diff --git a/cmd/jsonimports/format.go b/cmd/jsonimports/format.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6dbd17558
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/jsonimports/format.go
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+// Copyright (c) Tailscale Inc & AUTHORS
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"go/ast"
+	"go/format"
+	"go/parser"
+	"go/token"
+	"go/types"
+	"path"
+	"slices"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+
+	"tailscale.com/util/must"
+)
+
+// mustFormatFile formats a Go source file and adjust "json" imports.
+// It panics if there are any parsing errors.
+//
+//   - "encoding/json" is imported under the name "jsonv1" or "jsonv1std"
+//   - "encoding/json/v2" is rewritten to import "github.com/go-json-experiment/json" instead
+//   - "encoding/json/jsontext" is rewritten to import "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/jsontext" instead
+//   - "github.com/go-json-experiment/json" is imported under the name "jsonv2"
+//   - "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1" is imported under the name "jsonv1"
+//
+// If no changes to the file is made, it returns input.
+func mustFormatFile(in []byte) (out []byte) {
+	fset := token.NewFileSet()
+	f := must.Get(parser.ParseFile(fset, "", in, parser.ParseComments))
+
+	// Check for the existence of "json" imports.
+	jsonImports := make(map[string][]*ast.ImportSpec)
+	for _, imp := range f.Imports {
+		switch pkgPath := must.Get(strconv.Unquote(imp.Path.Value)); pkgPath {
+		case
+			"encoding/json",
+			"encoding/json/v2",
+			"encoding/json/jsontext",
+			"github.com/go-json-experiment/json",
+			"github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1",
+			"github.com/go-json-experiment/json/jsontext":
+			jsonImports[pkgPath] = append(jsonImports[pkgPath], imp)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(jsonImports) == 0 {
+		return in
+	}
+
+	// Best-effort local type-check of the file
+	// to resolve local declarations to detect shadowed variables.
+	typeInfo := &types.Info{Uses: make(map[*ast.Ident]types.Object)}
+	(&types.Config{
+		Error: func(err error) {},
+	}).Check("", fset, []*ast.File{f}, typeInfo)
+
+	// Rewrite imports to instead use "github.com/go-json-experiment/json".
+	// This ensures that code continues to build even if
+	// goexperiment.jsonv2 is *not* specified.
+	// As of https://github.com/go-json-experiment/json/pull/186,
+	// imports to "github.com/go-json-experiment/json" are identical
+	// to the standard library if built with goexperiment.jsonv2.
+	for fromPath, toPath := range map[string]string{
+		"encoding/json/v2":       "github.com/go-json-experiment/json",
+		"encoding/json/jsontext": "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/jsontext",
+	} {
+		for _, imp := range jsonImports[fromPath] {
+			imp.Path.Value = strconv.Quote(toPath)
+			jsonImports[toPath] = append(jsonImports[toPath], imp)
+		}
+		delete(jsonImports, fromPath)
+	}
+
+	// While in a transitory state, where both v1 and v2 json imports
+	// may exist in our codebase, always explicitly import with
+	// either jsonv1 or jsonv2 in the package name to avoid ambiguities
+	// when looking at a particular Marshal or Unmarshal call site.
+	renames := make(map[string]string)        // mapping of old names to new names
+	deletes := make(map[*ast.ImportSpec]bool) // set of imports to delete
+	for pkgPath, imps := range jsonImports {
+		var newName string
+		switch pkgPath {
+		case "encoding/json":
+			newName = "jsonv1"
+			// If "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1" is also imported,
+			// then use jsonv1std for "encoding/json" to avoid a conflict.
+			if len(jsonImports["github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1"]) > 0 {
+				newName += "std"
+			}
+		case "github.com/go-json-experiment/json":
+			newName = "jsonv2"
+		case "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1":
+			newName = "jsonv1"
+		}
+
+		// Rename the import if different than expected.
