exit without responding
+#
+setup_backend () {
+	cat >"$TRASH_DIRECTORY/diff-process-backend.py" <<-\PYEOF
+	import sys, os
+
+	def read_pkt():
+	    hdr = sys.stdin.buffer.read(4)
+	    if len(hdr) < 4: return None
+	    length = int(hdr, 16)
+	    if length == 0: return ""
+	    data = sys.stdin.buffer.read(length - 4)
+	    return data.decode().rstrip("\n")
+
+	def write_pkt(line):
+	    data = (line + "\n").encode()
+	    sys.stdout.buffer.write(f"{len(data)+4:04x}".encode() + data)
+	    sys.stdout.buffer.flush()
+
+	def write_flush():
+	    sys.stdout.buffer.write(b"0000")
+	    sys.stdout.buffer.flush()
+
+	def read_content():
+	    chunks = []
+	    while True:
+	        hdr = sys.stdin.buffer.read(4)
+	        if len(hdr) < 4: break
+	        length = int(hdr, 16)
+	        if length == 0: break
+	        chunks.append(sys.stdin.buffer.read(length - 4))
+	    return b"".join(chunks)
+
+	mode = "whole-file"
+	logfile = None
+	for arg in sys.argv[1:]:
+	    if arg.startswith("--mode="):
+	        mode = arg[7:]
+	    elif arg.startswith("--log="):
+	        logfile = open(arg[6:], "a")
+
+	def log(msg):
+	    if logfile:
+	        logfile.write(msg + "\n")
+	        logfile.flush()
+
+	# Handshake
+	assert read_pkt() == "git-diff-client"
+	assert read_pkt() == "version=1"
+	read_pkt()
+	write_pkt("git-diff-server")
+	write_pkt("version=1")
+	write_flush()
+	while True:
+	    p = read_pkt()
+	    if p == "": break
+	write_pkt("capability=hunks")
+	write_flush()
+
+	log("ready")
+
+	while True:
+	    cmd = None
+	    pathname = None
+	    while True:
+	        p = read_pkt()
+	        if p is None: sys.exit(0)
+	        if p == "": break
+	        if p.startswith("command="): cmd = p.split("=",1)[1]
+	        if p.startswith("pathname="): pathname = p.split("=",1)[1]
+	    if cmd is None: sys.exit(0)
+	    old = read_content()
+	    new = read_content()
+	    log(f"command={cmd} pathname={pathname}")
+
+	    if mode == "error":
+	        write_flush()
+	        write_pkt("status=error")
+	        write_flush()
+	        continue
+
+	    if mode == "abort":
+	        write_flush()
+	        write_pkt("status=abort")
+	        write_flush()
+	        continue
+
+	    if mode == "crash":
+	        sys.exit(1)
+
+	    if cmd == "hunks":
+	        if mode == "fixed-hunk":
+	            write_pkt("hunk 5 2 5 2")
+	        elif mode == "bad-hunk":
+	            write_pkt("hunk 999 1 999 1")
+	        elif mode == "zero-hunk":
+	            pass
+	        else:
+	            ol = len(old.split(b"\n"))
+	            nl = len(new.split(b"\n"))
+	            write_pkt(f"hunk 1 {ol} 1 {nl}")
+	        write_flush()
+	        write_pkt("status=success")
+	        write_flush()
+	    else:
+	        write_flush()
+	        write_pkt("status=error")
+	        write_flush()
+	PYEOF
+	write_script diff-process-backend <<-SHEOF
+	exec "$PYTHON_PATH" "$TRASH_DIRECTORY/diff-process-backend.py" "\$@"
+	SHEOF
+}
+
+BACKEND="./diff-process-backend"
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'setup' '
+	setup_backend &&
+	echo "*.c diff=cdiff" >.gitattributes &&
+	git add .gitattributes &&
+	git commit -m "initial"
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process hunk boundaries affect output' '
+	cat >boundary.c <<-\EOF &&
+	line1
+	line2
+	line3
+	line4
+	OLD5
+	OLD6
+	line7
+	line8
+	OLD9
+	OLD10
+	EOF
+	git add boundary.c &&
+	git commit -m "add boundary.c" &&
+
+	cat >boundary.c <<-\EOF &&
+	line1
+	line2
+	line3
+	line4
+	NEW5
+	NEW6
+	line7
+	line8
+	NEW9
+	NEW10
+	EOF
+
+	# The file has changes at lines 5-6 and 9-10, but fixed-hunk
+	# only reports lines 5-6 as changed.  Lines 9-10 should not
+	# appear as changed in the output.
