Direct answer
Which command-line features does Diff Anything support?
On Windows, Diff Anything uses its desktop executable with --cli and two source paths, or the arguments Git passes to a diff driver. Single comparisons support auto, text, json, yaml, xml, csv, env, http, api, folder, archive, document, and binary modes (the free CLI runs text and JSON; Pro runs the others); summary, terminal, or JSON output; colour, language, and context controls; and an opt-in difference exit code; --fail-on breaking counts only breaking or unclassified API schema changes. Pro batch manifests support YAML or JSON input, a failOn setting per case, and summary, JSON, JUnit, or SARIF output.
Single comparisons
Every single-comparison option, without implied flags.
Use --mode auto|text|json|yaml|xml|csv|env|http|api|folder|archive|document|binary and --format summary|terminal|json. A terminal defaults to terminal output; redirected stdout defaults to summary.
Use --color auto|always|never, --language LANGUAGE, and --context LINES. Passing --language auto clears the override; context must be non-negative and defaults to three lines.
- --exit-code: 0 clean, 1 different, 2 invalid input or comparison failure
- --fail-on breaking: with --mode api, 1 only for breaking or unclassified API schema changes
- Without --exit-code or --fail-on, a valid changed single comparison exits 0
- Use -- before paths when a filename begins with a dash
- --help, --version, and --integration-help are available
PDF layout
Direct PDF layout comparison is desktop; rendered images make it automatable.
CLI document mode compares extracted document content. The rendered-page PDF Visual diff and its per-page match percentage are part of the desktop document workspace, not the direct document CLI result.
For an automated PDF-layout target, render matching reference and candidate pages to images at equal dimensions, compare each pair with Pro --mode binary --format json, and read the image similarity and changed-pixel measurements. A similarity threshold measures the chosen render; it does not prove equal wording, tagging, accessibility, or print behavior.
- Desktop PDF: choose Visual diff for rendered pages
- CLI wording: --mode document compares extracted content
- CLI layout loop: render pages first, then compare each image pair in Pro binary mode
Batch and CI
Batch behavior is explicit and Pro-only.
A batch manifest can be YAML or JSON. Its root can be an object with a comparisons array or a top-level array. Each item accepts name, left, right, an optional supported mode, and failOn: any (the default) or breaking for API schema cases.
Batch output formats are summary, JSON, JUnit, and SARIF, written to stdout or, with --output FILE, to a UTF-8 file. Batch returns 0 when every case passes its failOn check, 1 when a case fails it or could not be compared, and 2 when invocation or manifest loading fails.
- JUnit records failing cases as test failures and lists API findings with their rule codes
- SARIF 2.1.0 reports each API finding as its own result: breaking changes under their rule code as errors
- Desktop profiles and their semantic rules are not batch-manifest options
Free and Pro
Desktop previews and CLI modes have different Free boundaries.
Free desktop use can preview every comparison engine for files up to 5 MiB per side and 10 new comparison sessions per local day; collections show the first 100 items and PDFs show the first 3 page previews. The free CLI supports text and JSON only.
The one-time Pro purchase unlocks every other CLI mode, every batch manifest, larger sources within technical limits, report export, profiles and history, three-way merge, folder synchronization, and trusted preprocessors.
Best for
Where this workflow fits.
- Reading syntax-highlighted file differences in a terminal
- Using Diff Anything as a Git difftool or as the diff driver for chosen file types
- Running repeatable Pro comparison manifests in CI
No accounts, cloud comparison service, analytics, or telemetry.
Relevant capabilities
What Diff Anything brings to the job.
Practical workflow
From setup to a reviewed result.
Enter CLI mode
Run the installed desktop executable with --cli, any options, and exactly two readable source paths.
Choose mode and output
Use automatic detection or an explicit supported mode, then select terminal, summary, or JSON output for a person or another program.
Set process behavior
Add --exit-code when any difference should return 1, or --fail-on breaking for an API schema check; invalid input and comparison errors return 2.
Integrate safely
Configure a Git difftool or diff driver without --exit-code, or use a Pro batch manifest for summary, JSON, JUnit, or SARIF CI output.
Useful in practice
Direct answers
Questions about CLI diff tool.
Which command-line features does Diff Anything support?
On Windows, Diff Anything uses its desktop executable with --cli and two source paths, or the arguments Git passes to a diff driver. Single comparisons support auto, text, json, yaml, xml, csv, env, http, api, folder, archive, document, and binary modes (the free CLI runs text and JSON; Pro runs the others); summary, terminal, or JSON output; colour, language, and context controls; and an opt-in difference exit code; --fail-on breaking counts only breaking or unclassified API schema changes. Pro batch manifests support YAML or JSON input, a failOn setting per case, and summary, JSON, JUnit, or SARIF output.
Does Diff Anything have a separate image CLI mode?
No. The documented CLI mode list has no image mode. Image files can still be inspected through supported automatic or binary handling, while the purpose-built visual image workspace is a desktop feature.
Does CLI document mode visually compare PDF pages?
No. CLI document mode compares extracted content. For automated layout checks, render corresponding PDF pages to equal-size images first and use Pro binary mode with JSON output; for a direct PDF-to-PDF rendered comparison, use the desktop Visual diff.
Should a Git difftool command use --exit-code?
No. Git already invokes a difftool for a changed pair and expects successful processing, so the documented difftool command omits --exit-code. Leave it out of a diff driver too: Git stops git diff at the first changed file when a diff driver exits with a non-zero status.
Can Diff Anything run as the diff driver for git diff?
Yes, on Windows. Define the driver with git config diff.diff-anything.command and assign it to file types in .gitattributes, for example *.json diff=diff-anything. git diff then uses it for those files; git log -p and git show use it with --ext-diff. On the free plan, a file the plan does not cover is listed as not compared and git diff continues.
Where is the executable installed?
The Microsoft Store version on Windows declares the diff-anything.exe execution alias. The Mac App Store version runs in Apple's App Sandbox, which limits it to files and folders you choose in the app, so command-line use is described for Windows.
Go deeper
Run repeatable comparisons, read highlighted terminal output, interpret exit codes, integrate with Git, and publish machine-readable CI results.
Read Use Diff Anything from the CLI, Git, and CIFree & Pro: what’s included
Available on the Mac App Store and Microsoft Store. Free desktop use lets you try every comparison engine for files up to 5 MiB per side and 10 new comparison sessions per local day; collection previews show the first 100 items and PDF previews show the first 3 pages. The free CLI supports text and JSON. A one-time Pro purchase removes the preview and session limits and unlocks larger sources within technical limits, saved profiles and history, report export, three-way merge, folder synchronization, batch manifests, trusted preprocessors, and every CLI mode.