+		if oldName := importName(imps[0]); oldName != newName && newName != "" {
+			renames[oldName] = newName
+			pos := imps[0].Pos() // preserve original positioning
+			imps[0].Name = ast.NewIdent(newName)
+			imps[0].Name.NamePos = pos
+		}
+
+		// For all redundant imports, use the first imported name.
+		for _, imp := range imps[1:] {
+			renames[importName(imp)] = importName(imps[0])
+			deletes[imp] = true
+		}
+	}
+	if len(deletes) > 0 {
+		f.Imports = slices.DeleteFunc(f.Imports, func(imp *ast.ImportSpec) bool {
+			return deletes[imp]
+		})
+		for _, decl := range f.Decls {
+			if genDecl, ok := decl.(*ast.GenDecl); ok && genDecl.Tok == token.IMPORT {
+				genDecl.Specs = slices.DeleteFunc(genDecl.Specs, func(spec ast.Spec) bool {
+					return deletes[spec.(*ast.ImportSpec)]
+				})
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if len(renames) > 0 {
+		ast.Walk(astVisitor(func(n ast.Node) bool {
+			if sel, ok := n.(*ast.SelectorExpr); ok {
+				if id, ok := sel.X.(*ast.Ident); ok {
+					// Just because the selector looks like "json.Marshal"
+					// does not mean that it is referencing the "json" package.
+					// There could be a local "json" declaration that shadows
+					// the package import. Check partial type information
+					// to see if there was a local declaration.
+					if obj, ok := typeInfo.Uses[id]; ok {
+						if _, ok := obj.(*types.PkgName); !ok {
+							return true
+						}
+					}
+
+					if newName, ok := renames[id.String()]; ok {
+						id.Name = newName
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			return true
+		}), f)
+	}
+
+	bb := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	must.Do(format.Node(bb, fset, f))
+	return must.Get(format.Source(bb.Bytes()))
+}
+
+// importName is the local package name used for an import.
+// If no explicit local name is used, then it uses string parsing
+// to derive the package name from the path, relying on the convention
+// that the package name is the base name of the package path.
+func importName(imp *ast.ImportSpec) string {
+	if imp.Name != nil {
+		return imp.Name.String()
+	}
+	pkgPath, _ := strconv.Unquote(imp.Path.Value)
+	pkgPath = strings.TrimRight(pkgPath, "/v0123456789") // exclude version directories
+	return path.Base(pkgPath)
+}
+
+// astVisitor is a function that implements [ast.Visitor].
+type astVisitor func(ast.Node) bool
+
+func (f astVisitor) Visit(node ast.Node) ast.Visitor {
+	if !f(node) {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return f
+}
diff --git a/cmd/jsonimports/format_test.go b/cmd/jsonimports/format_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..28654eb45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/jsonimports/format_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+// Copyright (c) Tailscale Inc & AUTHORS
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"go/format"
+	"testing"
+
+	"tailscale.com/util/must"
+	"tailscale.com/util/safediff"
+)
+
+func TestFormatFile(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct{ in, want string }{{
+		in: `package foobar
+
+			import (
+				"encoding/json"
+				jsonv2exp "github.com/go-json-experiment/json"
+			)
+
+			func main() {
+				json.Marshal()
+				jsonv2exp.Marshal()
+				{
+					var json T     // deliberately shadow "json" package name
+					json.Marshal() // should not be re-written
+				}
+			}
+		`,
+		want: `package foobar
+
+			import (
+				jsonv1 "encoding/json"
+				jsonv2 "github.com/go-json-experiment/json"
+			)
+
+			func main() {
+				jsonv1.Marshal()
+				jsonv2.Marshal()
+				{
+					var json T     // deliberately shadow "json" package name
+					json.Marshal() // should not be re-written
+				}
+			}
+		`,
+	}, {
+		in: `package foobar
+
+			import (
+				"github.com/go-json-experiment/json"
+				jsonv2exp "github.com/go-json-experiment/json"
+			)
+
+			func main() {
+				json.Marshal()
+				jsonv2exp.Marshal()
+			}
+		`,
+		want: `package foobar
+			import (
+				jsonv2 "github.com/go-json-experiment/json"
