GitHub PR Diff

When to use

• The user asks to see what changed in a PR.
• Reviewing code changes before merge.
• Getting a list of files changed in a PR.

Inputs to confirm

• PR number, URL, or branch name (or current branch PR).
• Output format (full diff, name-only, patch).
• Target repo if not current (--repo OWNER/REPO).

Workflow

1. Verify auth:

``bash gh --version gh auth status ``

1. View the diff:

```bash # Full diff gh pr diff 123

# List changed files only gh pr diff 123 --name-only

# Patch format gh pr diff 123 --patch ```

1. Control color output:

``bash gh pr diff 123 --color always gh pr diff 123 --color never | less ``

1. Open in browser for visual diff:

``bash gh pr diff 123 --web ``

Examples

# View diff of current branch's PR
gh pr diff

# See only file names changed
gh pr diff 123 --name-only

# Get patch format for applying elsewhere
gh pr diff 123 --patch > changes.patch

# Pipe to less for large diffs
gh pr diff 123 --color always | less -R

Flags reference

Notes

• Without arguments, shows diff for current branch's PR.
• Use --name-only for quick overview of scope.
• Patch format is useful for cherry-picking or backup.

References

• GitHub CLI manual: https://cli.github.com/manual/
• gh pr diff --help