Export the remaining client-facing headers from json.hpp and check clients with IWYU

Besides json_fwd.hpp, include analyzers also told clients of
<nlohmann/json.hpp> to include detail/json_ref.hpp (brace
initialization), json_literals.hpp (_json, _json_pointer),
adl_serializer.hpp, detail/macro_scope.hpp (NLOHMANN_DEFINE_*) and
detail/abi_macros.hpp. Mark those includes as exported, too.

ci_single_binaries only checked each header on its own, so it could not
notice this. It now also runs IWYU and clang-tidy's misc-include-cleaner
on small client programs in tests/iwyu_consumer, which fail on develop.
With the exports, json_literals.hpp no longer gets the json_fwd.hpp
suggestion that kept it out of the IWYU gate, so it is gated again.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

cmake/ci.cmake

@@ -610,9 +610,8 @@ foreach(SRC_FILE ${SRC_FILES})
     add_executable(single_${RELATIVE_SRC_FILE} EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src_single/${RELATIVE_SRC_FILE}.cpp)
     target_include_directories(single_${RELATIVE_SRC_FILE} PRIVATE ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include)
     target_compile_features(single_${RELATIVE_SRC_FILE} PRIVATE cxx_std_11)
-    if(RELATIVE_SRC_FILE STREQUAL "json" OR RELATIVE_SRC_FILE STREQUAL "json_literals")
-        # see below: report the diagnostics of json.hpp and json_literals.hpp without --error, so they
-        # do not fail the build
+    if(RELATIVE_SRC_FILE STREQUAL "json")
+        # see below: report the diagnostics of json.hpp without --error, so they do not fail the build
         set_property(TARGET single_${RELATIVE_SRC_FILE} PROPERTY CXX_INCLUDE_WHAT_YOU_USE ${IWYU_TOOL} -Xiwyu --max_line_length=300)
     else()
         set_property(TARGET single_${RELATIVE_SRC_FILE} PROPERTY CXX_INCLUDE_WHAT_YOU_USE "${iwyu_path_and_options}")
@@ -626,18 +625,31 @@ foreach(SRC_FILE ${SRC_FILES})
     # reporting its diagnostics (informational, via CXX_INCLUDE_WHAT_YOU_USE above) but exclude it
     # from the hard gate below so a fresh IWYU/compiler combination does not fail this target on a
     # nondeterministic suggestion for a header that already re-exports everything on purpose.
-    # json_literals.hpp and json.hpp include each other on purpose (json.hpp includes it at its end
-    # unless JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS is defined), and IWYU, not following the cycle, suggests replacing
-    # json.hpp with json_fwd.hpp although the literals need the complete basic_json; exclude it, too.
-    if(NOT RELATIVE_SRC_FILE STREQUAL "json" AND NOT RELATIVE_SRC_FILE STREQUAL "json_literals")
+    if(NOT RELATIVE_SRC_FILE STREQUAL "json")
         list(APPEND single_binaries_tus src_single/${RELATIVE_SRC_FILE}.cpp)
     endif()
 endforeach()
 
+# The checks above look at each header on its own. Client code that includes only <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+# must not be told by include analyzers to include another nlohmann header for what it uses
+# (issue #5812): json.hpp marks those includes "IWYU pragma: export", and both IWYU and clang-tidy's
+# misc-include-cleaner (disabled in .clang-tidy for the library itself) check these clients.
+file(GLOB CONSUMER_FILES ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/tests/iwyu_consumer/*.cpp)
+foreach(CONSUMER_FILE ${CONSUMER_FILES})
+    get_filename_component(CONSUMER_NAME "${CONSUMER_FILE}" NAME_WE)
+    add_executable(iwyu_consumer_${CONSUMER_NAME} EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL ${CONSUMER_FILE})
+    target_include_directories(iwyu_consumer_${CONSUMER_NAME} PRIVATE ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include)
+    target_compile_features(iwyu_consumer_${CONSUMER_NAME} PRIVATE cxx_std_11)
+    list(APPEND single_binaries iwyu_consumer_${CONSUMER_NAME})
+    list(APPEND single_binaries_tus ${CONSUMER_FILE})
+endforeach()
+
 if(IWYU_TOOL_PY)
     add_custom_target(ci_single_binaries
         DEPENDS ${single_binaries}
         COMMAND ${IWYU_TOOL_PY} -p ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR} ${single_binaries_tus} -- ${iwyu_options}
+        COMMAND ${CLANG_TIDY_TOOL} -p ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR} --checks=-*,misc-include-cleaner --warnings-as-errors=* ${CONSUMER_FILES}
+        VERBATIM
         COMMENT "Check if headers are self-contained"
     )
 else()