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --mode=fixed-hunk" \
+		diff boundary.c >actual &&
+	grep "^-OLD5" actual &&
+	grep "^-OLD6" actual &&
+	grep "^+NEW5" actual &&
+	grep "^+NEW6" actual &&
+	! grep "^-OLD9" actual &&
+	! grep "^-OLD10" actual &&
+	! grep "^+NEW9" actual &&
+	! grep "^+NEW10" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process fallback on tool error status' '
+	rm -f backend.log &&
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --mode=error --log=backend.log" \
+		diff boundary.c >actual &&
+	# Fallback produces the full builtin diff (both change regions).
+	grep "^-OLD5" actual &&
+	grep "^+NEW5" actual &&
+	grep "^-OLD9" actual &&
+	grep "^+NEW9" actual &&
+	# Tool was contacted (it replied with error, not crash).
+	grep "command=hunks pathname=boundary.c" backend.log
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process fallback on bad hunks' '
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --mode=bad-hunk" \
+		diff boundary.c >actual &&
+	grep "^-OLD5" actual &&
+	grep "^+NEW5" actual &&
+	grep "^-OLD9" actual &&
+	grep "^+NEW9" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process fallback on tool crash' '
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --mode=crash" \
+		diff boundary.c >actual &&
+	grep "^-OLD5" actual &&
+	grep "^+NEW5" actual &&
+	grep "^-OLD9" actual &&
+	grep "^+NEW9" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process abort disables for session' '
+	cat >abort1.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int first(void) { return 1; }
+	EOF
+	cat >abort2.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int second(void) { return 2; }
+	EOF
+	git add abort1.c abort2.c &&
+	git commit -m "add abort files" &&
+
+	cat >abort1.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int first(void) { return 10; }
+	EOF
+	cat >abort2.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int second(void) { return 20; }
+	EOF
+
+	rm -f backend.log &&
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --mode=abort --log=backend.log" \
+		diff -- abort1.c abort2.c >actual &&
+	# Both files should still produce diff output via fallback.
+	grep "return 10" actual &&
+	grep "return 20" actual &&
+	# The tool aborts on the first file and git clears its
+	# capability.  The second file never contacts the tool,
+	# so the log should have exactly one entry, not two.
