From: "Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
To: git@vger.kernel.org
Cc: Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de>,
Michael Montalbo <mmontalbo@gmail.com>,
Michael Montalbo <mmontalbo@gmail.com>
Subject: [PATCH v5 6/9] diff: bypass diff process with --no-ext-diff and in format-patch
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:01:59 +0000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <b2e80f014e7a0aaf54dfafda8ef1ffa5b118fb1b.1784149323.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <pull.2120.v5.git.1784149323.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
From: Michael Montalbo <mmontalbo@gmail.com>
Make --no-ext-diff disable diff.<driver>.process in addition to
diff.<driver>.command. Although the two mechanisms work differently
(command replaces Git's output, process feeds hunks back into the
pipeline), both invoke external tools and --no-ext-diff means
"no external tools."
Replace the OPT_BOOL for --ext-diff with an OPT_CALLBACK that
sets both allow_external and no_diff_process, so a single option
controls both. Passing --ext-diff explicitly clears
no_diff_process, so a later --ext-diff overrides an earlier
--no-ext-diff.
Disable the diff process unconditionally in format-patch so that
generated patches are always based on the builtin diff algorithm
and can be applied reliably by recipients who do not have the
external tool.
Document that --diff-algorithm also bypasses the diff process,
since it forces the builtin algorithm.
Signed-off-by: Michael Montalbo <mmontalbo@gmail.com>
---
Documentation/diff-algorithm-option.adoc | 3 +++
Documentation/diff-options.adoc | 4 +++-
Documentation/gitattributes.adoc | 6 +++---
builtin/log.c | 7 +++++++
diff.c | 16 ++++++++++++++--
diff.h | 5 ++++-
t/t4080-diff-process.sh | 16 ++++++++++++++++
7 files changed, 50 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/diff-algorithm-option.adoc b/Documentation/diff-algorithm-option.adoc
index 8e3a0b63d7..4d7e2ec35f 100644
--- a/Documentation/diff-algorithm-option.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/diff-algorithm-option.adoc
@@ -18,3 +18,6 @@
For instance, if you configured the `diff.algorithm` variable to a
non-default value and want to use the default one, then you
have to use `--diff-algorithm=default` option.
++
+If you explicitly choose a diff algorithm, it also bypasses
+`diff.<driver>.process` (see linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
diff --git a/Documentation/diff-options.adoc b/Documentation/diff-options.adoc
index c8242e2462..a884445211 100644
--- a/Documentation/diff-options.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/diff-options.adoc
@@ -833,7 +833,9 @@ endif::git-format-patch[]
to use this option with linkgit:git-log[1] and friends.
`--no-ext-diff`::
- Disallow external diff drivers.
+ Disallow external diff helpers, including
+ `diff.<driver>.command` and `diff.<driver>.process`
+ (see linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
`--textconv`::
`--no-textconv`::
diff --git a/Documentation/gitattributes.adoc b/Documentation/gitattributes.adoc
index f4ca4a8c7e..a03fb9deb1 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitattributes.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/gitattributes.adoc
@@ -1073,9 +1073,9 @@ display, which is covered above); and combined diffs (`--cc` and merge
diffs), whose protocol would have to be extended from a single old/new
pair to one comparison per merge parent.
-`--diff-algorithm` bypasses the process entirely, for every feature
-listed above. The whitespace-ignoring options (`-w`,
-`--ignore-space-change`, `--ignore-blank-lines`, and the like),
+`--no-ext-diff` and `--diff-algorithm` bypass the process entirely,
+for every feature listed above. The whitespace-ignoring options
+(`-w`, `--ignore-space-change`, `--ignore-blank-lines`, and the like),
`-I<regex>`, and `--anchored` also bypass it for the affected files:
the tool is never told about these options, so it could not honor
them, and Git falls back to the builtin diff, which does.
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index d027ce1e0b..7821a61143 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -2217,6 +2217,13 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc,
if (argc > 1)
die(_("unrecognized argument: %s"), argv[1]);
+ /*
+ * Disable diff.<driver>.process so that patches generated by
+ * format-patch are always based on the builtin diff algorithm
+ * and can be applied reliably.