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/diff.md

@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ Currently, only `remove`, `add`, and `replace` operations are generated.
 - [patch](patch.md) applies a JSON Patch
 - [patch_inplace](patch_inplace.md) applies a JSON Patch in place
 - [merge_patch](merge_patch.md) applies a JSON Merge Patch
+- [merge_diff](merge_diff.md) creates a diff as a JSON Merge Patch
 
 ## Version history
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/index.md

@@ -285,6 +285,7 @@ Access to the JSON value
 ### JSON Merge Patch functions
 
 - [**merge_patch**](merge_patch.md) - applies a JSON Merge Patch
+- [**merge_diff**](merge_diff.md) (_static_) - creates a diff as a JSON Merge Patch
 
 ## Static functions
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/merge_diff.md

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+# <small>nlohmann::basic_json::</small>merge_diff
+
+```cpp
+static basic_json merge_diff(const basic_json& source,
+                             const basic_json& target);
+```
+
+Creates a [JSON Merge Patch](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7396) so that value `source` can be changed into the value
+`target` by calling the [`merge_patch`](merge_patch.md) function. The patch contains only what differs: changed and
+added members with their new values, and removed members with the value `#!json null`. Nested objects are compared
+member by member; any other value that differs, including an array, is replaced as a whole.
+
+For two JSON values `source` and `target`, where `target` contains no object member whose value is `#!json null`, the
+following code always yields `#!cpp true`:
+```cpp
+basic_json patched = source;
+patched.merge_patch(merge_diff(source, target));
+patched == target;
+```
+
+## Parameters
+
+`source` (in)
+:   JSON value to compare from
+
+`target` (in)
+:   JSON value to compare against
+
+## Return value
+
+a JSON Merge Patch to convert the `source` to `target`
+
+## Exception safety
+
+Strong guarantee: `source` and `target` are never modified.
+
+## Complexity
+
+Linear in the total number of values (including nested ones) in `source` and `target`, times the cost of a key-based
+object operation (looking up a key, or adding one to the patch): logarithmic for [`json`](../json.md), and linear for
+[`ordered_json`](../ordered_json.md) (see [`ordered_map` complexity](../ordered_map.md#complexity)). For
+`ordered_json`, diffing two objects with `n` and `m` members therefore takes O((n+m)²).
+
+## Notes
+
+- A merge patch uses `#!json null` to remove a member, so it cannot set a member to `#!json null`. As in RFC 7396, a
+  `#!json null` member of `target` is treated as absent: the patch removes the member from `source` instead of setting
+  it to `#!json null`. A member that is `#!json null` in both `source` and `target` is unchanged and left out of the
+  patch, so `source` keeps it.
+- A merge patch cannot reorder object members, and [`merge_patch`](merge_patch.md) appends added members at the end.
+  For [`ordered_json`](../ordered_json.md), the patched value therefore has the same members as `target`, but not
+  necessarily in the same order, and may compare unequal to it. The patch lists changed and removed members in the
+  order of `source`, followed by added members in the order of `target`.
+
+## Examples
+
+??? example
+
+    The following code shows how a JSON Merge Patch is created as a diff for two JSON values.
+
+    ```cpp
+    --8<-- "examples/merge_diff.cpp"
+    ```
+
+    Output:
+
+    ```json
+    --8<-- "examples/merge_diff.output"
+    ```
+
+## See also
+
+- [RFC 7396 (JSON Merge Patch)](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7396)
+- [merge_patch](merge_patch.md) applies a JSON Merge Patch
+- [diff](diff.md) creates a diff as a JSON Patch
+
+## Version history
+
+- Added in version 3.13.0.

