Compare the contents of two files to identify differences and similarities.
Compare Files
This skill reads two files and compares their contents to help you understand what's different between them.
When to Use
You need to see what changed between two versions of a file
You want to identify differences in configuration files, code, or documentation
You're tracking variations between similar files in different locations
Steps
Specify the paths to the two files you want to compare
The skill reads both files completely
Review the contents side-by-side or ask Claude to highlight the key differences
Use the comparison to understand changes, spot issues, or merge updates
Tips
Works best with text-based files (code, config, markdown, etc.)
For large files, consider asking Claude to focus on specific sections
Use this before making edits to understand the current state of related files
Great for code reviews, configuration audits, and documentation tracking
1---2name: compare-files3description: compare-files4---5# compare-files67Compare the contents of two files to identify differences and similarities.89# Compare Files1011This skill reads two files and compares their contents to help you understand what's different between them.1213## When to Use14- You need to see what changed between two versions of a file15- You want to identify differences in configuration files, code, or documentation16- You're tracking variations between similar files in different locations1718## Steps191. Specify the paths to the two files you want to compare202. The skill reads both files completely213. Review the contents side-by-side or ask Claude to highlight the key differences224. Use the comparison to understand changes, spot issues, or merge updates2324## Tips25- Works best with text-based files (code, config, markdown, etc.)26- For large files, consider asking Claude to focus on specific sections27- Use this before making edits to understand the current state of related files28- Great for code reviews, configuration audits, and documentation tracking
Run npx skillmds@latest add claudiawong522/compare-files in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.
compare-files It is listed under Coding & Dev Tools on SkillMD.
This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.
This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.
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claudiawong522 (@claudiawong522) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.
claudiawong522