Agent skill
api-diff-analyzer
Compare API specifications to detect breaking changes. Compare OpenAPI spec versions, categorize changes by severity, generate migration guides, and block breaking changes in CI.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/a5c-ai/babysitter/tree/main/library/specializations/sdk-platform-development/skills/api-diff-analyzer
Metadata
Additional technical details for this skill
- author
- babysitter-sdk
- version
- 1.0.0
- category
- versioning-compatibility
- backlog id
- SK-SDK-005
SKILL.md
api-diff-analyzer
You are api-diff-analyzer - a specialized skill for comparing API specifications and detecting breaking changes, ensuring SDK compatibility and safe API evolution.
Overview
This skill enables AI-powered API diff analysis including:
- Comparing OpenAPI spec versions
- Categorizing changes by severity
- Detecting breaking changes automatically
- Generating migration guides
- Blocking breaking changes in CI
- Supporting multiple spec formats (OpenAPI, GraphQL, gRPC)
- Creating detailed change reports
Prerequisites
- OpenAPI, GraphQL, or Protobuf specifications
- Version control with spec history
- oasdiff, openapi-diff, or similar tools
- CI/CD pipeline for automated checks
Capabilities
1. OpenAPI Diff Analysis
Compare OpenAPI specifications:
// src/analyzer/openapi-diff.ts
import { parseSpec, diffSpecs } from './parser';
interface ApiChange {
type: 'breaking' | 'non-breaking' | 'info';
category: string;
path: string;
method?: string;
description: string;
oldValue?: unknown;
newValue?: unknown;
migration?: string;
}
interface DiffResult {
hasBreakingChanges: boolean;
changes: ApiChange[];
summary: {
breaking: number;
nonBreaking: number;
info: number;
};
report: string;
}
export async function analyzeApiDiff(
oldSpec: string,
newSpec: string,
options: DiffOptions = {}
): Promise<DiffResult> {
const oldApi = await parseSpec(oldSpec);
const newApi = await parseSpec(newSpec);
const changes: ApiChange[] = [];
// Analyze paths
for (const [path, oldPathItem] of Object.entries(oldApi.paths)) {
const newPathItem = newApi.paths[path];
if (!newPathItem) {
changes.push({
type: 'breaking',
category: 'endpoint-removed',
path,
description: `Endpoint ${path} was removed`,
migration: `Update SDK to remove calls to ${path}`
});
continue;
}
// Analyze methods
for (const method of ['get', 'post', 'put', 'patch', 'delete']) {
const oldOp = oldPathItem[method];
const newOp = newPathItem[method];
if (oldOp && !newOp) {
changes.push({
type: 'breaking',
category: 'method-removed',
path,
method,
description: `${method.toUpperCase()} ${path} was removed`
});
continue;
}
if (oldOp && newOp) {
// Check parameters
analyzeParameters(path, method, oldOp, newOp, changes);
// Check request body
analyzeRequestBody(path, method, oldOp, newOp, changes);
// Check responses
analyzeResponses(path, method, oldOp, newOp, changes);
}
}
}
// Check for new endpoints (non-breaking)
for (const [path, newPathItem] of Object.entries(newApi.paths)) {
if (!oldApi.paths[path]) {
changes.push({
type: 'non-breaking',
category: 'endpoint-added',
path,
description: `New endpoint ${path} was added`
});
}
}
// Analyze components/schemas
analyzeSchemas(oldApi.components?.schemas, newApi.components?.schemas, changes);
const summary = {
breaking: changes.filter(c => c.type === 'breaking').length,
nonBreaking: changes.filter(c => c.type === 'non-breaking').length,
info: changes.filter(c => c.type === 'info').length
};
return {
hasBreakingChanges: summary.breaking > 0,
changes,
summary,
report: generateReport(changes, summary)
};
}
function analyzeParameters(
path: string,
method: string,
oldOp: Operation,
newOp: Operation,
changes: ApiChange[]
): void {
const oldParams = new Map(oldOp.parameters?.map(p => [p.name, p]) || []);
const newParams = new Map(newOp.parameters?.map(p => [p.name, p]) || []);
// Check for removed parameters
for (const [name, oldParam] of oldParams) {
if (!newParams.has(name)) {
changes.push({
type: oldParam.required ? 'breaking' : 'info',
category: 'parameter-removed',
path,
method,
description: `Parameter '${name}' was removed from ${method.toUpperCase()} ${path}`,
oldValue: oldParam
});
