How do I install the State Diff skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add dariushoule/state-diff 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.

Is State Diff safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with State Diff?

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.

Is State Diff free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published State Diff?

dariushoule (@dariushoule) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

State Diff by dariushoule — Agent Skill

Name: State Diff
Author: dariushoule

File contents

state-diff

Compare two debuggee state snapshots and produce a detailed change analysis — which registers changed, which memory regions were modified, and what the changes mean.

Instructions

Follow these steps exactly:

1. Identify snapshots

List the available snapshots:

dir "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}\snapshots"

If there are fewer than two snapshots, tell the user they need at least two snapshots (captured via /state-snapshot) and stop.

If the user specified two snapshot paths, use those directly. Otherwise, present the available snapshots and ask the user to pick the before (earlier) and after (later) snapshots.

2. Run the diff script

Execute the diff engine:

python "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}\skills\state-diff\state_diff.py" --before <before_snapshot_dir> --after <after_snapshot_dir>

The script writes diff_report.json into the after-snapshot directory by default. If the user specified a custom output path, pass --output <path>.

3. Read the report

Use Read to load the generated diff_report.json.

4. Analyze and reason

Interpret the diff report for the user:

Register changes: Explain what each changed register suggests. For example:
- RIP/EIP advanced → instructions were executed
- RSP/ESP changed → stack grew or shrank (function calls, local variables)
- RAX/EAX changed → likely a return value or computation result
- Flag changes → comparison or arithmetic results
Memory changes: Explain what modified regions likely represent:
- Stack region modifications → local variables written, function arguments pushed
- Heap regions → dynamic allocations or object mutations
- Image/module regions → self-modifying code or relocations
- Look at the actual byte patterns for clues (string data, pointers, counters)
Synthesize a narrative: Combine register and memory observations into a coherent explanation of what the program did between the two snapshots. For example: "The program called function X, which allocated Y bytes on the stack and wrote a string to a heap buffer."

Present the analysis in a clear, structured format with the raw evidence (hex values, addresses) supporting each conclusion.

---name: state-diffdescription: Compare two state snapshots to identify register and memory changes between two points in time---# state-diffCompare two debuggee state snapshots and produce a detailed change analysis — which registers changed, which memory regions were modified, and what the changes mean.## InstructionsFollow these steps exactly:### 1. Identify snapshotsList the available snapshots:```dir "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}\snapshots"```If there are fewer than two snapshots, tell the user they need at least two snapshots (captured via `/state-snapshot`) and stop.If the user specified two snapshot paths, use those directly. Otherwise, present the available snapshots and ask the user to pick the **before** (earlier) and **after** (later) snapshots.### 2. Run the diff scriptExecute the diff engine:```python "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}\skills\state-diff\state_diff.py" --before <before_snapshot_dir> --after <after_snapshot_dir>```The script writes `diff_report.json` into the after-snapshot directory by default. If the user specified a custom output path, pass `--output <path>`.### 3. Read the reportUse `Read` to load the generated `diff_report.json`.### 4. Analyze and reasonInterpret the diff report for the user:- **Register changes**: Explain what each changed register suggests. For example: - RIP/EIP advanced → instructions were executed - RSP/ESP changed → stack grew or shrank (function calls, local variables) - RAX/EAX changed → likely a return value or computation result - Flag changes → comparison or arithmetic results- **Memory changes**: Explain what modified regions likely represent: - Stack region modifications → local variables written, function arguments pushed - Heap regions → dynamic allocations or object mutations - Image/module regions → self-modifying code or relocations - Look at the actual byte patterns for clues (string data, pointers, counters)- **Synthesize a narrative**: Combine register and memory observations into a coherent explanation of what the program did between the two snapshots. For example: "The program called function X, which allocated Y bytes on the stack and wrote a string to a heap buffer."Present the analysis in a clear, structured format with the raw evidence (hex values, addresses) supporting each conclusion.

Frequently asked questions

State Diff