+	grep "command=hunks" backend.log >matches &&
+	test_line_count = 1 matches
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process handles multiple files' '
+	cat >multi1.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int one(void) { return 1; }
+	EOF
+	cat >multi2.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int two(void) { return 2; }
+	EOF
+	git add multi1.c multi2.c &&
+	git commit -m "add multi files" &&
+
+	cat >multi1.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int one(void) { return 10; }
+	EOF
+	cat >multi2.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int two(void) { return 20; }
+	EOF
+
+	rm -f backend.log &&
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --log=backend.log" \
+		diff -- multi1.c multi2.c >actual &&
+	grep "return 10" actual &&
+	grep "return 20" actual &&
+	grep "pathname=multi1.c" backend.log &&
+	grep "pathname=multi2.c" backend.log
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process with --word-diff' '
+	cat >worddiff.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int value(void) { return 1; }
+	EOF
+	git add worddiff.c &&
+	git commit -m "add worddiff.c" &&
+
+	cat >worddiff.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int value(void) { return 999; }
+	EOF
+
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND" \
+		diff --word-diff worddiff.c >actual &&
+	grep "\[-1;-\]" actual &&
+	grep "{+999;+}" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process bypassed by --diff-algorithm' '
+	rm -f backend.log &&
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --log=backend.log" \
+		diff --diff-algorithm=patience worddiff.c >actual &&
+	grep "return 999" actual &&
+	test_path_is_missing backend.log
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process works with git log -p' '
+	cat >logtest.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int logfunc(void) { return 1; }
+	EOF
+	git add logtest.c &&
+	git commit -m "add logtest.c" &&
+
+	cat >logtest.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int logfunc(void) { return 2; }
+	EOF
+	git add logtest.c &&
+	git commit -m "change logtest.c" &&
+
+	rm -f backend.log &&
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --log=backend.log" \
+		log -1 -p -- logtest.c >actual &&
+	grep "return 2" actual &&
+	grep "command=hunks pathname=logtest.c" backend.log
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'diff process zero hunks suppresses diff output' '
+	cat >zerohunk.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int zero(void) { return 0; }
+	EOF
+	git add zerohunk.c &&
+	git commit -m "add zerohunk.c" &&
+
+	cat >zerohunk.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int zero(void) { return 999; }
+	EOF
+
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --mode=zero-hunk" \
+		diff zerohunk.c >actual &&
+	test_must_be_empty actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success PYTHON 'blame skips commits with zero hunks from diff process' '
+	cat >blame.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int main(void)
+	{
+	    return 0;
+	}
+	EOF
+	git add blame.c &&
+	git commit -m "add blame.c" &&
+
+	cat >blame.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int main(void)
+	{
+	        return 0;
+	}
+	EOF
+	git add blame.c &&
+	git commit -m "reformat blame.c" &&
+	BLAME_COMMIT=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD) &&
+
+	# Without zero-hunk mode, blame attributes the change.
+	git blame blame.c >without &&
+	grep "$BLAME_COMMIT" without &&
+
+	# With zero-hunk mode, the process considers the files equivalent
+	# and blame skips the reformat commit.
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --mode=zero-hunk" \
+		blame blame.c >with &&
+	! grep "$BLAME_COMMIT" with
+'
+
+NORMALIZE="git diff-process-normalize"
+
+test_expect_success 'diff-process-normalize setup' '
+	echo "*.c diff=cdiff" >.gitattributes &&
+	git add .gitattributes &&
+	test_commit normalize-base
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'diff-process-normalize suppresses whitespace-only changes' '
+	cat >ws.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int main(void)
+	{
+	    return 0;
+	}
+	EOF
+	git add ws.c &&