}
}
// Check for new required parameters
for (const [name, newParam] of newParams) {
const oldParam = oldParams.get(name);
if (!oldParam && newParam.required) {
changes.push({
type: 'breaking',
category: 'required-parameter-added',
path,
method,
description: `New required parameter '${name}' added to ${method.toUpperCase()} ${path}`,
newValue: newParam,
migration: `Update SDK calls to include '${name}' parameter`
});
}
if (oldParam && !oldParam.required && newParam.required) {
changes.push({
type: 'breaking',
category: 'parameter-required',
path,
method,
description: `Parameter '${name}' is now required in ${method.toUpperCase()} ${path}`,
oldValue: oldParam,
newValue: newParam
});
}
// Check type changes
if (oldParam && oldParam.schema?.type !== newParam.schema?.type) {
changes.push({
type: 'breaking',
category: 'parameter-type-changed',
path,
method,
description: `Parameter '${name}' type changed from '${oldParam.schema?.type}' to '${newParam.schema?.type}'`,
oldValue: oldParam,
newValue: newParam
});
}
}
}
function analyzeSchemas(
oldSchemas: Record<string, Schema> | undefined,
newSchemas: Record<string, Schema> | undefined,
changes: ApiChange[]
): void {
if (!oldSchemas || !newSchemas) return;
for (const [name, oldSchema] of Object.entries(oldSchemas)) {
const newSchema = newSchemas[name];
if (!newSchema) {
changes.push({
type: 'breaking',
category: 'schema-removed',
path: `#/components/schemas/${name}`,
description: `Schema '${name}' was removed`
});
continue;
}
// Check for removed properties
if (oldSchema.properties && newSchema.properties) {
for (const prop of Object.keys(oldSchema.properties)) {
if (!(prop in newSchema.properties)) {
changes.push({
type: 'breaking',
category: 'property-removed',
path: `#/components/schemas/${name}/${prop}`,
description: `Property '${prop}' was removed from schema '${name}'`
});
}
}
// Check for new required properties
const oldRequired = new Set(oldSchema.required || []);
const newRequired = new Set(newSchema.required || []);
for (const prop of newRequired) {
if (!oldRequired.has(prop) && oldSchema.properties[prop]) {
changes.push({
type: 'breaking',
category: 'property-required',
path: `#/components/schemas/${name}/${prop}`,
description: `Property '${prop}' is now required in schema '${name}'`
});
}
}
}
}
}
2. Breaking Change Categories
Comprehensive breaking change detection:
// src/rules/breaking-changes.ts
export const BREAKING_CHANGE_RULES = {
// Endpoint changes
'endpoint-removed': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Removing an endpoint breaks all consumers',
autoFix: false
},
'method-removed': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Removing an HTTP method breaks consumers using it',
autoFix: false
},
// Parameter changes
'required-parameter-added': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Adding required parameter breaks existing calls',
autoFix: false
},
'parameter-removed': {
severity: 'minor',
description: 'Removing parameter may break consumers expecting it',
autoFix: 'Make parameter optional first'
},
'parameter-type-changed': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Changing parameter type breaks serialization',
autoFix: false
},
'parameter-required': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Making optional parameter required breaks calls',
autoFix: false
},
// Response changes
'response-removed': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Removing response status code breaks error handling',
autoFix: false
},
'response-body-changed': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Changing response structure breaks deserialization',
autoFix: false
},
// Schema changes
'schema-removed': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Removing schema breaks type references',
autoFix: false
},
'property-removed': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Removing property breaks consumers accessing it',
autoFix: false
},
'property-required': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Making property required breaks object creation',
autoFix: false
},
'property-type-changed': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Changing property type breaks serialization',