+ */
+ rev.diffopt.flags.no_diff_process = 1;
+
if (rev.diffopt.output_format & DIFF_FORMAT_NAME)
die(_("--name-only does not make sense"));
if (rev.diffopt.output_format & DIFF_FORMAT_NAME_STATUS)
diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index af31072858..a9a732629e 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -5948,6 +5948,17 @@ static int diff_opt_submodule(const struct option *opt,
return 0;
}
+static int diff_opt_ext_diff(const struct option *opt,
+ const char *arg, int unset)
+{
+ struct diff_options *options = opt->value;
+
+ BUG_ON_OPT_ARG(arg);
+ options->flags.allow_external = !unset;
+ options->flags.no_diff_process = unset;
+ return 0;
+}
+
static int diff_opt_textconv(const struct option *opt,
const char *arg, int unset)
{
@@ -6278,8 +6289,9 @@ struct option *add_diff_options(const struct option *opts,
N_("exit with 1 if there were differences, 0 otherwise")),
OPT_BOOL(0, "quiet", &options->flags.quick,
N_("disable all output of the program")),
- OPT_BOOL(0, "ext-diff", &options->flags.allow_external,
- N_("allow an external diff helper to be executed")),
+ OPT_CALLBACK_F(0, "ext-diff", options, NULL,
+ N_("allow an external diff helper to be executed"),
+ PARSE_OPT_NOARG, diff_opt_ext_diff),
OPT_CALLBACK_F(0, "textconv", options, NULL,
N_("run external text conversion filters when comparing binary files"),
PARSE_OPT_NOARG, diff_opt_textconv),
diff --git a/diff.h b/diff.h
index 7dc157968d..ee034d240d 100644
--- a/diff.h
+++ b/diff.h
@@ -173,7 +173,10 @@ struct diff_flags {
*/
unsigned allow_external;
- /** Disables diff.<driver>.process. */
+ /**
+ * Disables diff.<driver>.process. Set by --no-ext-diff and by
+ * format-patch.
+ */
unsigned no_diff_process;
/**
diff --git a/t/t4080-diff-process.sh b/t/t4080-diff-process.sh
index 3b75df082e..7e71b70ab9 100755
--- a/t/t4080-diff-process.sh
+++ b/t/t4080-diff-process.sh
@@ -398,6 +398,22 @@ test_expect_success 'diff process bypassed by --diff-algorithm' '
test_path_is_missing backend.log
'
+test_expect_success 'diff process bypassed by --no-ext-diff' '
+ test_when_finished "rm -f backend.log" &&
+ git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --log=backend.log" \
+ diff --no-ext-diff worddiff.c >actual &&
+ test_grep "return 999" actual &&
+ test_path_is_missing backend.log
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'diff process not used by format-patch' '
+ test_when_finished "rm -f backend.log" &&
+ git -c diff.cdiff.process="$BACKEND --log=backend.log" \
+ format-patch -1 --stdout -- logtest.c >actual &&
+ test_grep "return 2" actual &&
+ test_path_is_missing backend.log
+'
+
test_expect_success 'diff process bypassed under whitespace-ignoring flags' '
test_when_finished "rm -f backend.log" &&
printf "a\nb\nc\n" >wsbypass.c &&
--
gitgitgadget
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2026-07-15 21:02 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 54+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2026-05-22 2:11 [PATCH 0/5] [RFC] diff: add diff.<driver>.process for external hunk providers Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-22 2:11 ` [PATCH 1/5] xdiff: support external hunks via xpparam_t Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-22 5:29 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-05-22 19:06 ` Michael Montalbo
2026-05-24 8:50 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-05-24 18:01 ` Michael Montalbo
2026-05-22 2:11 ` [PATCH 2/5] userdiff: add diff.<driver>.process config Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-22 2:11 ` [PATCH 3/5] diff: add long-running diff process via diff.<driver>.process Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-22 2:11 ` [PATCH 4/5] blame: consult diff process for zero-hunk detection Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-22 2:11 ` [PATCH 5/5] diff-process-normalize: add built-in whitespace normalizer Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-22 5:29 ` [PATCH 0/5] [RFC] diff: add diff.<driver>.process for external hunk providers Junio C Hamano
2026-05-22 17:19 ` Michael Montalbo
2026-05-25 18:29 ` [PATCH v2 0/4] " Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-25 18:29 ` [PATCH v2 1/4] xdiff: support external hunks via xpparam_t Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-25 18:29 ` [PATCH v2 2/4] userdiff: add diff.<driver>.process config Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-25 18:29 ` [PATCH v2 3/4] diff: add long-running diff process via diff.<driver>.process Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-26 1:56 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-05-29 0:51 ` Michael Montalbo
