Patch Minimalizer
Create a more focused, "blame-friendly" patch by removing noisy, non-functional changes from your diff file. This tool intelligently trims unnecessary hunks, keeping only the essential modifications.
How to Use
Input Patch: Paste a Git patch into the input area. The tool works best with patches generated from tools like Prettier or other formatters.
Minimize Automatically: The tool analyzes the patch and removes hunks that only contain whitespace or non-functional changes.
Get Minimal Patch: Copy the minimized patch, which is now cleaner and easier to review, reducing noise for `git blame`.
Original Patch
Minimized Patch
Your minimized patch will appear here...
Why Use a Patch Minimalizer?
When you run a code formatter (like Prettier) across a large codebase, it can create "noisy" diffs. These patches might contain thousands of lines of purely stylistic changes, making it difficult to spot the real, functional modifications during code review. A patch minimalizer cleans up this noise, producing a "blame-friendly" diff that only includes the meaningful changes.
Key Benefits
Cleaner Code Reviews
Focus reviews on substantive changes by hiding purely cosmetic adjustments. This leads to faster, more effective feedback.
Preserve Git Blame History
Avoid cluttering `git blame` with commits that just change formatting. Keep your repository history clean and meaningful.
Easier Refactoring
Separate large-scale formatting changes from logical refactoring, allowing each to be reviewed and merged independently.
Improved Collaboration
Share smaller, more focused patches with your team, making it easier for everyone to understand the core purpose of a change.
How It Works
A patch file is made of "hunks," which are blocks of code showing additions and deletions. This tool analyzes each hunk to determine if it contains meaningful changes or just whitespace adjustments. It intelligently discards hunks that are purely cosmetic, leaving a minimal patch that is functionally identical but much cleaner.
Example of a Noisy Hunk
Original Hunk (before minimizing):
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
- const myObject = { key: "value",
- anotherKey: "anotherValue" };
+ const myObject = {
+ key: "value",
+ anotherKey: "anotherValue"
+ };
After Minimizing:
This hunk would be removed entirely, as it only contains formatting changes.Frequently Asked Questions
When should I use the Patch Minimalizer?
The best time to use this tool is right after you've run a code formatter or linter that has modified many files. Instead of committing all those changes at once, you can generate a patch, minimize it, and commit the functional changes separately from the stylistic ones.
Is this tool safe for my code?
Yes. The tool operates entirely on the client-side, meaning your code never leaves your browser. The minimization logic is designed to be conservative, only removing hunks that are guaranteed to be non-functional. It will not alter the logic of your code.
What kind of changes are considered "non-functional"?
Typically, these are changes to whitespace (spaces, tabs, newlines), indentation, and line wrapping. For example, changing from single to double quotes or re-wrapping a long line of code would be considered non-functional. The tool identifies hunks where the only differences between the "removed" and "added" lines are these cosmetic elements.
Can this tool handle multi-file patches?
Yes. It will process the entire patch, including `--- a/file.js` and `+++ b/file.js` markers, and analyze each hunk individually across all files contained in the patch. The output will be a single, minimized patch file that you can apply to your repository.
How is this different from `git diff -w`?
The `-w` or `--ignore-all-space` flag in `git diff` is useful for *viewing* diffs without whitespace, but it doesn't help you create a patch that can be committed. This tool actually modifies the patch content itself, so you can create a clean commit that your team can pull and apply.