ksdiff ☆

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Description:
Command-line tool for the App Store version of Kaleidoscope

Type: Cask | Latest Version: 3.3,146@0 | Tracked Since: Aug 5, 2025

Links: Homepage | @kaleidoscopeapp | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: diff merge version-control developer-tools kaleidoscope

Install: brew install --cask ksdiff

About:
The ksdiff command-line tool integrates the Kaleidoscope diff and merge engine into terminal workflows and other applications. It provides a high-quality visual diff for files and directories, enabling precise comparison and conflict resolution. Its primary value is bringing Kaleidoscope's powerful GUI comparison capabilities directly to command-line scripts and version control hooks.

Key Features:

Provides a visual file and directory diff from the command line
Integrates with version control systems (e.g., Git, SVN) as a diff/merge tool
Supports two-way and three-way merging operations
Enables detailed image and text comparison
Allows launching Kaleidoscope.app directly for manual inspection

Use Cases:

Configuring as an external diff tool for Git to review changes visually
Automating file comparison in shell scripts or CI/CD pipelines
Resolving merge conflicts by using it as a merge tool with version control

Alternatives:

diff – Standard Unix diff is text-only and terminal-based, lacking a graphical interface.
opendiff – Xcode's FileMerge tool; free but less feature-rich for complex merges and image diffs.
vimdiff – Powerful terminal-based diff within Vim, but requires Vim proficiency and is not graphical.

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Aug 5, 2025 2:20pm	3.3,146	0	VERSION_BUMP	7f191317
Dec 4, 2022 4:56am	3.3,146	0	VERSION_BUMP	418cb20b