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/merge_patch.md

@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ returned by `#!cpp (*this)[key]`); it is read as it was when `merge_patch()` was
 
 - [RFC 7396 (JSON Merge Patch)](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7396)
 - [patch](patch.md) apply a JSON patch
+- [merge_diff](merge_diff.md) creates a diff as a JSON Merge Patch
 
 ## Version history
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/examples/merge_diff.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#include <iostream>
+#include <iomanip>
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+using json = nlohmann::json;
+using namespace nlohmann::literals;
+
+int main()
+{
+    // the source document
+    json source = R"(
+        {
+            "title": "Goodbye!",
+            "author": {
+                "givenName": "John",
+                "familyName": "Doe"
+            },
+            "tags": [
+                "example",
+                "sample"
+            ],
+            "content": "This will be unchanged"
+        }
+    )"_json;
+
+    // the target document
+    json target = R"(
+        {
+            "title": "Hello!",
+            "author": {
+                "givenName": "John"
+            },
+            "tags": [
+                "example"
+            ],
+            "content": "This will be unchanged",
+            "phoneNumber": "+01-123-456-7890"
+        }
+    )"_json;
+
+    // create the patch
+    json patch = json::merge_diff(source, target);
+
+    // roundtrip
+    json patched_source = source;
+    patched_source.merge_patch(patch);
+
+    // output patch and roundtrip result
+    std::cout << std::setw(4) << patch << "\n\n"
+              << std::setw(4) << patched_source << std::endl;
+}

docs/mkdocs/docs/examples/merge_diff.output

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+{
+    "author": {
+        "familyName": null
+    },
+    "phoneNumber": "+01-123-456-7890",
+    "tags": [
+        "example"
+    ],
+    "title": "Hello!"
+}
+
+{
+    "author": {
+        "givenName": "John"
+    },
+    "content": "This will be unchanged",
+    "phoneNumber": "+01-123-456-7890",
+    "tags": [
+        "example"
+    ],
+    "title": "Hello!"
+}

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/merge_patch.md

@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ syntax that closely mimics the document being modified. Unlike [JSON Patch](json
 express every kind of change (e.g., it cannot reorder array elements or remove a specific array element), but it is
 easier to read and write for object-shaped documents.
 
+The function [`merge_diff`](../api/basic_json/merge_diff.md) creates a merge patch that changes one JSON value into
+another.
+
 !!! tip "Not a general deep merge"
 
     A merge patch is not a general deep merge: a `#!json null` value in the patch deletes the key from the target.
@@ -35,4 +38,5 @@ easier to read and write for object-shaped documents.
 - [JSON Patch and Diff](json_patch.md) - a more expressive alternative that describes a sequence of operations
 - [JSON Pointer](json_pointer.md) - the addressing scheme used by JSON Patch
 - Function [`merge_patch`](../api/basic_json/merge_patch.md)
+- Function [`merge_diff`](../api/basic_json/merge_diff.md)
 - Function [`update`](../api/basic_json/update.md) - merge objects, optionally recursively

docs/mkdocs/mkdocs.yml

@@ -182,6 +182,7 @@ nav:
           - 'json_serializer': api/basic_json/json_serializer.md
           - 'max_size': api/basic_json/max_size.md
           - 'meta': api/basic_json/meta.md
+          - 'merge_diff': api/basic_json/merge_diff.md
           - 'merge_patch': api/basic_json/merge_patch.md
           - 'number_float_t': api/basic_json/number_float_t.md
           - 'number_integer_t': api/basic_json/number_integer_t.md

