diff --git a/share/functions/fish_delta.fish b/share/functions/fish_delta.fish
index 327bcc86d..ea21477a3 100644
--- a/share/functions/fish_delta.fish
+++ b/share/functions/fish_delta.fish
@@ -110,38 +110,40 @@ function fish_delta
 
             for file in $files
                 set -l bn (path basename -- $file)
-                set -l def (path filter -rf -- $default_var/$bn)[1]
-                or set -l def (set -q dir[1] && status get-file $dir/$bn &>/dev/null && echo embedded)
-                or begin
-                    if test $all_changed = 0
-                        set -ql _flag_n
-                        and printf (_ "%sNew%s: %s\n") $colors[2] $colors[1] $file
-                        continue
-                    else
-                        set def /dev/null
-                    end
+                set -l default_exists false
+                if set -q dir[1]; and contains $dir/$bn (__fish_data_list_files $dir)
+                    set default_exists true
+                else if test $all_changed = 0
+                    set -ql _flag_n
+                    and printf (_ "%sNew%s: %s\n") $colors[2] $colors[1] $file
+                    continue
                 end
-
                 if type -q diff
-                    # We execute diff twice - once to figure out if it's changed,
-                    # so we can get nicer output.
-                    #
-                    if test "$def" = embedded
-                        if not status get-file $dir/$bn | diff -q -- $file - >/dev/null 2>&1
+                    function __fish_delta_diff -V _flag_d -V colors -V file -a default_file
+                        # We execute diff twice - once to figure out if it's changed,
+                        # so we can get nicer output.
+                        #
+                        if not diff -q -- $file $default_file >/dev/null 2>&1
                             printf (_ "%sChanged%s: %s\n") $colors[3] $colors[1] $file
                             not set -ql _flag_d[1]
-                            and status get-file $dir/$bn | diff -u -- - $file
-                            continue
-                        end
-                    else
-                        if not diff -q -- $file $def >/dev/null 2>&1
-                            printf (_ "%sChanged%s: %s\n") $colors[3] $colors[1] $file
-                            not set -ql _flag_d[1]
-                            and diff -u -- $def $file
-                            continue
+                            and diff -u -- $default_file $file
+                        else
+                            printf (_ "%sUnmodified%s: %s\n") $colors[4] $colors[1] $file
                         end
                     end
-                    printf (_ "%sUnmodified%s: %s\n") $colors[4] $colors[1] $file
+                    function __fish_delta_diff_maybe_file -a maybe_default_file
+                        set -l tmpfile (mktemp)
+                        cat $maybe_default_file >$tmpfile
+                        __fish_delta_diff $tmpfile
+                        command rm $tmpfile
+                    end
+                    if $default_exists
+                        __fish_data_with_file $dir/$bn __fish_delta_diff_maybe_file
+                    else
+                        __fish_delta_diff /dev/null
+                    end
+                    functions --erase __fish_delta_diff
+                    functions --erase __fish_delta_diff_maybe_file
                 else
                     # Without diff, we can't really tell if the contents are the same.
                     printf (_ "%sPossibly changed%s: %s\n") $colors[3] $colors[1] $file