+			)
+			func main() {
+				jsonv2.Marshal()
+				jsonv2.Marshal()
+			}
+		`,
+	}, {
+		in: `package foobar
+			import "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1"
+			func main() {
+				json.Marshal()
+			}
+		`,
+		want: `package foobar
+			import jsonv1 "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1"
+			func main() {
+				jsonv1.Marshal()
+			}
+		`,
+	}, {
+		in: `package foobar
+			import (
+				"encoding/json"
+				jsonv1in2 "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1"
+			)
+			func main() {
+				json.Marshal()
+				jsonv1in2.Marshal()
+			}
+		`,
+		want: `package foobar
+			import (
+				jsonv1std "encoding/json"
+				jsonv1 "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1"
+			)
+			func main() {
+				jsonv1std.Marshal()
+				jsonv1.Marshal()
+			}
+		`,
+	}, {
+		in: `package foobar
+			import (
+				"encoding/json"
+				jsonv1in2 "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1"
+			)
+			func main() {
+				json.Marshal()
+				jsonv1in2.Marshal()
+			}
+		`,
+		want: `package foobar
+			import (
+				jsonv1std "encoding/json"
+				jsonv1 "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1"
+			)
+			func main() {
+				jsonv1std.Marshal()
+				jsonv1.Marshal()
+			}
+		`,
+	}, {
+		in: `package foobar
+			import (
+				"encoding/json"
+				j2 "encoding/json/v2"
+				"encoding/json/jsontext"
+			)
+			func main() {
+				json.Marshal()
+				j2.Marshal()
+				jsontext.NewEncoder
+			}
+		`,
+		want: `package foobar
+			import (
+				jsonv1 "encoding/json"
+				jsonv2 "github.com/go-json-experiment/json"
+				"github.com/go-json-experiment/json/jsontext"
+			)
+			func main() {
+				jsonv1.Marshal()
+				jsonv2.Marshal()
+				jsontext.NewEncoder
+			}
+		`,
+	}}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		got := string(must.Get(format.Source([]byte(tt.in))))
+		got = string(mustFormatFile([]byte(got)))
+		want := string(must.Get(format.Source([]byte(tt.want))))
+		if got != want {
+			diff, _ := safediff.Lines(got, want, -1)
+			t.Errorf("mismatch (-got +want)\n%s", diff)
+			t.Error(got)
+			t.Error(want)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cmd/jsonimports/jsonimports.go b/cmd/jsonimports/jsonimports.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4be2e10cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/jsonimports/jsonimports.go
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+// Copyright (c) Tailscale Inc & AUTHORS
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+// The jsonimports tool formats all Go source files in the repository
+// to enforce that "json" imports are consistent.
+//
+// With Go 1.25, the "encoding/json/v2" and "encoding/json/jsontext"
+// packages are now available under goexperiment.jsonv2.
+// This leads to possible confusion over the following:
+//
+//   - "encoding/json"
+//   - "encoding/json/v2"
+//   - "encoding/json/jsontext"
+//   - "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1"
+//   - "github.com/go-json-experiment/json"
+//   - "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/jsontext"
+//
+// In order to enforce consistent usage, we apply the following rules:
+//
+//   - Until the Go standard library formally accepts "encoding/json/v2"
+//     and "encoding/json/jsontext" into the standard library
+//     (i.e., they are no longer considered experimental),
+//     we forbid any code from directly importing those packages.
+//     Go code should instead import "github.com/go-json-experiment/json"
+//     and "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/jsontext".
+//     The latter packages contain aliases to the standard library
+//     if built on Go 1.25 with the goexperiment.jsonv2 tag specified.
+//
+//   - Imports of "encoding/json" or "github.com/go-json-experiment/json/v1"
+//     must be explicitly imported under the package name "jsonv1".
+//     If both packages need to be imported, then the former should
+//     be imported under the package name "jsonv1std".
