Recipe Compare Sheet Tabs
Diff two Google Sheet tabs month-over-month without exporting CSVs or writing one-off scripts.
Overview
Recipe Compare Sheet Tabs is an agent skill for the Operate phase that reads two Google Sheet tabs via gws and compares them to surface differences.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/googleworkspace/cli --skill recipe-compare-sheet-tabsWhat is this skill?
- 3-step recipe: read January range, read February range, compare in-agent
- Uses `gws sheets +read` with explicit tab names and A1 ranges
- Requires `gws-sheets` skill and `gws` CLI binary
- Same-spreadsheet workflow—no cross-file export step
- Agent runs CLI commands you can paste into terminal for auditability
- 3-step recipe: read tab one, read tab two, compare data
Adoption & trust: 15.9k installs on skills.sh; 26.9k GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You maintain parallel tabs in one Sheet and waste time flipping between them to see what changed.
Who is it for?
Monthly ops reviews where the same columns exist on two tabs in one spreadsheet ID.
Skip if: Cross-workbook merges, fuzzy deduplication, or compare jobs that need OAuth setup—you still need gws-sheets configured first.
When should I use this skill?
You need to read data from two tabs in a Google Sheet to compare and identify differences.
What do I get? / Deliverables
Two tab snapshots are loaded through gws so your agent can list concrete deltas without leaving the terminal workflow.
- Side-by-side tab data in agent context
- Narrated list of identified changes between tabs
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Reconciliation and change detection usually happens after launch when you are operating the business on spreadsheets. Tab-to-tab compare is an iteration task—spotting deltas in ops metrics, inventory, or pipeline rows before you adjust process.
How it compares
Use this recipe for in-Sheet tab diffs instead of building a custom Apps Script every time you reconcile.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is recipe-compare-sheet-tabs for?
Solo builders and indie operators who track metrics in Google Sheets and want an agent-guided compare using the gws CLI.
When should I use recipe-compare-sheet-tabs?
During operate and iterate when you reconcile month-over-month tabs, audit imports, or verify edits before changing formulas or automations.
Is recipe-compare-sheet-tabs safe to install?
It only documents read-side gws commands; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and scope Google OAuth to the spreadsheets you intend to read.
Workflow Chain
Requires first: gws sheets
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Recipe Compare Sheet Tabs
# Compare Two Google Sheets Tabs > **PREREQUISITE:** Load the following skills to execute this recipe: `gws-sheets` Read data from two tabs in a Google Sheet to compare and identify differences. ## Steps 1. Read the first tab: `gws sheets +read --spreadsheet SHEET_ID --range "January!A1:D"` 2. Read the second tab: `gws sheets +read --spreadsheet SHEET_ID --range "February!A1:D"` 3. Compare the data and identify changes