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Differential is a terminal-based code reviewer that organizes changes into repeated shapes, dependency-aware groups, and review tiers. It can work against a local Git worktree without a remote forge; for pull-request or merge-request threads, it integrates with GitHub or GitLab through their authenticated command-line tools.
What Differential does
Differential runs beside a Git worktree and presents changes in a terminal interface. It can review staged changes, a dirty worktree, or a named commit range. Its main distinction from a basic diff viewer is how it organizes what to read: it filters repeated patterns, orders related groups by dependencies, and lets reviewers inspect surrounding symbol context.
The project author describes the approach as filtering echoes and identifying dependencies. Those are product descriptions, not independent findings about review speed or accuracy. The repository documents the workflow but does not establish quantified productivity gains or benchmark results.
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Repeated shapes become classes
Differential normalizes variable content in diff text—including strings, numbers, longer identifiers, and whitespace—and hashes the resulting shape. This is a regex-based operation, not parser-based analysis. When multiple hunks share a shape, the review plan can show an exemplar and defer the repeated remainder. This can help with mechanical repetition, but it does not mean the remaining hunks have been individually verified.
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Dependencies set a foundation-first order
The engine builds a symbol dependency graph from AST information, maps that graph onto review groups, and orders groups so foundational changes appear before their consumers. Group roles include foundation, consumer, mechanical, and noise. The README says cycles are reported rather than concealed, and that the dependency graph is a fact about the diff that the model cannot change.
An LLM groups classes, not individual hunks
The agent stage receives shape-class IDs and symbol information, then merges and labels classes; it can inspect relevant files. Results are cached by content, so the README describes rerunning the same range as deterministic and free after the result has been cached. This does not make the full semantic-grouping workflow model-free: the mechanical engine can run without a model or network as a library, but the grouped pipeline adds the model stage.
What the review tiers mean
| Tier or group | What Differential does | What the reviewer should understand |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Shows every hunk for line-by-line reading. | This is the most complete reading mode described in the README. |
| Skim | Shows one exemplar for a shape class and defers the remaining matching hunks. | Repeated examples are not all read in the initial pass. |
| Noise | Folds content classified as generated noise. | Folded hunks are skipped in the current plan. |
| Unclassified | Places changes the model did not classify into a back-fill group, read in full. | Unclassified changes are not silently discarded by the plan. |
Differential distinguishes hunks that are read from hunks that are skipped; skipped hunks include skim remainders and folded noise. Choose a tier with that distinction in mind: a compact plan is a way to prioritize attention, not evidence that every deferred line has received the same scrutiny as a focused hunk.
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How to start a review
The repository documents dfr as the command-line entry point. These are the basic review paths:
-
Install Git and one of the supported agent CLIs. To install Differential through Cargo, run
cargo install differential; the package installsdfranddifferentialas the same program. -
For an interactive choice of base and local changes, run
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To review a specific commit range, run
dfr review main..feature, replacing the example branch names with the range you want to inspect.The Tool Desk
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To render the review plan as synthetic commits for another Git-reading interface, run
dfr stack main..feature. The resulting stack can be read in an IDE,tig, orgit log.
Review a GitHub pull request or GitLab merge request
For a GitHub pull request, use dfr review --pr 123; for a GitLab merge request, use dfr review --mr 123, substituting the relevant request number. Viewing and acting on review threads requires the matching gh or glab CLI to be installed and authenticated. The README documents replying to, commenting on, resolving, and reopening existing threads.
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Other useful commands
dfr checkchecks structural invariants and can be used in CI.dfr findingsemits findings as JSON.dfr agentslists agent availability.dfr cleanremoves regenerable cache.
Requirements, agent choices, and safety
The README lists Git on the PATH and an agent CLI for the grouping stage as requirements. Named options are Claude Code, Codex, Droid, GitHub Copilot CLI, and Pi. The project documents different safety mechanisms for these agents; they should not be treated as equally restricted to read-only actions.
- Claude Code and Copilot are described as using allowlists.
- Codex is described as using an operating-system sandbox.
- Droid is described as having a default safety behavior.
- Pi is specifically warned to be able to write, commit, and push without a sandbox or per-command allowlist.
Check the selected agent’s configuration and permissions before running the grouping workflow, especially if its access to the worktree or Git operations matters to you.
Rust stable is required only if building Differential from source; the required version is pinned in the repository’s rust-toolchain.toml. The documented Cargo package installation avoids making a source build a stated prerequisite.
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Language support and navigation context
Differential can read files and count hunks regardless of programming language. Parser support affects the precision of symbol dependency ordering and declaration peeks. The README names Rust, TypeScript, Python, Go, Kotlin, Java, C#, Swift, PHP, Zig, and Vue as having the most precise ordering; that list describes parser-backed precision, not an inability to review other languages.
Resolvable symbol references can be underlined in the interface; press z to open a declaration peek. Search covers all changed files, including unchanged lines within those files. It cannot find deleted lines or deleted files, because they are no longer present in current file contents.
When Differential fits—and what remains uncertain
Differential is most relevant when a change set contains repeated mechanical edits or dependencies that benefit from an intentional reading order, and when you are comfortable reviewing through a terminal UI with an agent CLI in the workflow. It also offers a way to review local changes without connecting to a forge. Use a conventional full-hunk review when you need to personally inspect every change rather than defer repeated or folded hunks.
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The repository README, accessed October 7, 2026, and the author’s introduction published September 23, 2026, document features and commands, but do not establish independent head-to-head results, adoption figures, error-detection rates, or time saved. Treat claims about reduced repeated reading as the tool’s design rationale, not a measured outcome. Requirements and supported-agent details may change as the repository evolves.
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