autoFix: false
},
// Enum changes
'enum-value-removed': {
severity: 'major',
description: 'Removing enum value breaks consumers using it',
autoFix: false
}
};
3. Migration Guide Generation
Generate migration guides for breaking changes:
// src/generator/migration-guide.ts
interface MigrationStep {
change: ApiChange;
action: string;
code?: {
before: string;
after: string;
language: string;
};
}
export function generateMigrationGuide(
oldVersion: string,
newVersion: string,
changes: ApiChange[]
): string {
const breakingChanges = changes.filter(c => c.type === 'breaking');
if (breakingChanges.length === 0) {
return `# Migration Guide: ${oldVersion} to ${newVersion}\n\nNo breaking changes! You can upgrade safely.`;
}
const sections: string[] = [
`# Migration Guide: ${oldVersion} to ${newVersion}`,
'',
'## Overview',
'',
`This release contains **${breakingChanges.length} breaking changes** that require updates to your code.`,
'',
'## Breaking Changes',
''
];
// Group changes by category
const byCategory = groupBy(breakingChanges, 'category');
for (const [category, categoryChanges] of Object.entries(byCategory)) {
sections.push(`### ${formatCategory(category)}`);
sections.push('');
for (const change of categoryChanges) {
sections.push(`#### ${change.path}${change.method ? ` (${change.method.toUpperCase()})` : ''}`);
sections.push('');
sections.push(change.description);
sections.push('');
if (change.migration) {
sections.push('**Migration:**');
sections.push('');
sections.push(change.migration);
sections.push('');
}
// Add code examples
const codeExample = generateCodeExample(change);
if (codeExample) {
sections.push('**Before:**');
sections.push('```' + codeExample.language);
sections.push(codeExample.before);
sections.push('```');
sections.push('');
sections.push('**After:**');
sections.push('```' + codeExample.language);
sections.push(codeExample.after);
sections.push('```');
sections.push('');
}
}
}
return sections.join('\n');
}
function generateCodeExample(change: ApiChange): CodeExample | null {
switch (change.category) {
case 'required-parameter-added':
return {
language: 'typescript',
before: `await sdk.users.create({ name: 'John' });`,
after: `await sdk.users.create({ name: 'John', email: 'john@example.com' });`
};
case 'endpoint-removed':
return {
language: 'typescript',
before: `await sdk.deprecated.oldMethod();`,
after: `await sdk.newNamespace.newMethod();`
};
default:
return null;
}
}
4. CI/CD Integration
Block breaking changes in CI:
name: API Compatibility Check
on:
pull_request:
paths:
- 'openapi/**'
- 'api/**'
jobs:
check-breaking-changes:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
with:
fetch-depth: 0
- name: Get base spec
run: |
git show origin/${{ github.base_ref }}:openapi/openapi.yaml > old-spec.yaml
- name: Install oasdiff
run: |
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oasdiff/oasdiff/main/install.sh | sh
- name: Check for breaking changes
id: diff
run: |
oasdiff breaking old-spec.yaml openapi/openapi.yaml \
--fail-on ERR \
--format json > diff-result.json
echo "has_breaking=$(jq 'length > 0' diff-result.json)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
- name: Generate report
if: always()
run: |
oasdiff diff old-spec.yaml openapi/openapi.yaml \
--format markdown > CHANGES.md
- name: Comment on PR
if: steps.diff.outputs.has_breaking == 'true'
uses: actions/github-script@v7
with:
script: |
const fs = require('fs');
const report = fs.readFileSync('CHANGES.md', 'utf8');
github.rest.issues.createComment({
owner: context.repo.owner,
repo: context.repo.repo,
issue_number: context.issue.number,
body: `## ⚠️ Breaking API Changes Detected\n\n${report}\n\nPlease review these changes and update the SDK accordingly.`
});
- name: Fail on breaking changes
if: steps.diff.outputs.has_breaking == 'true'
run: |
echo "Breaking changes detected! Review required."
exit 1
5. oasdiff CLI Integration
Use oasdiff for comprehensive analysis:
#!/bin/bash
# scripts/check-api-diff.sh
set -e
OLD_SPEC="${1:-main:openapi/openapi.yaml}"
NEW_SPEC="${2:-openapi/openapi.yaml}"
OUTPUT_FORMAT="${3:-text}"
echo "Comparing API specifications..."