include/nlohmann/json.hpp

@@ -42,9 +42,14 @@
 // each of these, not only the forward declarations from json_fwd.hpp, so IWYU's suggestion to
 // drop them (nothing in this file otherwise names the type) would break every downstream
 // translation unit that relies on basic_json<>'s defaults actually being usable.
-#include <nlohmann/adl_serializer.hpp> // IWYU pragma: keep
+// export: client code names what these headers declare (nlohmann::json and ordered_json from
+// json_fwd.hpp, adl_serializer for specializations, json_ref behind brace initialization, the
+// NLOHMANN_DEFINE_* and NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_* macros, and the literals at the end of this file), and include analyzers must
+// attribute it to this header, not tell clients to include the internal ones (issue #5812).
+// tests/iwyu_consumer checks this.
+#include <nlohmann/adl_serializer.hpp> // IWYU pragma: export
 #include <nlohmann/byte_container_with_subtype.hpp>
-#include <nlohmann/detail/abi_macros.hpp>
+#include <nlohmann/detail/abi_macros.hpp> // IWYU pragma: export
 #include <nlohmann/detail/conversions/from_json.hpp> // IWYU pragma: keep
 #include <nlohmann/detail/conversions/to_json.hpp> // IWYU pragma: keep
 #include <nlohmann/detail/exceptions.hpp>
@@ -61,8 +66,8 @@
 #include <nlohmann/detail/iterators/primitive_iterator.hpp>
 #include <nlohmann/detail/json_custom_base_class.hpp>
 #include <nlohmann/detail/json_pointer.hpp>
-#include <nlohmann/detail/json_ref.hpp>
-#include <nlohmann/detail/macro_scope.hpp>
+#include <nlohmann/detail/json_ref.hpp> // IWYU pragma: export
+#include <nlohmann/detail/macro_scope.hpp> // IWYU pragma: export
 #include <nlohmann/detail/meta/detected.hpp>
 #include <nlohmann/detail/string_concat.hpp>
 #include <nlohmann/detail/string_escape.hpp>
@@ -74,7 +79,7 @@
 #include <nlohmann/detail/output/serializer.hpp>
 #include <nlohmann/detail/recursion_depth_limit.hpp>
 #include <nlohmann/detail/value_t.hpp>
-#include <nlohmann/json_fwd.hpp>
+#include <nlohmann/json_fwd.hpp> // IWYU pragma: export
 #include <nlohmann/ordered_map.hpp> // IWYU pragma: keep
 #include <nlohmann/thirdparty/hedley/hedley.hpp>
 