+//
+//   - Imports of "github.com/go-json-experiment/json"
+//     must be explicitly imported under the package name "jsonv2".
+//
+// The latter two rules exist to provide clarity when reading code.
+// Without them, it is unclear whether "json.Marshal" refers to v1 or v2.
+// With them, however, it is clear that "jsonv1.Marshal" is calling v1 and
+// that "jsonv2.Marshal" is calling v2.
+//
+// TODO(@joetsai): At this present moment, there is no guidance given on
+// whether to use v1 or v2 for newly written Go source code.
+// I will write a document in the near future providing more guidance.
+// Feel free to continue using v1 "encoding/json" as you are accustomed to.
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"runtime"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+
+	"tailscale.com/syncs"
+	"tailscale.com/util/must"
+	"tailscale.com/util/safediff"
+)
+
+func main() {
+	update := flag.Bool("update", false, "update all Go source files")
+	flag.Parse()
+
+	// Change working directory to Git repository root.
+	repoRoot := strings.TrimSuffix(string(must.Get(exec.Command(
+		"git", "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel",
+	).Output())), "\n")
+	must.Do(os.Chdir(repoRoot))
+
+	// Iterate over all indexed files in the Git repository.
+	var printMu sync.Mutex
+	var group sync.WaitGroup
+	sema := syncs.NewSemaphore(runtime.NumCPU())
+	var numDiffs int
+	files := string(must.Get(exec.Command("git", "ls-files").Output()))
+	for file := range strings.Lines(files) {
+		sema.Acquire()
+		group.Go(func() {
+			defer sema.Release()
+
+			// Ignore non-Go source files.
+			file = strings.TrimSuffix(file, "\n")
+			if !strings.HasSuffix(file, ".go") {
+				return
+			}
+
+			// Format all "json" imports in the Go source file.
+			srcIn := must.Get(os.ReadFile(file))
+			srcOut := mustFormatFile(srcIn)
+
+			// Print differences with each formatted file.
+			if !bytes.Equal(srcIn, srcOut) {
+				numDiffs++
+
+				printMu.Lock()
+				fmt.Println(file)
+				lines, _ := safediff.Lines(string(srcIn), string(srcOut), -1)
+				for line := range strings.Lines(lines) {
+					fmt.Print("\t", line)
+				}
+				fmt.Println()
+				printMu.Unlock()
+
+				// If -update is specified, write out the changes.
+				if *update {
+					mode := must.Get(os.Stat(file)).Mode()
+					must.Do(os.WriteFile(file, srcOut, mode))
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+	group.Wait()
+
+	// Report whether any differences were detected.
+	if numDiffs > 0 && !*update {
+		fmt.Printf(`%d files with "json" imports that need formatting`+"\n", numDiffs)
+		fmt.Println("Please run:")
+		fmt.Println("\t./tool/go run tailscale.com/cmd/jsonimports -update")
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/util/safediff/diff.go b/util/safediff/diff.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cf8add94b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/safediff/diff.go
@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+// Copyright (c) Tailscale Inc & AUTHORS
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+// Package safediff computes the difference between two lists.
+//
+// It is guaranteed to run in O(n), but may not produce an optimal diff.
+// Most diffing algorithms produce optimal diffs but run in O(n²).
+// It is safe to pass in untrusted input.
+package safediff
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"math"
+	"strings"
+	"unicode"
+
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
+)
+
+var diffTest = false
+
+// Lines constructs a humanly readable line-by-line diff from x to y.
+// The output (if multiple lines) is guaranteed to be no larger than maxSize,
+// by truncating the output if necessary. A negative maxSize enforces no limit.