echo "Old: $OLD_SPEC"
echo "New: $NEW_SPEC"
echo ""
# Check for breaking changes
echo "=== Breaking Changes ==="
oasdiff breaking "$OLD_SPEC" "$NEW_SPEC" --format "$OUTPUT_FORMAT"
echo ""
echo "=== Full Diff ==="
oasdiff diff "$OLD_SPEC" "$NEW_SPEC" --format "$OUTPUT_FORMAT"
# Summary
echo ""
echo "=== Summary ==="
oasdiff summary "$OLD_SPEC" "$NEW_SPEC"
6. GraphQL Schema Diff
Compare GraphQL schemas:
// src/analyzer/graphql-diff.ts
import { buildSchema, printSchema, diff as graphqlDiff } from 'graphql';
interface GraphQLChange {
type: 'breaking' | 'dangerous' | 'non-breaking';
criticality: string;
message: string;
path: string;
}
export async function analyzeGraphQLDiff(
oldSchemaSDL: string,
newSchemaSDL: string
): Promise<GraphQLChange[]> {
const oldSchema = buildSchema(oldSchemaSDL);
const newSchema = buildSchema(newSchemaSDL);
const changes = graphqlDiff(oldSchema, newSchema);
return changes.map(change => ({
type: change.criticality.level,
criticality: change.criticality.reason || '',
message: change.message,
path: change.path || ''
}));
}
// Breaking changes in GraphQL:
// - Removing a type
// - Removing a field
// - Changing field type to incompatible type
// - Adding required argument to field
// - Removing enum value
// - Changing union members
7. Protobuf/gRPC Diff
Compare Protobuf definitions:
// src/analyzer/protobuf-diff.ts
import { execSync } from 'child_process';
interface ProtobufChange {
type: 'FILE' | 'MESSAGE' | 'FIELD' | 'ENUM' | 'SERVICE' | 'RPC';
category: 'ADDITION' | 'DELETION' | 'MODIFICATION';
breaking: boolean;
path: string;
description: string;
}
export function analyzeProtobufDiff(
oldProtoPath: string,
newProtoPath: string
): ProtobufChange[] {
// Use buf for protobuf breaking change detection
const result = execSync(
`buf breaking ${newProtoPath} --against ${oldProtoPath} --format json`,
{ encoding: 'utf8' }
);
const bufOutput = JSON.parse(result);
const changes: ProtobufChange[] = [];
for (const issue of bufOutput) {
changes.push({
type: issue.type,
category: issue.category,
breaking: true,
path: issue.path,
description: issue.message
});
}
return changes;
}
// Breaking changes in Protobuf:
// - Changing field number
// - Changing field type
// - Removing required field
// - Changing field from optional to required
// - Removing enum value
// - Renaming message/field (wire format stays same, but breaks generated code)
MCP Server Integration
This skill can leverage the following MCP servers:
| Server | Description | Installation |
|---|---|---|
| Specmatic MCP | Contract testing and diff | GitHub |
| mcp-openapi-schema | OpenAPI exploration | GitHub |
Best Practices
- Version specs - Keep specs in version control
- Automate checks - Run diff in CI/CD
- Block breaking - Fail builds on breaking changes
- Generate guides - Create migration docs
- Review carefully - Human review for edge cases
- Deprecate first - Deprecate before removing
- Communicate early - Notify SDK teams of changes
- Test migrations - Verify migration guides work
Process Integration
This skill integrates with the following processes:
api-versioning-strategy.js- API version managementbackward-compatibility-management.js- Breaking change policysdk-versioning-release-management.js- SDK releasesapi-design-specification.js- Spec management
Output Format
{
"operation": "diff",
"oldVersion": "1.0.0",
"newVersion": "2.0.0",
"hasBreakingChanges": true,
"summary": {
"breaking": 3,
"nonBreaking": 5,
"info": 2
},
"changes": [
{
"type": "breaking",
"category": "required-parameter-added",
"path": "/users",
"method": "POST",
"description": "New required parameter 'email' added",
"migration": "Update SDK calls to include email"
}
],
"migrationGuide": "# Migration Guide...",
"affectedEndpoints": ["/users", "/orders"]
}
Error Handling
- Handle invalid spec formats
- Report parse errors clearly
- Support partial comparisons
- Warn on deprecated features
- Log detailed change context
Constraints
- Requires spec access for both versions
- Complex schema changes may need manual review
- Some changes may be false positives
- Behavior changes not always detectable
- GraphQL/gRPC need separate tools
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