---
name: "splitdiff"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "patchutils"
version: "0.4.5-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/splitdiff"
---

# splitdiff(1)

separate out incremental patches

## NAME

splitdiff - separate out incremental patches

## SYNOPSIS

**splitdiff** \[-a\] \[-d\] \[-D *dir*\] \[-p *n*\] \[-E\] \[*file*\]

**splitdiff** {\[--help\] \| \[--version\]}

## DESCRIPTION

If you have a patch file composed of several incremental patches, you can use splitdiff to separate them out. You may want to do this in preparation for re-combining them with [**combinediff**(1)](/combinediff/1.md).

The effect of running splitdiff is to separate its input into a set of output files, with no output file patching the same file more than once.

## OPTIONS

- **-a**

  Split out every single file-level patch.

- **-d**

  Create file names such as a\_b.c.patch for a patch that modifies a/b.c.

- **-D** *dir*

  Write output files into subdirectory *dir*. Implies **-d**.

- **-p** *n*

  Strip the first *n* components of the pathname to aid comparisons.

- **-E**

  Don't use .patch filename extension when writing output files.

- **--help**

  Display a short usage message.

- **--version**

  Display the version number of splitdiff.

## SEE ALSO

[**combinediff**(1)](/combinediff/1.md), [**lsdiff**(1)](/lsdiff/1.md)

## AUTHOR

**Tim Waugh** \<twaugh@redhat.com\>

Package maintainer