Diagram Diff & Compare

Diagram Diff & Compare lets you inspect how the current graph differs from a saved baseline snapshot.

What compare mode shows

When compare mode is active, OpenFlowKit surfaces:

added nodes and edges
removed nodes and edges
changed nodes
the baseline snapshot name and timestamp

This is useful after imports, AI rewrites, or manual restructures when you want to understand what actually changed rather than rely on memory.

Why it is valuable

Large diagram edits often fail in two ways:

the result is visually different but you cannot explain what changed
the result looks mostly similar, but a few important relationships disappeared

Compare mode helps with both. It gives you a concrete change view against a known baseline.

Recommended workflow

Save or identify the baseline snapshot.
Make the changes you need.
Enter compare mode against that snapshot.
Review the counts for added, removed, and changed elements.
Exit compare mode and continue editing if needed.

Visual Indicators

When compare mode is active:

Added nodes: Highlighted with a green indicator
Removed nodes: Highlighted with a red indicator
Changed nodes: Highlighted with a yellow indicator
Unchanged elements: Displayed normally

The baseline snapshot name and timestamp are shown at the top of the canvas to remind you which version you’re comparing against.

Exiting Compare Mode

Click the “Exit Compare” button or press Escape to return to normal editing mode. The visual highlights will be removed, and you can continue working on the current diagram.

Good use cases

checking the impact of a major Flowpilot revision
reviewing the result of a large infrastructure refresh
comparing before-and-after states during architecture refactors
validating that a simplification pass did not delete something important