diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 6c5ef73c..1d6bed96 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1456,6 +1456,7 @@ add_executable(wowee_editor
     tools/editor/cli_spell_schools_catalog.cpp
     tools/editor/cli_lfg_catalog.cpp
     tools/editor/cli_catalog_grep.cpp
+    tools/editor/cli_diff_headers.cpp
     tools/editor/cli_macros_catalog.cpp
     tools/editor/cli_char_features_catalog.cpp
     tools/editor/cli_pvp_catalog.cpp
diff --git a/tools/editor/cli_arg_required.cpp b/tools/editor/cli_arg_required.cpp
index 11afa072..fae77d7e 100644
--- a/tools/editor/cli_arg_required.cpp
+++ b/tools/editor/cli_arg_required.cpp
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ const char* const kArgRequired[] = {
     "--export-wliq-json", "--import-wliq-json",
     "--info-magic", "--summary-dir", "--rename-by-magic",
     "--bulk-rename-by-magic", "--touch-tree", "--tree-summary-md",
-    "--catalog-grep",
+    "--catalog-grep", "--diff-headers",
     "--gen-animations", "--gen-animations-combat", "--gen-animations-movement",
     "--info-wani", "--validate-wani",
     "--export-wani-json", "--import-wani-json",
diff --git a/tools/editor/cli_diff_headers.cpp b/tools/editor/cli_diff_headers.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ec240436
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/editor/cli_diff_headers.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+#include "cli_diff_headers.hpp"
+#include "cli_arg_parse.hpp"
+#include "cli_format_table.hpp"
+
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <cstdio>
+#include <cstring>
+#include <filesystem>
+#include <fstream>
+#include <string>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace wowee {
+namespace editor {
+namespace cli {
+
+namespace {
+
+namespace fs = std::filesystem;
+
+struct HeaderInfo {
+    fs::path path;
+    char magic[4];
+    bool magicOk = false;
+    const FormatMagicEntry* fmt = nullptr;
+    uint32_t version = 0;
+    bool versionOk = false;
+    std::string catalogName;
+    bool catalogNameOk = false;
+    uint32_t entryCount = 0;
+    bool entryCountOk = false;
+    uintmax_t fileBytes = 0;
+};
+
+bool readHeader(const fs::path& path, HeaderInfo& out) {
+    out.path = path;
+    if (!fs::exists(path) || !fs::is_regular_file(path)) return false;
+    out.fileBytes = fs::file_size(path);
+    std::ifstream is(path, std::ios::binary);
+    if (!is) return false;
+    if (!is.read(out.magic, 4) || is.gcount() != 4) return false;
+    out.magicOk = true;
+    out.fmt = findFormatByMagic(out.magic);
+    // Asset / world formats don't have the standard catalog
+    // header, so stop after magic for those.
+    if (!out.fmt || out.fmt->infoFlag == nullptr) return true;
+    if (!is.read(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&out.version), 4)) return true;
+    out.versionOk = true;
+    uint32_t nameLen = 0;
+    if (!is.read(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&nameLen), 4)) return true;
+    if (nameLen > (1u << 20)) return true;
+    out.catalogName.resize(nameLen);
+    if (nameLen > 0) {
+        if (!is.read(out.catalogName.data(), nameLen)) {
+            out.catalogName.clear();
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+    out.catalogNameOk = true;
+    if (!is.read(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&out.entryCount), 4)) {
+        return true;
+    }
+    out.entryCountOk = true;
+    return true;
+}
+
+const char* sameOrDiffMarker(bool same) {
+    return same ? "  =" : "  ≠";
+}
+
+int handleDiff(int& i, int argc, char** argv) {
+    std::string fileA = argv[++i];
+    if (i + 1 >= argc) {
+        std::fprintf(stderr,
+            "diff-headers: missing second file argument\n");
+        return 1;
+    }
+    std::string fileB = argv[++i];
+    bool jsonOut = consumeJsonFlag(i, argc, argv);
+    HeaderInfo a, b;
+    if (!readHeader(fileA, a)) {
+        std::fprintf(stderr,
+            "diff-headers: cannot read %s\n", fileA.c_str());
+        return 1;
+    }
+    if (!readHeader(fileB, b)) {
+        std::fprintf(stderr,
+            "diff-headers: cannot read %s\n", fileB.c_str());
+        return 1;
+    }
+    bool magicSame = std::memcmp(a.magic, b.magic, 4) == 0;
+    bool versionSame = magicSame && a.versionOk && b.versionOk &&
+                        a.version == b.version;
+    bool nameSame = magicSame && a.catalogNameOk && b.catalogNameOk &&
+                     a.catalogName == b.catalogName;
+    bool countSame = magicSame && a.entryCountOk && b.entryCountOk &&
+                      a.entryCount == b.entryCount;
+    bool bytesSame = a.fileBytes == b.fileBytes;
+    bool allSame = magicSame && versionSame && nameSame &&
+                    countSame && bytesSame;
+    if (jsonOut) {
+        nlohmann::json j;
+        j["fileA"] = fileA;
+        j["fileB"] = fileB;
+        j["magicSame"] = magicSame;
+        j["versionSame"] = versionSame;
+        j["catalogNameSame"] = nameSame;
+        j["entryCountSame"] = countSame;
+        j["bytesSame"] = bytesSame;
+        j["identicalHeaders"] = allSame;
+        char ma[5] = {a.magic[0], a.magic[1], a.magic[2], a.magic[3], 0};
+        char mb[5] = {b.magic[0], b.magic[1], b.magic[2], b.magic[3], 0};
+        j["a"] = {
+            {"magic", ma},
+            {"version", a.version},
