Diff Analysis Methodology

Overview

Structured method for analyzing changesets: categorize changes, assess risks, generate insights. Works for git diffs, configuration changes, API migrations, schema updates, or document revisions.

When To Use

• Extracting insights from raw change data
• Categorizing and prioritizing changes before code reviews
• Preparing release notes or changelogs
• Assessing migration scope and risk

When NOT To Use

• Quick context catchup - use catchup instead
• Full PR review - use review-core with pensive skills

Activation Patterns

Trigger Keywords: diff, changes, release notes, changelog, migration, impact, risk assessment

Auto-Load When: Git diffs present, change analysis requested, impact assessment needed.

Progressive Loading

Load modules based on workflow stage:

Always Load

• modules/semantic-categorization.md for change categorization workflow

Conditional Loading

• modules/risk-assessment-framework.md when risk assessment is needed
• modules/git-diff-patterns.md when working with git repositories

Integration

• Use sanctum:git-workspace-review for git data gathering
• Use imbue:proof-of-work for capturing analysis evidence
• Use imbue:structured-output for formatting final deliverables

Required TodoWrite Items

1. diff-analysis:baseline-established
2. diff-analysis:changes-categorized
3. diff-analysis:risks-assessed
4. diff-analysis:summary-prepared

Mark each item complete as you finish the corresponding step.

4-Step Methodology

Step 1: Establish Baseline (diff-analysis:baseline-established)

Define comparison scope: what states are being compared, boundary of analysis, and scale metrics.

For git contexts, load modules/git-diff-patterns.md. For other contexts, compare relevant artifacts.

Step 2: Categorize Changes (diff-analysis:changes-categorized)

Group changes by semantic type. Load modules/semantic-categorization.md for change categories, semantic categories, and prioritization.

Step 3: Assess Risks (diff-analysis:risks-assessed)

Evaluate impact. Load modules/risk-assessment-framework.md for risk indicators, levels, and scoring methodology.

Step 4: Prepare Summary (diff-analysis:summary-prepared)

Synthesize findings: theme, scope with counts, risk level, review focus, dependencies. Format for downstream consumption (PR descriptions, release notes, reviews).

Exit Criteria

• All TodoWrite items completed with categorized changes and risk assessment
• Downstream workflows have semantic understanding of the changeset
• Summary ready for appropriate consumption (review, release notes, planning)