2026-05-26 2:26 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-05-29 0:55 ` Michael Montalbo
2026-05-25 18:29 ` [PATCH v2 4/4] blame: consult diff process for zero-hunk detection Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-29 20:48 ` [PATCH v3 0/6] [RFC] diff: add diff.<driver>.process for external hunk providers Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-29 20:48 ` [PATCH v3 1/6] xdiff: support external hunks via xpparam_t Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-29 20:48 ` [PATCH v3 2/6] userdiff: add diff.<driver>.process config Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-29 20:48 ` [PATCH v3 3/6] sub-process: separate process lifecycle from hashmap management Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-29 20:48 ` [PATCH v3 4/6] diff: add long-running diff process via diff.<driver>.process Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-06-07 14:36 ` Johannes Schindelin
2026-06-07 17:04 ` Michael Montalbo
2026-06-08 12:26 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-06-07 20:36 ` Michael Montalbo
2026-06-08 17:19 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-06-08 12:06 ` Junio C Hamano
2026-05-29 20:48 ` [PATCH v3 5/6] diff: bypass diff process with --no-ext-diff and in format-patch Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-29 20:48 ` [PATCH v3 6/6] blame: consult diff process for no-hunk detection Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-05-31 10:44 ` [PATCH v3 0/6] [RFC] diff: add diff.<driver>.process for external hunk providers Junio C Hamano
2026-06-01 4:28 ` Michael Montalbo
2026-06-14 18:59 ` [PATCH v4 " Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-06-14 18:59 ` [PATCH v4 1/6] xdiff: support external hunks via xpparam_t Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-06-14 18:59 ` [PATCH v4 2/6] userdiff: add diff.<driver>.process config Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-06-14 18:59 ` [PATCH v4 3/6] sub-process: separate process lifecycle from hashmap management Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-06-14 18:59 ` [PATCH v4 4/6] diff: add long-running diff process via diff.<driver>.process Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-06-14 18:59 ` [PATCH v4 5/6] diff: bypass diff process with --no-ext-diff and in format-patch Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-06-14 18:59 ` [PATCH v4 6/6] blame: consult diff process for no-hunk detection Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-07-15 21:01 ` [PATCH v5 0/9] [RFC] diff: add diff.<driver>.process for external hunk providers Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-07-15 21:01 ` [PATCH v5 1/9] gitattributes: document how external diff drivers relate to diff features Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-07-15 21:01 ` [PATCH v5 2/9] xdiff: support external hunks via xpparam_t Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-07-15 21:01 ` [PATCH v5 3/9] userdiff: add diff.<driver>.process config Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-07-15 21:01 ` [PATCH v5 4/9] sub-process: separate process lifecycle from hashmap management Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-07-15 21:01 ` [PATCH v5 5/9] diff: add long-running diff process via diff.<driver>.process Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-07-15 21:01 ` Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget [this message]
2026-07-15 21:02 ` [PATCH v5 7/9] blame: consult diff process for no-hunk detection Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-07-15 21:02 ` [PATCH v5 8/9] diff: consult diff process for --stat counts Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
2026-07-15 21:02 ` [PATCH v5 9/9] line-log: consult diff process for range tracking Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget
[not found] ` <pull.2120.v4.git.1781463332.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
2026-06-15 21:14 ` [PREVIEW v4 0/6] [RFC] diff: add diff.<driver>.process for external hunk providers Michael Montalbo
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