Home › Claude AI › claudearchitect › claudeai_code › Why prefer a diff over a full-file rewrite for e…
Why prefer a diff over a full-file rewrite for edits?
ADiffs run faster on the server
BDiffs are required by the API
CDiffs save tokens and make intent surgical
DDiffs prevent hallucination entirely
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Diffs save tokens and make intent surgical
Sending only changed lines is cheaper and the intent is unambiguous; whole-file rewrites burn tokens and obscure what changed.
Related questions