+//
+// Example diff:
+//
+//	… 440 identical lines
+//	  	"ssh": [
+//	… 35 identical lines
+//	  		{
+//	- 			"src":    ["maisem@tailscale.com"],
+//	- 			"dst":    ["tag:maisem-test"],
+//	- 			"users":  ["maisem", "root"],
+//	- 			"action": "check",
+//	- 			// "recorder": ["100.12.34.56:80"],
+//	+ 			"src":      ["maisem@tailscale.com"],
+//	+ 			"dst":      ["tag:maisem-test"],
+//	+ 			"users":    ["maisem", "root"],
+//	+ 			"action":   "check",
+//	+ 			"recorder": ["node:recorder-2"],
+//	  		},
+//	… 77 identical lines
+//	  	],
+//	… 345 identical lines
+//
+// Meaning of each line prefix:
+//
+//   - '…' precedes a summary statement
+//   - ' ' precedes an identical line printed for context
+//   - '-' precedes a line removed from x
+//   - '+' precedes a line inserted from y
+//
+// The diffing algorithm runs in O(n) and is safe to use with untrusted inputs.
+func Lines(x, y string, maxSize int) (out string, truncated bool) {
+	// Convert x and y into a slice of lines and compute the edit-script.
+	xs := strings.Split(x, "\n")
+	ys := strings.Split(y, "\n")
+	es := diffStrings(xs, ys)
+
+	// Modify the edit-script to support printing identical lines of context.
+	const identicalContext edit = '*' // special edit code to indicate printed line
+	var xi, yi int                    // index into xs or ys
+	isIdentical := func(e edit) bool { return e == identical || e == identicalContext }
+	indentOf := func(s string) string { return s[:len(s)-len(strings.TrimLeftFunc(s, unicode.IsSpace))] }
+	for i, e := range es {
+		if isIdentical(e) {
+			// Print current line if adjacent symbols are non-identical.
+			switch {
+			case i-1 >= 0 && !isIdentical(es[i-1]):
+				es[i] = identicalContext
+			case i+1 < len(es) && !isIdentical(es[i+1]):
+				es[i] = identicalContext
+			}
+		} else {
+			// Print any preceding or succeeding lines,
+			// where the leading indent is a prefix of the current indent.
+			// Indentation often indicates a parent-child relationship
+			// in structured source code.
+			addParents := func(ss []string, si, direction int) {
+				childIndent := indentOf(ss[si])
+				for j := direction; i+j >= 0 && i+j < len(es) && isIdentical(es[i+j]); j += direction {
+					parentIndent := indentOf(ss[si+j])
+					if strings.HasPrefix(childIndent, parentIndent) && len(parentIndent) < len(childIndent) && parentIndent != "" {
+						es[i+j] = identicalContext
+						childIndent = parentIndent
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			switch e {
+			case removed, modified: // arbitrarily use the x value for modified values
+				addParents(xs, xi, -1)
+				addParents(xs, xi, +1)
+			case inserted:
+				addParents(ys, yi, -1)
+				addParents(ys, yi, +1)
+			}
+		}
+		if e != inserted {
+			xi++
+		}
+		if e != removed {
+			yi++
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Show the line for a single hidden identical line,
+	// since it occupies the same vertical height.
+	for i, e := range es {
+		if e == identical {
+			prevNotIdentical := i-1 < 0 || es[i-1] != identical
+			nextNotIdentical := i+1 >= len(es) || es[i+1] != identical
+			if prevNotIdentical && nextNotIdentical {
+				es[i] = identicalContext
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Adjust the maxSize, reserving space for the final summary.
+	if maxSize < 0 {
+		maxSize = math.MaxInt
+	}
+	maxSize -= len(stats{len(xs) + len(ys), len(xs), len(ys)}.appendText(nil))
+
+	// mayAppendLine appends a line if it does not exceed maxSize.
+	// Otherwise, it just updates prevStats.
+	var buf []byte
+	var prevStats stats
+	mayAppendLine := func(edit edit, line string) {
+		// Append the stats (if non-zero) and the line text.
+		// The stats reports the number of preceding identical lines.
+		if !truncated {
+			bufLen := len(buf) // original length (in case we exceed maxSize)
+			if !prevStats.isZero() {
+				buf = prevStats.appendText(buf)
+				prevStats = stats{} // just printed, so clear the stats
+			}
+			buf = fmt.Appendf(buf, "%c %s\n", edit, line)
+			truncated = len(buf) > maxSize
+			if !truncated {
+				return
+			}
+			buf = buf[:bufLen] // restore original buffer contents
+		}
+
+		// Output is truncated, so just update the statistics.
