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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsDifferential is a terminal-based code reviewer that organizes a diff by repeated change patterns and code dependencies, rather than presenting only a file-by-file list. It can review local Git changes without a remote forge, and it can also work with GitHub pull requests and GitLab merge requests. Its grouping workflow requires a supported agent CLI; the project does not publish independent benchmarks showing how much time it saves or whether it improves review outcomes.
What Differential does
Differential runs beside a Git worktree on your machine or a remote machine. You can use it to review staged changes, an uncommitted worktree, or a named commit range. Local review does not require a GitHub or GitLab account, or even a remote repository. Its distinctive feature is a review plan that groups similar changes and orders them using code dependencies.
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The project author describes Differential as a terminal program written in Rust with ratatui. That is the author’s description, not an independent assessment. The author’s introduction, published September 23, 2026, explains the motivation behind the workflow.
How the grouping works
Repeated shapes are reduced to exemplars
Differential normalizes variable content in diff text—such as strings, numbers, longer identifiers, and whitespace—and hashes the resulting shapes. This is regex-based, not parser-based. When many hunks share a shape, the review plan can show one exemplar and defer the rest instead of asking you to read each repeated instance immediately.
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Dependencies set a foundation-first order
The tool builds a symbol dependency graph from abstract syntax tree information, then maps that graph onto groups. It orders groups so foundational changes appear before the code that consumes them. Group roles include foundation, consumer, mechanical, and noise. Cycles are reported rather than silently hidden. The project says the dependency graph is a property of the diff that the model cannot change.
An agent groups classes, not individual hunks
The agent receives shape-class IDs and symbol information, then merges and labels classes; it can inspect relevant files as part of that work. Results are cached by content, so the README describes repeated runs on the same range as deterministic and free of another grouping run. This model-assisted stage is separate from the mechanical diff analysis: the latter can run as a library without a model or network, but the full grouped pipeline adds the model stage.
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What the review tiers mean
Differential distinguishes hunks you read from hunks you defer or fold. That distinction matters: a shorter-looking review plan is not the same as having inspected every changed line.
| Tier or group | What happens |
|---|---|
| Focus | Read every hunk line by line. |
| Skim | Read one exemplar for each shape class; defer the remaining hunks in that class. |
| Noise | Fold content classified as generated or otherwise noise. |
| Unclassified | Read in full. Changes the model does not classify go into this back-fill group. |
Skim and noise are choices to defer or fold material, not proof that the omitted hunks are harmless. For high-risk or unfamiliar changes, use focus or inspect deferred hunks directly. The README documents the tiers but does not establish that the classifications catch every meaningful exception.
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Context while navigating
When a symbol reference can be resolved, Differential can underline it; pressing z opens a peek at its declaration. Search covers changed files, including unchanged lines still present in those files. It cannot search deleted lines or deleted files, because they are no longer part of current file contents.
Install requirements and safety considerations
The official Differential repository README lists Git on your PATH and an agent CLI for the grouping stage. Its named agent options are Claude Code (the default), Codex, Droid, GitHub Copilot CLI, and Pi. The documented package installation is cargo install differential; it installs dfr and differential as the same program. Building from source requires Rust stable, with the version pinned in rust-toolchain.toml.
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Do not assume all agent choices have the same safeguards. The README describes allowlists for Claude Code and Copilot, an OS sandbox for Codex, and a default safety behavior for Droid. It warns that Pi can write, commit, and push without a sandbox or per-command allowlist. Check the selected agent’s permissions and safety settings before using it on a repository where changes or remote actions would be consequential.
Review local changes, ranges, and forge requests
Start an interactive review
- From a Git worktree, run
dfr review. It opens a base picker and can include uncommitted work. - To review a specific range, run
dfr review main..feature, substituting the base and feature refs in your repository. - Choose a review tier appropriate to the change, then navigate the plan and inspect exemplars, dependencies, or deferred hunks as needed.
Render a plan as a commit stack
Run dfr stack main..feature to render the plan as synthetic commits. The README says these can be read in an IDE, tig, or git log. This provides an alternative when you prefer your usual Git or editor interface to the interactive TUI.
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- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS - Windows 7, 8, 10. Wired USB connection. Package includes: 1 PERIBOARD-409H UK, 1 instruction manual
Review a GitHub PR or GitLab MR
Use dfr review --pr 123 for a GitHub pull request or dfr review --mr 123 for a GitLab merge request, replacing 123 with the request number. Review-thread actions—replying, commenting, resolving, or reopening existing threads—require the matching gh or glab CLI to be installed and authenticated. The forge integration is optional for local reviews.
Other documented commands
dfr checkchecks structural invariants and can be used in CI.dfr findingsemits findings as JSON.dfr agentslists agent availability.dfr cleanremoves regenerable cache.
Language support and its limits
Differential reads files and counts hunks regardless of language. Parser support improves dependency ordering and declaration peeking; the README lists Rust, TypeScript, Python, Go, Kotlin, Java, C#, Swift, PHP, Zig, and Vue as having its most precise ordering. That list describes stronger parser support, not a restriction on which languages can appear in a diff.
Quick Recap
When Differential may fit your review workflow
- Consider it if a large change contains repeated mechanical edits or if you want a dependency-aware reading order alongside ordinary Git review.
- Expect additional setup if you want the full semantic grouping workflow: it depends on a supported agent CLI, and PR/MR thread actions also need the relevant authenticated forge CLI.
- Inspect deferred material deliberately when using skim or noise, especially for security-sensitive or unfamiliar changes.
- Keep expectations evidence-based: the project documentation describes how grouping works, but does not provide independent head-to-head evaluations, user studies, or measured productivity and error-detection results.
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