file-tree-diff

name	file-tree-diff
description	Compare two directory trees and show added, removed, and changed files with color output. Use when you need to compare two versions of a directory, find what changed between releases, audit differences between staging and production file sets, or verify a deployment. Triggers include "compare directories", "directory diff", "what changed in", "file differences between", "ftd", "tree diff".

file-tree-diff (ftd)

Compare two directory trees visually. Color-coded output. Filter, export, watch mode.

When to use

• Comparing two versions of a project directory
• Finding what changed between releases
• Auditing staging vs production differences
• Verifying a deployment copied all expected files
• Checking if two directories are identical

Quick Start

ftd v1/ v2/
ftd --content --deep src/ dist/
ftd --ignore-common --output json old/ new/ > diff.json

Usage Patterns

Basic diff

ftd left/ right/

With content line counts

ftd --content left/ right/

Shows +N -M lines for changed files.

Show diff hunks

ftd --content --deep left/ right/

Shows actual changed lines for each modified file.

Filter by status

ftd --only added left/ right/
ftd --only removed left/ right/
ftd --only changed left/ right/

Ignore patterns

ftd --ignore "*.log" --ignore "tmp/" left/ right/
ftd --ignore-common left/ right/  # node_modules, .git, dist, build, etc.

Export results

ftd --output json left/ right/ > diff.json
ftd --output markdown left/ right/ > diff.md
ftd --output json --output-file report.json left/ right/

Watch mode

ftd --watch left/ right/

Re-runs diff when files change. Ctrl+C to stop.

Interactive mode

ftd --interactive left/ right/

Browse with j/k, expand with Enter, quit with q.

CLI Reference

Flag	Description
--content, -c	Enable content (line-level) comparison
--deep	Show diff hunks (requires --content)
--size	Show byte sizes and deltas
--show-unchanged	Include unchanged files in output
--only <status>	Filter to: added, removed, changed
--ignore <pattern>	Ignore glob pattern (repeatable)
--ignore-common	Ignore common build/VCS artifacts
--max-depth <n>	Limit recursion depth
--summary	Stats only, no tree
--output json|markdown	Export format
--output-file <path>	Write to file
--watch	Watch for changes
--interactive	Browse diff interactively
--no-color	Disable color

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
FTD_NO_COLOR	Disable color (0 or 1)	0
FTD_MAX_DEPTH	Default max depth	unlimited
FTD_IGNORE_COMMON	Always ignore common files (0 or 1)	0
FTD_CONTENT_DIFF	Always use content diff (0 or 1)	0

.ftdignore

Place a .ftdignore file in either directory. Uses gitignore syntax:

# Comments
node_modules/
*.log
dist/
!dist/MANIFEST.json  # negation: keep this file

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	No differences found
1	Differences found
2	Error (bad arguments, permission denied, etc.)