home / skills / vercel-labs / before-and-after / skill

skill skill

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This skill captures before-and-after screenshots for visual UI comparisons by comparing two URLs or images.

npx playbooks add skill vercel-labs/before-and-after --skill skill

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SKILL.md
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---
name: before-and-after
description: Captures before/after screenshots of web pages or elements for visual comparison. Use when user says "take before and after", "screenshot comparison", "visual diff", "PR screenshots", "compare old and new", or needs to document UI changes. Accepts two URLs (file://, http://, https://) or two image paths.
allowed-tools:
  - Bash(npx @vercel/before-and-after *)
  - Bash(before-and-after *)
  - Bash(which before-and-after)
  - Bash(npm install -g @vercel/before-and-after)
  - Bash(*/upload-and-copy.sh *)
  - Bash(curl -s -o /dev/null -w *)
  - Bash(gh pr view *)
  - Bash(gh pr edit *)
  - Bash(vercel inspect *)
  - Bash(vercel whoami)
  - Bash(which vercel)
  - Bash(which gh)
---

# Before-After Screenshot Skill

> **Package:** `@vercel/before-and-after`
> Never use `before-and-after` (wrong package).

## Agent Behavior Rules

**DO NOT:**
- Switch git branches, stash changes, start dev servers, or assume what "before" is
- Use `--full` unless user explicitly asks for full page / full scroll capture

**DO:**
- Use `--markdown` when user wants PR integration or markdown output
- Use `--mobile` / `--tablet` if user mentions phone, mobile, tablet, responsive, etc.
- Assume current state is **After**
- If user provides only one URL or says "PR screenshots" without URLs, **ASK**: "What URL should I use for the 'before' state? (production URL, preview deployment, or another local port)"

## Execution Order (MUST follow)

1. **Pre-flight** — `which before-and-after || npm install -g @vercel/before-and-after`
2. **Protection check** — if `.vercel.app` URL: `curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "<url>"` (401/403 = protected)
3. **Capture** — `before-and-after "<before-url>" "<after-url>"`
4. **Upload** — `./scripts/upload-and-copy.sh <before.png> <after.png> --markdown`
5. **PR integration** — optionally `gh pr edit` to append markdown

**Never skip steps 1-2.**

## Quick Reference

```bash
# Basic usage
before-and-after <before-url> <after-url>

# With selector
before-and-after url1 url2 ".hero-section"

# Different selectors for each
before-and-after url1 url2 ".old-card" ".new-card"

# Viewports
before-and-after url1 url2 --mobile    # 375x812
before-and-after url1 url2 --tablet    # 768x1024
before-and-after url1 url2 --full      # full scroll

# From existing images
before-and-after before.png after.png --markdown

# Via npx (use full package name!)
npx @vercel/before-and-after url1 url2
```

| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `-m, --mobile` | Mobile viewport (375x812) |
| `-t, --tablet` | Tablet viewport (768x1024) |
| `--size <WxH>` | Custom viewport |
| `-f, --full` | Full scrollable page |
| `-s, --selector` | CSS selector to capture |
| `-o, --output` | Output directory (default: ~/Downloads) |
| `--markdown` | Upload images & output markdown table |
| `--upload-url <url>` | Custom upload endpoint (default: 0x0.st) |

## Image Upload

```bash
# Default (0x0.st - no signup needed)
./scripts/upload-and-copy.sh before.png after.png --markdown

# GitHub Gist
IMAGE_ADAPTER=gist ./scripts/upload-and-copy.sh before.png after.png --markdown
```

## Vercel Deployment Protection

If `.vercel.app` URL returns 401/403:

1. Check Vercel CLI: `which vercel && vercel whoami`
2. If available: `vercel inspect <url>` to get bypass token
3. If not: Tell user to provide bypass token, take manual screenshots, or disable protection

## PR Integration

```bash
# Check for gh CLI
which gh

# Get current PR
gh pr view --json number,body

# Append screenshots to PR body
gh pr edit <number> --body "<existing-body>

## Before and After
<generated-markdown>"
```

If no `gh` CLI: output markdown and tell user to paste manually.

## Error Reference

| Error | Fix |
|-------|-----|
| `command not found` | `npm install -g @vercel/before-and-after` |
| `could not determine executable` | Use `npx @vercel/before-and-after` (full name) |
| 401/403 on .vercel.app | See Vercel protection section |
| Element not found | Verify selector exists on page |

Overview

This skill captures paired before/after screenshots of whole pages or specific elements to produce a visual diff for reviews and PRs. It automates preflight checks, protected-site handling, capture, upload, and optionally generates Markdown suitable for PR bodies. Use it to document UI changes, verify responsive behavior, or produce sharable comparison images.

How this skill works

The skill runs a preflight check to ensure the screenshot tool is available, then verifies accessibility for protected Vercel deployments. It captures screenshots for the provided before and after inputs (URLs or image paths), supports viewport presets and selectors, uploads the resulting images, and can output Markdown for easy PR integration. If only one URL is provided, the skill prompts for the missing "before" state.

When to use it

  • When you say: "take before and after", "screenshot comparison", "visual diff", or "PR screenshots"
  • To document UI changes between two deployments or builds
  • When reviewing a pull request and you need visual evidence of layout or style changes
  • To compare different viewports (mobile/tablet/desktop) or specific page elements
  • When you need sharable Markdown with embedded images for a PR or report

Best practices

  • Run the preflight check first; install the CLI if missing (npm or npx usage)
  • Assume the current environment is the after state unless the user specifies otherwise
  • Use --mobile or --tablet when the user mentions phone/tablet/responsive testing
  • Provide explicit CSS selectors for element-level captures to avoid "element not found" errors
  • For .vercel.app URLs, perform a protection check and request a bypass token if 401/403 is returned
  • Only use --full when the user explicitly asks for a full-page (scroll) capture

Example use cases

  • Compare production and staging URLs to confirm a bugfix visually resolved the issue
  • Generate PR screenshots and append Markdown to the PR body for reviewer context
  • Capture a specific component before and after a refactor using CSS selectors
  • Validate responsive changes by running mobile and tablet viewport captures
  • Upload before/after PNGs to a short-hosting service and copy Markdown for sharing

FAQ

What inputs does the skill accept?

Two URLs (file://, http://, https://) or two local image paths; if only one URL is provided, it will ask for the other.

How does it handle protected Vercel deployments?

It performs an HTTP status check; on 401/403 it can try Vercel CLI inspection if available or ask you for a bypass token or alternate approach.

Can I get Markdown for a PR automatically?

Yes — the skill can upload images and output Markdown, and it will attempt to append it to the PR if the GitHub CLI is present; otherwise it returns the Markdown for manual pasting.