+		switch edit {
+		case identical:
+			prevStats.numIdentical++
+		case removed:
+			prevStats.numRemoved++
+		case inserted:
+			prevStats.numInserted++
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Process the entire edit script.
+	for len(es) > 0 {
+		num := len(es) - len(bytes.TrimLeft(es, string(es[:1])))
+		switch es[0] {
+		case identical:
+			prevStats.numIdentical += num
+			xs, ys = xs[num:], ys[num:]
+		case identicalContext:
+			for n := len(xs) - num; len(xs) > n; xs, ys = xs[1:], ys[1:] {
+				mayAppendLine(identical, xs[0]) // implies xs[0] == ys[0]
+			}
+		case modified:
+			for n := len(xs) - num; len(xs) > n; xs = xs[1:] {
+				mayAppendLine(removed, xs[0])
+			}
+			for n := len(ys) - num; len(ys) > n; ys = ys[1:] {
+				mayAppendLine(inserted, ys[0])
+			}
+		case removed:
+			for n := len(xs) - num; len(xs) > n; xs = xs[1:] {
+				mayAppendLine(removed, xs[0])
+			}
+		case inserted:
+			for n := len(ys) - num; len(ys) > n; ys = ys[1:] {
+				mayAppendLine(inserted, ys[0])
+			}
+		}
+		es = es[num:]
+	}
+	if len(xs)+len(ys)+len(es) > 0 {
+		panic("BUG: slices not fully consumed")
+	}
+
+	if !prevStats.isZero() {
+		buf = prevStats.appendText(buf) // may exceed maxSize
+	}
+	return string(buf), truncated
+}
+
+type stats struct{ numIdentical, numRemoved, numInserted int }
+
+func (s stats) isZero() bool { return s.numIdentical+s.numRemoved+s.numInserted == 0 }
+
+func (s stats) appendText(b []byte) []byte {
+	switch {
+	case s.numIdentical > 0 && s.numRemoved > 0 && s.numInserted > 0:
+		return fmt.Appendf(b, "… %d identical, %d removed, and %d inserted lines\n", s.numIdentical, s.numRemoved, s.numInserted)
+	case s.numIdentical > 0 && s.numRemoved > 0:
+		return fmt.Appendf(b, "… %d identical and %d removed lines\n", s.numIdentical, s.numRemoved)
+	case s.numIdentical > 0 && s.numInserted > 0:
+		return fmt.Appendf(b, "… %d identical and %d inserted lines\n", s.numIdentical, s.numInserted)
+	case s.numRemoved > 0 && s.numInserted > 0:
+		return fmt.Appendf(b, "… %d removed and %d inserted lines\n", s.numRemoved, s.numInserted)
+	case s.numIdentical > 0:
+		return fmt.Appendf(b, "… %d identical lines\n", s.numIdentical)
+	case s.numRemoved > 0:
+		return fmt.Appendf(b, "… %d removed lines\n", s.numRemoved)
+	case s.numInserted > 0:
+		return fmt.Appendf(b, "… %d inserted lines\n", s.numInserted)
+	default:
+		return fmt.Appendf(b, "…\n")
+	}
+}
+
+// diffStrings computes an edit-script of two slices of strings.
+//
+// This calls cmp.Equal to access the "github.com/go-cmp/cmp/internal/diff"
+// implementation, which has an O(N) diffing algorithm. It is not guaranteed
+// to produce an optimal edit-script, but protects our runtime against
+// adversarial inputs that would wreck the optimal O(N²) algorithm used by
+// most diffing packages available in open-source.
+//
+// TODO(https://go.dev/issue/58893): Use "golang.org/x/tools/diff" instead?
