prompt-compare

Your objective is to compare two prompt versions.

Before proceeding, verify that .cocoplus/ exists. If not: output "CocoPlus not initialized in this directory. Run $pod init to begin." Then stop.

Parse arguments: $prompt compare [path-a] [path-b] If both arguments are missing: output "Usage: $prompt compare [path-a] [path-b]" Then stop.

If only one prompt path is provided:

1. Validate the prompt exists.
2. Offer to scaffold a draft comparison variant: "Only one prompt version was provided. Create an editable draft v2 for comparison? [yes/no]"
3. If yes, copy the prompt to the next version name in the same directory, add a clear frontmatter or top-of-file marker draft_variant: true, and add a note: "Draft variant scaffold — edit before using for final comparison."
4. Stop after creating the draft. Do not run $prompt compare until the developer has revised the draft.
5. If no, show usage and stop.

Read both prompt files. If either does not exist: output error with which file is missing. Then stop.

Test Input Collection

Ask: "Provide 3-5 test inputs to compare the prompts against (one per line):"

Run Comparison

For each test input, generate output using both prompts (invoke Cortex COMPLETE function via SnowflakeSqlExecute with each prompt as system context).

Output Comparison Table

# Prompt Comparison: [prompt-a name] vs [prompt-b name]

| Test Input | Prompt A Output | Prompt B Output | Difference |
|------------|----------------|----------------|------------|
[one row per test input]

## Analysis
Prompt A: [strengths and weaknesses]
Prompt B: [strengths and weaknesses]
Recommendation: [which prompt to use and why]

Anti-Rationalization

Shortcut / Temptation	Why It Fails
Compare with only one input	A single case hides regressions and overfits the recommendation
Skip difference column details	Without explicit diffs, recommendation becomes subjective
Ignore missing prompt file validation	Comparison output becomes misleading and non-reproducible
Treat a scaffolded draft as a real strategy	The draft is only an editable starting point; the developer must revise it before comparison

Exit Criteria

• Both prompt files were validated as existing before comparison
• Comparison output includes rows for each provided test input with Prompt A output, Prompt B output, and a difference summary
• ## Analysis section includes strengths and weaknesses for each prompt plus a recommendation
• Errors for missing arguments or missing files are handled with clear usage guidance
• One-prompt invocation can scaffold a clearly marked draft variant and stops before comparison