CLI Diff and Merge Workflows

ABDiff has one default command style for opening the app, and one dedicated image-comparison command.

Blocking App Launch (Default)

These forms launch ABDiff and wait until the opened app instance exits:

abd --local <file> --remote <file> --base <file> --result <file>
abd --local <file> --remote <file>
abd --local <file> --remote <file> --image-mode <mode>
abd <file1>
abd <file1> <file2>
abd <image1> <image2> --image-mode <mode>

• abd <file1> opens a single file.
• abd <file1> <file2> opens a two-file comparison.
• abd --local/--remote is explicit two-way mode.
• abd --base/--local/--remote/--result is explicit three-way merge mode.
• --image-mode is available only for two-file launches (split-line, side-by-side, change-boxes, cross-fade, diff).

ABDiff infers viewer mode (text, image, video, folder, Mach-O) from the files you pass.

Return Immediately

If you do not want blocking behavior, add:

abd --no-wait ...

Immediate Image Comparison

Use abd image for CI-style image checks:

abd image <left> <right> [options]

This command compares images and exits immediately with a pass/fail code.
See CLI image diff for all options.

Git Tool Integration

For Git tool configuration, use the same top-level options:

• git difftool command pattern: abd --local "$LOCAL" --remote "$REMOTE"
• git mergetool command pattern: abd --base "$BASE" --local "$LOCAL" --remote "$REMOTE" --result "$MERGED"

See Git Integration.