Document Comparison Skill

This skill compares two documents to find substantive differences, errors, or inconsistencies. It is particularly useful for legal contracts, financial reports, or revised document versions.

Usage

# Compare two specific files
/compare-docs file1.docx file2.docx

# Compare with specific focus
/compare-docs file1.docx file2.docx --focus "financial data"

Workflow

1. Input Verification:

   • Verify both input files exist.
   • Determine file type (.docx, .pdf, .md, .txt).

2. Content Extraction:

   • If files are .docx, use pandoc to convert them to Markdown for clear text analysis.

     pandoc -t markdown "file1.docx" -o "file1.md"
     pandoc -t markdown "file2.docx" -o "file2.md"
     

   • If files are .pdf, use available PDF reading tools.

3. Analysis & Comparison:

   • Read the extracted content.
   • Compare the documents section by section or key-value by key-value.
   • Focus Areas:
     • Numbers & Dates: Check for discrepancies in financial figures, dates, percentages, and quantities.
     • Key Clauses: Identify added, removed, or modified clauses (especially in legal/contractual contexts).
     • Definitions: Check for changes in defined terms.
   • Note: Ignore minor formatting changes unless explicitly requested.

4. Report Generation:

   • Create a Markdown report (comparison_report.md) structured as follows:
     • Summary: Brief overview of the comparison result.
     • Critical Differences (High Risk): Data mismatches, missing clauses, conflicting obligations.
     • Substantive Changes: Changes in meaning or scope.
     • Stylistic/Format Changes: (Optional) Brief mention of layout or phrasing changes that don't alter meaning.
     • Recommendations: Actionable advice based on findings.

5. Output formatting & Delivery:

   • Convert the Markdown report to a professional .docx document using pandoc.

     pandoc "comparison_report.md" -o "Comparison_Report.docx"
     

   • Open the file: Automatically open the generated document so the user can view it immediately.
     • On macOS: open "Comparison_Report.docx"
     • On Windows: start "Comparison_Report.docx"
     • On Linux: xdg-open "Comparison_Report.docx"
   • Inform the user of the report location.

6. Cleanup:

   • Remove temporary intermediate files (e.g., converted .md files) to keep the workspace clean.

Example Output Structure

Comparison Report

1. Executive Summary

...

2. Key Discrepancies

| Item | File A Value | File B Value | Impact | |------|--------------|--------------|--------| | Revenue | $10M | $12M | Significant | | ... | ... | ... | ... |

3. Detailed Clause Analysis

...