@@ -7449,6 +7454,176 @@ public:
     }
 
   public:
+    /// @brief creates a diff as a JSON Merge Patch
+    /// @sa https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json/merge_diff/
+    JSON_HEDLEY_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT
+    static basic_json merge_diff(const basic_json& source, const basic_json& target)
+    {
+        // unless both are objects, the patch is the target itself
+        if (!source.is_object() || !target.is_object())
+        {
+            return target;
+        }
+
+        return merge_diff_recursively(source, target, 0);
+    }
+
+  private:
+    /// @brief two objects @ref merge_diff_iteratively is diffing
+    struct merge_diff_frame
+    {
+        merge_diff_frame(const basic_json* source_, const basic_json* target_)
+            : source(source_), target(target_), member(source_->cbegin()), patch(value_t::object)
+        {}
+
+        // declared for GCC's -Weffc++, as in diff_frame
+        merge_diff_frame(const merge_diff_frame&) = default;
+        merge_diff_frame(merge_diff_frame&&) = default;
+        merge_diff_frame& operator=(const merge_diff_frame&) = default;
+        merge_diff_frame& operator=(merge_diff_frame&&) = default;
+        ~merge_diff_frame() = default;
+
+        /// the objects being diffed
+        const basic_json* source;
+        const basic_json* target;
+        /// the member of source being diffed; advanced once it is done
+        const_iterator member;
+        /// the patch for the members of source diffed so far
+        basic_json patch;
+    };
+
+    /// @brief add the members of object @a target that @a source does not
+    ///        have to the merge patch @a result
+    static void merge_diff_added_members(basic_json& result, const basic_json& source, const basic_json& target)
+    {
+        for (auto it = target.begin(); it != target.end(); ++it)
+        {
+            auto itf = source.find(it.key());
+            if (itf == source.end())
+            {
+                result[it.key()] = it.value();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /*!
+    @brief @ref merge_diff of two objects at nesting level @a depth
+
+    Diffing two nested objects calls this function again, once per nesting
+    level, so values nested deeply enough would exhaust the call stack and
+    terminate the process. The descent is bounded here: once @ref
+    detail::recursion_depth_limit levels have been entered, @ref
+    merge_diff_iteratively diffs what is left without the call stack.
+    */
+    static basic_json merge_diff_recursively(const basic_json& source, const basic_json& target, const std::size_t depth)
+    {
+        JSON_ASSERT(source.is_object() && target.is_object());
+
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(depth >= detail::recursion_depth_limit()))
+        {
+            return merge_diff_iteratively(source, target);
+        }
+
+        basic_json result(value_t::object);
+
+        for (auto it = source.begin(); it != source.end(); ++it)
+        {
+            auto itf = target.find(it.key());
+            if (itf != target.end())
+            {
+                if (it.value().is_object() && itf.value().is_object())
+                {
+                    auto diff = merge_diff_recursively(it.value(), itf.value(), depth + 1);
+                    if (!diff.empty())
+                    {
+                        result[it.key()] = std::move(diff);
+                    }
+                }
+                else if (it.value() != itf.value())
+                {
+                    result[it.key()] = itf.value();
+                }
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                result[it.key()] = value_t::null;
+            }
+        }
+
+        merge_diff_added_members(result, source, target);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /*!
+    @brief @ref merge_diff of two objects without the call stack
+
+    Produces the same patch as @ref merge_diff_recursively, keeping the objects
+    being diffed on an explicit stack instead of descending into them. Two
+    nested objects are still diffed completely before the next member, so the
+    patch has its members in the same order as in the recursive version. Only
+    reached for objects nested more deeply than @ref
+    detail::recursion_depth_limit.
+    */
+    static basic_json merge_diff_iteratively(const basic_json& source, const basic_json& target)
+    {
+        // the patch of source and target, set once their frame is popped
+        basic_json result;
+        std::vector<merge_diff_frame> stack;
+        stack.emplace_back(&source, &target);
+        while (!stack.empty())
+        {
+            // the frame's members are copied out and it is changed through
+            // stack.back(): pushing a frame for nested objects or popping
+            // this one would invalidate a reference to it
+            const basic_json* const s = stack.back().source;
+            const basic_json* const t = stack.back().target;
+            const const_iterator it = stack.back().member;
+
+            if (it != s->cend())
+            {
+                const const_iterator itf = t->find(it.key());
+                if (itf != t->cend())
+                {
+                    if (it.value().is_object() && itf.value().is_object())
+                    {
+                        // member is advanced once their patch is under its key
+                        stack.emplace_back(&it.value(), &itf.value());
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                    if (it.value() != itf.value())
+                    {
+                        stack.back().patch[it.key()] = itf.value();
+                    }
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    stack.back().patch[it.key()] = value_t::null;
+                }
+                ++stack.back().member;
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            merge_diff_added_members(stack.back().patch, *s, *t);
+
+            // these objects are done: continue with the ones they are in
+            basic_json patch = std::move(stack.back().patch);
+            stack.pop_back();
+            if (stack.empty())
+            {
+                result = std::move(patch);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                if (!patch.empty())
+                {
+                    stack.back().patch[stack.back().member.key()] = std::move(patch);
+                }
+                ++stack.back().member;
+            }
+        }
+        return result;
+    }
+
     /// @}
 };
 
@@ -7625,7 +7800,7 @@ struct formatter<nlohmann::NLOHMANN_BASIC_JSON_TPL, char> // NOLINT(cert-dcl58-c
 // where needed.
 #ifndef JSON_NO_AUTOMATIC_UDLS
     // NOLINTNEXTLINE(misc-header-include-cycle): json_literals.hpp includes this header
-    #include <nlohmann/json_literals.hpp>
+    #include <nlohmann/json_literals.hpp> // IWYU pragma: export
 #endif
 
 #endif  // INCLUDE_NLOHMANN_JSON_HPP_

single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp

@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@
 // each of these, not only the forward declarations from json_fwd.hpp, so IWYU's suggestion to
 // drop them (nothing in this file otherwise names the type) would break every downstream
 // translation unit that relies on basic_json<>'s defaults actually being usable.
+// export: client code names what these headers declare (nlohmann::json and ordered_json from
+// json_fwd.hpp, adl_serializer for specializations, json_ref behind brace initialization, the
+// NLOHMANN_DEFINE_* and NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_* macros, and the literals at the end of this file), and include analyzers must
+// attribute it to this header, not tell clients to include the internal ones (issue #5812).
+// tests/iwyu_consumer checks this.
 // #include <nlohmann/adl_serializer.hpp>
 //     __ _____ _____ _____
 //  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++
@@ -7533,7 +7538,7 @@ struct adl_serializer
 };
 
 NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_END
-// IWYU pragma: keep
+// IWYU pragma: export
 // #include <nlohmann/byte_container_with_subtype.hpp>
 //     __ _____ _____ _____
 //  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++
@@ -7641,7 +7646,7 @@ class byte_container_with_subtype : public BinaryType
 NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_END
 
 // #include <nlohmann/detail/abi_macros.hpp>
-
+// IWYU pragma: export
 // #include <nlohmann/detail/conversions/from_json.hpp>
 // IWYU pragma: keep
 // #include <nlohmann/detail/conversions/to_json.hpp>
@@ -21410,9 +21415,9 @@ class json_ref
 
 }  // namespace detail
 NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_END
-
+// IWYU pragma: export
 // #include <nlohmann/detail/macro_scope.hpp>
-
+// IWYU pragma: export
 // #include <nlohmann/detail/meta/detected.hpp>
 
 // #include <nlohmann/detail/string_concat.hpp>
@@ -27776,7 +27781,7 @@ NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_END
 // #include <nlohmann/detail/value_t.hpp>
 
 // #include <nlohmann/json_fwd.hpp>
-
+// IWYU pragma: export
 // #include <nlohmann/ordered_map.hpp>
 //     __ _____ _____ _____
 //  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++
@@ -35570,6 +35575,176 @@ public:
     }
 