+func diffStrings(xs, ys []string) []edit {
+	d := new(diffRecorder)
+	cmp.Equal(xs, ys, cmp.Reporter(d))
+	if diffTest {
+		numRemoved := bytes.Count(d.script, []byte{removed})
+		numInserted := bytes.Count(d.script, []byte{inserted})
+		if len(xs) != len(d.script)-numInserted || len(ys) != len(d.script)-numRemoved {
+			panic("BUG: edit-script is inconsistent")
+		}
+	}
+	return d.script
+}
+
+type edit = byte
+
+const (
+	identical edit = ' ' // equal symbol in both x and y
+	modified  edit = '~' // modified symbol in both x and y
+	removed   edit = '-' // removed symbol from x
+	inserted  edit = '+' // inserted symbol from y
+)
+
+// diffRecorder reproduces an edit-script, essentially recording
+// the edit-script from "github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp/internal/diff".
+// This implements the cmp.Reporter interface.
+type diffRecorder struct {
+	last   cmp.PathStep
+	script []edit
+}
+
+func (d *diffRecorder) PushStep(ps cmp.PathStep) { d.last = ps }
+
+func (d *diffRecorder) Report(rs cmp.Result) {
+	if si, ok := d.last.(cmp.SliceIndex); ok {
+		if rs.Equal() {
+			d.script = append(d.script, identical)
+		} else {
+			switch xi, yi := si.SplitKeys(); {
+			case xi >= 0 && yi >= 0:
+				d.script = append(d.script, modified)
+			case xi >= 0:
+				d.script = append(d.script, removed)
+			case yi >= 0:
+				d.script = append(d.script, inserted)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (d *diffRecorder) PopStep() { d.last = nil }
diff --git a/util/safediff/diff_test.go b/util/safediff/diff_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e580bd922
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/safediff/diff_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+// Copyright (c) Tailscale Inc & AUTHORS
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+package safediff
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
+)
+
+func init() { diffTest = true }
+
+func TestLines(t *testing.T) {
+	// The diffs shown below technically depend on the stability of cmp,
+	// but that should be fine for sufficiently simple diffs like these.
+	// If the output does change, that would suggest a significant regression
+	// in the optimality of cmp's diffing algorithm.
+
+	x := `{
+	"firstName": "John",
+	"lastName": "Smith",
+	"isAlive": true,
+	"age": 27,
+	"address": {
+		"streetAddress": "21 2nd Street",
+		"city": "New York",
+		"state": "NY",
+		"postalCode": "10021-3100"
+	},
+	"phoneNumbers": [{
+		"type": "home",
+		"number": "212 555-1234"
+	}, {
+		"type": "office",
+		"number": "646 555-4567"
+	}],
+	"children": [
+		"Catherine",
+		"Thomas",
+		"Trevor"
+	],
+	"spouse": null
+}`
+	y := x
+	y = strings.ReplaceAll(y, `"New York"`, `"Los Angeles"`)
+	y = strings.ReplaceAll(y, `"NY"`, `"CA"`)
+	y = strings.ReplaceAll(y, `"646 555-4567"`, `"315 252-8888"`)
+
+	wantDiff := `
+… 5 identical lines
+  	"address": {
+  		"streetAddress": "21 2nd Street",
+- 		"city": "New York",
+- 		"state": "NY",
++ 		"city": "Los Angeles",
++ 		"state": "CA",
+  		"postalCode": "10021-3100"
+  	},
+… 3 identical lines
+  	}, {
+  		"type": "office",
+- 		"number": "646 555-4567"
++ 		"number": "315 252-8888"
+  	}],
+… 7 identical lines
+`[1:]
+	gotDiff, gotTrunc := Lines(x, y, -1)
