Files and patches

Use file comparison when you already have before and after content, and patch mode when another tool emits unified diff text.

Compare files

hunk diff --files before.ts after.ts

The explicit --files option keeps file comparison distinct from hunk diff <from> <to>, which compares two VCS revisions. Add --watch to reload when either file changes:

hunk diff --files before.ts after.ts --watch

Open a patch file

hunk patch changes.patch

A file-backed patch can use watch mode. It remains tied to that file path.

Read a patch from stdin

git diff --no-color | hunk patch -

Use - to make stdin explicit. Stdin is a snapshot, so it cannot use --watch; write the patch to a file when you need continuous reloads.

Patch-like input is parsed into the same file and hunk model as repository input. Non-diff text belongs in pager mode, where Hunk can fall back to plain text.