+	git commit -m "add ws.c" &&
+
+	cat >ws.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int main(void)
+	{
+	        return 0;
+	}
+	EOF
+
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$NORMALIZE" \
+		diff ws.c >actual &&
+	test_must_be_empty actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'diff-process-normalize falls back on non-whitespace changes' '
+	cat >ws.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int main(void)
+	{
+	    return 0;
+	}
+
+	int added_function(void)
+	{
+	    return 99;
+	}
+	EOF
+
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$NORMALIZE" \
+		diff ws.c >actual &&
+	grep "added_function" actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'diff-process-normalize falls back on mixed whitespace and real changes' '
+	cat >ws.c <<-\EOF &&
+	int main(void)
+	{
+	        return 42;
+	}
+	EOF
+
+	git -c diff.cdiff.process="$NORMALIZE" \
+		diff ws.c >actual &&
+	grep "return 42" actual
+'
+
+test_done
diff --git a/userdiff.c b/userdiff.c
index fe710a68bfdfa6..81c0bebcce65e0 100644
--- a/userdiff.c
+++ b/userdiff.c
@@ -499,6 +499,13 @@ int userdiff_config(const char *k, const char *v)
 		drv->algorithm = drv->algorithm_owned;
 		return ret;
 	}
+	if (!strcmp(type, "process")) {
+		int ret;
+		FREE_AND_NULL(drv->process_owned);
+		ret = git_config_string(&drv->process_owned, k, v);
+		drv->process = drv->process_owned;
+		return ret;
+	}
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/userdiff.h b/userdiff.h
index 827361b0bc9569..51c26e0d4190e5 100644
--- a/userdiff.h
+++ b/userdiff.h
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ struct userdiff_driver {
 	char *textconv_owned;
 	struct notes_cache *textconv_cache;
 	int textconv_want_cache;
+	const char *process;
+	char *process_owned;
 };
 enum userdiff_driver_type {
 	USERDIFF_DRIVER_TYPE_BUILTIN = 1<<0,
diff --git a/xdiff-interface.c b/xdiff-interface.c
index f043330f2a12a0..9542c0bcc20f37 100644
--- a/xdiff-interface.c
+++ b/xdiff-interface.c
@@ -124,7 +124,12 @@ int xdi_diff(mmfile_t *mf1, mmfile_t *mf2, xpparam_t const *xpp, xdemitconf_t co
 	if (mf1->size > MAX_XDIFF_SIZE || mf2->size > MAX_XDIFF_SIZE)
 		return -1;
 
-	if (!xecfg->ctxlen && !(xecfg->flags & XDL_EMIT_FUNCCONTEXT))
+	/*
+	 * External hunks reference line numbers in the original content;
+	 * trimming the tail would change line counts and invalidate them.
+	 */
+	if (!xpp->external_hunks &&
+	    !xecfg->ctxlen && !(xecfg->flags & XDL_EMIT_FUNCCONTEXT))
 		trim_common_tail(&a, &b);
 
 	return xdl_diff(&a, &b, xpp, xecfg, xecb);
diff --git a/xdiff/xdiff.h b/xdiff/xdiff.h
index dc370712e92860..2ee6f1aae3635e 100644
--- a/xdiff/xdiff.h
+++ b/xdiff/xdiff.h
@@ -78,6 +78,15 @@ typedef struct s_mmbuffer {
 	long size;
 } mmbuffer_t;
 
+/*
+ * Hunk descriptor for externally computed diffs.
+ * Line numbers are 1-based, matching unified diff convention.
+ */
+struct xdl_hunk {
+	long old_start, old_count;
+	long new_start, new_count;
+};
+
 typedef struct s_xpparam {
 	unsigned long flags;
 
@@ -88,6 +97,10 @@ typedef struct s_xpparam {
 	/* See Documentation/diff-options.adoc. */
 	char **anchors;
 	size_t anchors_nr;
+
+	/* Externally computed hunks: bypass the diff algorithm. */
+	const struct xdl_hunk *external_hunks;
+	size_t external_hunks_nr;
 } xpparam_t;
 
 typedef struct s_xdemitcb {
diff --git a/xdiff/xdiffi.c b/xdiff/xdiffi.c
index 5455b4690d38ff..7eca4ab4a14071 100644
--- a/xdiff/xdiffi.c
+++ b/xdiff/xdiffi.c
@@ -1085,16 +1085,108 @@ static void xdl_mark_ignorable_regex(xdchange_t *xscr, const xdfenv_t *xe,
 	}
 }
 
+/*
+ * Populate the changed[] arrays from externally supplied hunks,
+ * bypassing the diff algorithm.  Validates that hunks are in order,
+ * non-overlapping, and within bounds.
+ *
+ * Returns 0 on success, -1 on validation failure.
+ */
+static int xdl_populate_hunks_from_external(xdfenv_t *xe,
+					    const struct xdl_hunk *hunks,
+					    size_t nr_hunks)
+{
+	size_t i;
+	long j, prev_old_end = 0, prev_new_end = 0;
+	long total_old = 0, total_new = 0;
+
+	/*
+	 * Clear changed[] arrays.  xdl_prepare_env() may have dirtied
+	 * them via xdl_cleanup_records().  The allocation is nrec + 2
+	 * elements; changed points one past the start (see xprepare.c).