+            {"catalogName", a.catalogName},
+            {"entryCount", a.entryCount},
+            {"fileBytes", a.fileBytes},
+        };
+        j["b"] = {
+            {"magic", mb},
+            {"version", b.version},
+            {"catalogName", b.catalogName},
+            {"entryCount", b.entryCount},
+            {"fileBytes", b.fileBytes},
+        };
+        std::printf("%s\n", j.dump(2).c_str());
+        return allSame ? 0 : 1;
+    }
+    char ma[5] = {a.magic[0], a.magic[1], a.magic[2], a.magic[3], 0};
+    char mb[5] = {b.magic[0], b.magic[1], b.magic[2], b.magic[3], 0};
+    std::printf("diff-headers:\n  A: %s\n  B: %s\n",
+                 fileA.c_str(), fileB.c_str());
+    std::printf("\n");
+    std::printf("  field         A                         B\n");
+    std::printf("  ----------    ------------------------  ------------------------\n");
+    std::printf("%s magic         '%s'%s                       '%s'\n",
+                 sameOrDiffMarker(magicSame), ma,
+                 (a.fmt ? "" : " (unknown)"), mb);
+    if (magicSame && a.versionOk && b.versionOk) {
+        std::printf("%s version       %-24u  %u\n",
+                     sameOrDiffMarker(versionSame),
+                     a.version, b.version);
+    }
+    if (magicSame && a.catalogNameOk && b.catalogNameOk) {
+        std::printf("%s catalogName   %-24s  %s\n",
+                     sameOrDiffMarker(nameSame),
+                     a.catalogName.c_str(), b.catalogName.c_str());
+    }
+    if (magicSame && a.entryCountOk && b.entryCountOk) {
+        std::printf("%s entryCount    %-24u  %u\n",
+                     sameOrDiffMarker(countSame),
+                     a.entryCount, b.entryCount);
+    }
+    std::printf("%s fileBytes     %-24llu  %llu\n",
+                 sameOrDiffMarker(bytesSame),
+                 static_cast<unsigned long long>(a.fileBytes),
+                 static_cast<unsigned long long>(b.fileBytes));
+    std::printf("\n  ");
+    if (allSame) {
+        std::printf("identical at the header level (and same byte size — "
+                     "possibly byte-equal, run cmp(1) to confirm)\n");
+    } else if (magicSame && versionSame && nameSame && countSame &&
+                !bytesSame) {
+        std::printf("same format / version / name / entry count, "
+                     "but different byte sizes — entry payloads differ\n");
+    } else if (!magicSame) {
+        std::printf("DIFFERENT FORMATS — files are unrelated\n");
+    } else {
+        std::printf("header fields differ — see ≠ markers above\n");
+    }
+    return allSame ? 0 : 1;
+}
+
+} // namespace
+
+bool handleDiffHeaders(int& i, int argc, char** argv, int& outRc) {
+    if (std::strcmp(argv[i], "--diff-headers") == 0 && i + 2 < argc) {
+        outRc = handleDiff(i, argc, argv); return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+} // namespace cli
+} // namespace editor
+} // namespace wowee
diff --git a/tools/editor/cli_diff_headers.hpp b/tools/editor/cli_diff_headers.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..70dcbeff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/editor/cli_diff_headers.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#pragma once
+
+namespace wowee {
+namespace editor {
+namespace cli {
+
+bool handleDiffHeaders(int& i, int argc, char** argv, int& outRc);
+
+} // namespace cli
+} // namespace editor
+} // namespace wowee
diff --git a/tools/editor/cli_dispatch.cpp b/tools/editor/cli_dispatch.cpp
index f8cfaa9e..8763a848 100644
--- a/tools/editor/cli_dispatch.cpp
+++ b/tools/editor/cli_dispatch.cpp
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@
 #include "cli_spell_schools_catalog.hpp"
 #include "cli_lfg_catalog.hpp"
 #include "cli_catalog_grep.hpp"
+#include "cli_diff_headers.hpp"
 #include "cli_macros_catalog.hpp"
 #include "cli_char_features_catalog.hpp"
 #include "cli_pvp_catalog.hpp"
@@ -237,6 +238,7 @@ constexpr DispatchFn kDispatchTable[] = {
     handleSpellSchoolsCatalog,
     handleLFGCatalog,
     handleCatalogGrep,
+    handleDiffHeaders,
     handleMacrosCatalog,
     handleCharFeaturesCatalog,
     handlePVPCatalog,
diff --git a/tools/editor/cli_help.cpp b/tools/editor/cli_help.cpp
index ef532625..b5eda1fb 100644
--- a/tools/editor/cli_help.cpp
+++ b/tools/editor/cli_help.cpp
@@ -1363,6 +1363,8 @@ void printUsage(const char* argv0) {
     std::printf("                         Emit a Markdown report of a content tree (per-format counts + per-file detail with catalog name + entry count). Stdout if no out path\n");
     std::printf("  --catalog-grep <pattern> <dir> [--case-sensitive] [--json]\n");
     std::printf("                         Recursively search catalog NAMES (the internal name field) across .w* files in <dir>. Case-insensitive by default. Exit 1 if no match\n");
+    std::printf("  --diff-headers <fileA> <fileB> [--json]\n");
+    std::printf("                         Compare two .w* files at the standard catalog header level (magic / version / name / entry count / file size). Exit 1 if any field differs\n");
     std::printf("  --gen-animations <wani-base> [name]\n");
     std::printf("                         Emit .wani starter: 5 essential animations (Stand / Walk / Run / Death / AttackUnarmed) with fallback chains\n");
     std::printf("  --gen-animations-combat <wani-base> [name]\n");