+	if d := cmp.Diff(gotDiff, wantDiff); d != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Lines mismatch (-got +want):\n%s\ngot:\n%s\nwant:\n%s", d, gotDiff, wantDiff)
+	} else if gotTrunc == true {
+		t.Errorf("Lines: output unexpectedly truncated")
+	}
+
+	wantDiff = `
+… 5 identical lines
+  	"address": {
+  		"streetAddress": "21 2nd Street",
+- 		"city": "New York",
+- 		"state": "NY",
++ 		"city": "Los Angeles",
+… 15 identical, 1 removed, and 2 inserted lines
+`[1:]
+	gotDiff, gotTrunc = Lines(x, y, 200)
+	if d := cmp.Diff(gotDiff, wantDiff); d != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Lines mismatch (-got +want):\n%s\ngot:\n%s\nwant:\n%s", d, gotDiff, wantDiff)
+	} else if gotTrunc == false {
+		t.Errorf("Lines: output unexpectedly not truncated")
+	}
+
+	wantDiff = "… 17 identical, 3 removed, and 3 inserted lines\n"
+	gotDiff, gotTrunc = Lines(x, y, 0)
+	if d := cmp.Diff(gotDiff, wantDiff); d != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Lines mismatch (-got +want):\n%s\ngot:\n%s\nwant:\n%s", d, gotDiff, wantDiff)
+	} else if gotTrunc == false {
+		t.Errorf("Lines: output unexpectedly not truncated")
+	}
+
+	x = `{
+	"unrelated": [
+		"unrelated",
+	],
+	"related": {
+		"unrelated": [
+			"unrelated",
+		],
+		"related": {
+			"unrelated": [
+				"unrelated",
+			],
+			"related": {
+				"related": "changed",
+			},
+			"unrelated": [
+				"unrelated",
+			],
+		},
+		"unrelated": [
+			"unrelated",
+		],
+	},
+	"unrelated": [
+		"unrelated",
+	],
+}`
+	y = strings.ReplaceAll(x, "changed", "CHANGED")
+
+	wantDiff = `
+… 4 identical lines
+  	"related": {
+… 3 identical lines
+  		"related": {
+… 3 identical lines
+  			"related": {
+- 				"related": "changed",
++ 				"related": "CHANGED",
+  			},
+… 3 identical lines
+  		},
+… 3 identical lines
+  	},
+… 4 identical lines
+`[1:]
+	gotDiff, gotTrunc = Lines(x, y, -1)
+	if d := cmp.Diff(gotDiff, wantDiff); d != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Lines mismatch (-got +want):\n%s\ngot:\n%s\nwant:\n%s", d, gotDiff, wantDiff)
+	} else if gotTrunc == true {
+		t.Errorf("Lines: output unexpectedly truncated")
+	}
+
+	x = `{
+	"ACLs": [
+		{
+			"Action": "accept",
+			"Users":  ["group:all"],
+			"Ports":  ["tag:tmemes:80"],
+		},
+	],
+}`
+	y = strings.ReplaceAll(x, "tag:tmemes:80", "tag:tmemes:80,8383")
+	wantDiff = `
+  {
+  	"ACLs": [
+  		{
+  			"Action": "accept",
+  			"Users":  ["group:all"],
+- 			"Ports":  ["tag:tmemes:80"],
++ 			"Ports":  ["tag:tmemes:80,8383"],
+  		},
+  	],
+  }
+`[1:]
+	gotDiff, gotTrunc = Lines(x, y, -1)
+	if d := cmp.Diff(gotDiff, wantDiff); d != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Lines mismatch (-got +want):\n%s\ngot:\n%s\nwant:\n%s", d, gotDiff, wantDiff)
+	} else if gotTrunc == true {
+		t.Errorf("Lines: output unexpectedly truncated")
+	}
+}
+
+func FuzzDiff(f *testing.F) {
+	f.Fuzz(func(t *testing.T, x, y string, maxSize int) {
+		const maxInput = 1e3
+		if len(x) > maxInput {
+			x = x[:maxInput]
+		}
+		if len(y) > maxInput {
+			y = y[:maxInput]
+		}
+		diff, _ := Lines(x, y, maxSize) // make sure this does not panic
+		if strings.Count(diff, "\n") > 1 && maxSize >= 0 && len(diff) > maxSize {
+			t.Fatal("maxSize exceeded")
+		}
+	})
+}