   public:
+    /// @brief creates a diff as a JSON Merge Patch
+    /// @sa https://json.nlohmann.me/api/basic_json/merge_diff/
+    JSON_HEDLEY_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT
+    static basic_json merge_diff(const basic_json& source, const basic_json& target)
+    {
+        // unless both are objects, the patch is the target itself
+        if (!source.is_object() || !target.is_object())
+        {
+            return target;
+        }
+
+        return merge_diff_recursively(source, target, 0);
+    }
+
+  private:
+    /// @brief two objects @ref merge_diff_iteratively is diffing
+    struct merge_diff_frame
+    {
+        merge_diff_frame(const basic_json* source_, const basic_json* target_)
+            : source(source_), target(target_), member(source_->cbegin()), patch(value_t::object)
+        {}
+
+        // declared for GCC's -Weffc++, as in diff_frame
+        merge_diff_frame(const merge_diff_frame&) = default;
+        merge_diff_frame(merge_diff_frame&&) = default;
+        merge_diff_frame& operator=(const merge_diff_frame&) = default;
+        merge_diff_frame& operator=(merge_diff_frame&&) = default;
+        ~merge_diff_frame() = default;
+
+        /// the objects being diffed
+        const basic_json* source;
+        const basic_json* target;
+        /// the member of source being diffed; advanced once it is done
+        const_iterator member;
+        /// the patch for the members of source diffed so far
+        basic_json patch;
+    };
+
+    /// @brief add the members of object @a target that @a source does not
+    ///        have to the merge patch @a result
+    static void merge_diff_added_members(basic_json& result, const basic_json& source, const basic_json& target)
+    {
+        for (auto it = target.begin(); it != target.end(); ++it)
+        {
+            auto itf = source.find(it.key());
+            if (itf == source.end())
+            {
+                result[it.key()] = it.value();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /*!
+    @brief @ref merge_diff of two objects at nesting level @a depth
+
+    Diffing two nested objects calls this function again, once per nesting
+    level, so values nested deeply enough would exhaust the call stack and
+    terminate the process. The descent is bounded here: once @ref
+    detail::recursion_depth_limit levels have been entered, @ref
+    merge_diff_iteratively diffs what is left without the call stack.
+    */
+    static basic_json merge_diff_recursively(const basic_json& source, const basic_json& target, const std::size_t depth)
+    {
+        JSON_ASSERT(source.is_object() && target.is_object());
+
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(depth >= detail::recursion_depth_limit()))
+        {
+            return merge_diff_iteratively(source, target);
+        }
+
+        basic_json result(value_t::object);
+
+        for (auto it = source.begin(); it != source.end(); ++it)
+        {
+            auto itf = target.find(it.key());
+            if (itf != target.end())
+            {
+                if (it.value().is_object() && itf.value().is_object())
+                {
+                    auto diff = merge_diff_recursively(it.value(), itf.value(), depth + 1);
+                    if (!diff.empty())
+                    {
+                        result[it.key()] = std::move(diff);
+                    }
+                }
+                else if (it.value() != itf.value())
+                {
+                    result[it.key()] = itf.value();
+                }
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                result[it.key()] = value_t::null;
+            }
+        }
+
+        merge_diff_added_members(result, source, target);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /*!
+    @brief @ref merge_diff of two objects without the call stack
+
+    Produces the same patch as @ref merge_diff_recursively, keeping the objects
+    being diffed on an explicit stack instead of descending into them. Two
+    nested objects are still diffed completely before the next member, so the
+    patch has its members in the same order as in the recursive version. Only
+    reached for objects nested more deeply than @ref
+    detail::recursion_depth_limit.
+    */
+    static basic_json merge_diff_iteratively(const basic_json& source, const basic_json& target)
+    {
+        // the patch of source and target, set once their frame is popped
+        basic_json result;
+        std::vector<merge_diff_frame> stack;
+        stack.emplace_back(&source, &target);
+        while (!stack.empty())
+        {
+            // the frame's members are copied out and it is changed through
+            // stack.back(): pushing a frame for nested objects or popping
+            // this one would invalidate a reference to it
+            const basic_json* const s = stack.back().source;
+            const basic_json* const t = stack.back().target;
+            const const_iterator it = stack.back().member;
+
+            if (it != s->cend())
+            {
+                const const_iterator itf = t->find(it.key());
+                if (itf != t->cend())
+                {
+                    if (it.value().is_object() && itf.value().is_object())
+                    {
+                        // member is advanced once their patch is under its key
+                        stack.emplace_back(&it.value(), &itf.value());
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                    if (it.value() != itf.value())
+                    {
+                        stack.back().patch[it.key()] = itf.value();
+                    }
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    stack.back().patch[it.key()] = value_t::null;
+                }
+                ++stack.back().member;
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            merge_diff_added_members(stack.back().patch, *s, *t);
+
+            // these objects are done: continue with the ones they are in
+            basic_json patch = std::move(stack.back().patch);
+            stack.pop_back();
+            if (stack.empty())
+            {
+                result = std::move(patch);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                if (!patch.empty())
+                {
+                    stack.back().patch[stack.back().member.key()] = std::move(patch);
+                }
+                ++stack.back().member;
+            }
+        }
+        return result;
+    }
+
     /// @}
 };
 
@@ -36039,7 +36214,7 @@ NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_END
 #undef NLOHMANN_JSON_LITERAL_OPERATOR
 
 #endif  // INCLUDE_NLOHMANN_JSON_LITERALS_HPP_
-
+// IWYU pragma: export
 #endif
 
 #endif  // INCLUDE_NLOHMANN_JSON_HPP_

tests/iwyu_consumer/conversions.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+//     __ _____ _____ _____
+//  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++ (supporting code)
+// |  |  |__   |  |  | | | |  version 3.12.0
+// |_____|_____|_____|_|___|  https://github.com/nlohmann/json
+//
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2026 Niels Lohmann <https://nlohmann.me>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+// See values.cpp: the conversion macros and nlohmann::adl_serializer must be available through
+// <nlohmann/json.hpp> alone. NLOHMANN_JSON_SERIALIZE_ENUM (from the same header as
+// NLOHMANN_DEFINE_TYPE_INTRUSIVE) is left out: IWYU attributes the basic_json comparison in its
+// expansion to an unrelated standard header, the ambiguity described for json.hpp in cmake/ci.cmake.
+
+#include <string>
+
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+namespace ns
+{
+struct person
+{
+    std::string name;
+    int age;
+    NLOHMANN_DEFINE_TYPE_INTRUSIVE(person, name, age)
+};
+
+struct legacy
+{
+    int value;
+};
+} // namespace ns
+
+namespace nlohmann
+{
+template<>
+struct adl_serializer<ns::legacy>
+{
+    static void to_json(json& j, const ns::legacy& l)
+    {
+        j = l.value;
+    }
+
+    static void from_json(const json& j, ns::legacy& l)
+    {
+        l.value = j.get<int>();
+    }
+};
+} // namespace nlohmann
+
+int main()
+{
+    ns::person ada;
+    ada.name = "Ada";
+    ada.age = 36;
+    ns::legacy one;
+    one.value = 1;
+
+    const nlohmann::json j = ada;
+    const auto p = j.get<ns::person>();
+    const auto l = nlohmann::json(one).get<ns::legacy>();
+    return p.age - 36 + l.value - 1;
+}