+	 */
+	memset(xe->xdf1.changed - 1, 0,
+	       (xe->xdf1.nrec + 2) * sizeof(bool));
+	memset(xe->xdf2.changed - 1, 0,
+	       (xe->xdf2.nrec + 2) * sizeof(bool));
+
+	for (i = 0; i < nr_hunks; i++) {
+		const struct xdl_hunk *h = &hunks[i];
+
+		if (h->old_count < 0 || h->new_count < 0)
+			return -1;
+
+		/* Bounds check (1-based line numbers) */
+		if (h->old_count > 0 &&
+		    (h->old_start < 1 ||
+		     h->old_start + h->old_count - 1 > xe->xdf1.nrec))
+			return -1;
+		if (h->new_count > 0 &&
+		    (h->new_start < 1 ||
+		     h->new_start + h->new_count - 1 > xe->xdf2.nrec))
+			return -1;
+
+		/* Zero-count hunks: start must still be in [1, nrec+1] */
+		if (h->old_count == 0 &&
+		    (h->old_start < 1 || h->old_start > xe->xdf1.nrec + 1))
+			return -1;
+		if (h->new_count == 0 &&
+		    (h->new_start < 1 || h->new_start > xe->xdf2.nrec + 1))
+			return -1;
+
+		/* Ordering: no overlap with previous hunk */
+		if (h->old_start < prev_old_end ||
+		    h->new_start < prev_new_end)
+			return -1;
+
+		for (j = 0; j < h->old_count; j++)
+			xe->xdf1.changed[h->old_start - 1 + j] = true;
+		for (j = 0; j < h->new_count; j++)
+			xe->xdf2.changed[h->new_start - 1 + j] = true;
+
+		prev_old_end = h->old_start + h->old_count;
+		prev_new_end = h->new_start + h->new_count;
+		total_old += h->old_count;
+		total_new += h->new_count;
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * Synchronization invariant: unchanged line counts must match.
+	 * Otherwise xdl_build_script() would walk off one array.
+	 */
+	if ((long)xe->xdf1.nrec - total_old !=
+	    (long)xe->xdf2.nrec - total_new)
+		return -1;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 int xdl_diff(mmfile_t *mf1, mmfile_t *mf2, xpparam_t const *xpp,
 	     xdemitconf_t const *xecfg, xdemitcb_t *ecb) {
 	xdchange_t *xscr;
 	xdfenv_t xe;
 	emit_func_t ef = xecfg->hunk_func ? xdl_call_hunk_func : xdl_emit_diff;
 
-	if (xdl_do_diff(mf1, mf2, xpp, &xe) < 0) {
-
-		return -1;
+	if (xpp->external_hunks) {
+		if (xdl_prepare_env(mf1, mf2, xpp, &xe) < 0)
+			return -1;
+		if (xdl_populate_hunks_from_external(&xe,
+						     xpp->external_hunks,
+						     xpp->external_hunks_nr) < 0) {
+			/*
+			 * Invalid external hunks; fall back to the
+			 * builtin diff algorithm.  Re-runs
+			 * xdl_prepare_env() via xdl_do_diff().
+			 */
+			xdl_free_env(&xe);
+			if (xdl_do_diff(mf1, mf2, xpp, &xe) < 0)
+				return -1;
+		}
+	} else {
+		if (xdl_do_diff(mf1, mf2, xpp, &xe) < 0)
+			return -1;
 	}
+
 	if (xdl_change_compact(&xe.xdf1, &xe.xdf2, xpp->flags) < 0 ||
 	    xdl_change_compact(&xe.xdf2, &xe.xdf1, xpp->flags) < 0 ||
 	    xdl_build_script(&xe, &xscr) < 0) {