tests/iwyu_consumer/literals.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+//     __ _____ _____ _____
+//  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++ (supporting code)
+// |  |  |__   |  |  | | | |  version 3.12.0
+// |_____|_____|_____|_|___|  https://github.com/nlohmann/json
+//
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2026 Niels Lohmann <https://nlohmann.me>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+// See values.cpp: the user-defined literals must be available through <nlohmann/json.hpp> alone.
+
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+using namespace nlohmann::literals; // NOLINT(google-build-using-namespace)
+
+int main()
+{
+    const auto j = R"({"a": [1, 2]})"_json;
+    return j.at("/a/1"_json_pointer).get<int>() - 2;
+}

tests/iwyu_consumer/values.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+//     __ _____ _____ _____
+//  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++ (supporting code)
+// |  |  |__   |  |  | | | |  version 3.12.0
+// |_____|_____|_____|_|___|  https://github.com/nlohmann/json
+//
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2026 Niels Lohmann <https://nlohmann.me>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+// Uses the library the way a client does, including only <nlohmann/json.hpp>. ci_single_binaries
+// runs include-what-you-use and clang-tidy's misc-include-cleaner on this file and fails if either
+// asks for another nlohmann header, which would mean json.hpp does not export it (issue #5812).
+
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <string>
+#include <vector>
+
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+int main()
+{
+    // brace initialization (nlohmann::json, detail::json_ref)
+    nlohmann::json j = {{"pi", 3.141}, {"list", {1, 0, 2}}};
+    const nlohmann::ordered_json o = {{"b", 1}, {"a", 2}};
+
+    j["parsed"] = nlohmann::json::parse(R"({"happy": true})");
+    j["binary"] = nlohmann::json::binary(std::vector<std::uint8_t> {0xCA, 0xFE}, 42);
+
+    const std::string s = j.dump() + o.dump();
+    return s.empty() ? 1 : 0;
+}

tests/src/unit-diagnostics.cpp

@@ -567,9 +567,9 @@ TEST_CASE("Regression tests for extended diagnostics")
     }
 }
 
-TEST_CASE("Better diagnostics past the descent bound of update() and merge_patch()")
+TEST_CASE("Better diagnostics past the descent bound of update(), merge_patch() and merge_diff()")
 {
-    // Both merge objects nested more than detail::recursion_depth_limit()
+    // All three handle objects nested more than detail::recursion_depth_limit()
     // (128) levels deep without recursing; the values they add or replace
     // there must still know their parents.
     // The values are built rather than parsed, so that the expected messages
@@ -615,4 +615,19 @@ TEST_CASE("Better diagnostics past the descent bound of update() and merge_patch
         CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(p->at("x").at(0), expected_x.c_str(), json::type_error);
         CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(p->at("y").at(0), expected_y.c_str(), json::type_error);
     }
+
+    SECTION("merge_diff()")
+    {
+        // target and patch differ only in their innermost members, so the
+        // diff of the two is nested as deeply: {"a": ... {"x": null, "y": 2}}
+        const json diff = json::merge_diff(target, patch); // NOLINT(readability-suspicious-call-argument)
+
+        const json* p = &diff;
+        for (std::size_t i = 0; i < depth; ++i)
+        {
+            p = &p->at("a");
+        }
+        CHECK(p->at("x").is_null());
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(p->at("y").at(0), expected_y.c_str(), json::type_error);
+    }
 }