Argent Screenshot Diff

1. Role

Use screenshot-diff as supporting visual evidence for UI QA and visual regression checks. It highlights pixel-visible change or stability; it does not replace visual inspection, accessibility/component-tree state, frame/attribute checks, logs, network evidence, or app behavior.

Do not use screenshot diffing for tap-coordinate discovery. Use describe, debugger-component-tree, or native-describe-screen to find targets first.

screenshot-diff supports physical iPhones (kind "device") for both saved-file diffs and live captures. A live capture on hardware goes through the on-device runner at full resolution, is device-wide, and needs no registered app. Keep baselines per device model and resolution, and note that the rotation parameter is ignored on hardware: the capture follows the device's real orientation.

2. When To Use

Use screenshot-diff when pixel comparison can answer the verification question:

• Required for explicit "UI regression test", "visual regression test", "screenshot diff", "compare screenshots", or "before/after visual comparison" requests, unless stable comparable screenshots cannot be produced.
• Good fit when the affected screen has stable before/after states and the expected result is pixel-visible: layout, position, size, spacing, color, typography, image/icon rendering, clipping, overflow, or text rendering.
• Good fit when the risk is unintended visual regression outside the exact element changed.
• Poor fit when the result is better verified structurally: state changes, navigation existence, accessibility tree contents, console/network behavior, or unit tests.
• Poor fit when dynamic content, unpausable animation, timestamps, ads, random data, or missing baseline/current screenshots would make the comparison noisy or meaningless.

3. Capture Rules

Use normal downscaled screenshot calls for UI context and state checks. Use full-resolution screenshots only when saving baseline/current PNG files for visual regression comparison. Suppress the image block so the full-size PNG is not loaded into context:

jsonCopy code
{ "udid": "<UDID>", "scale": 1.0, "includeImageInContext": false }

Capture the stable baseline before the relevant interaction or before editing whenever feasible. Compare it to the post-change or post-interaction screen after the app reloads, rebuilds, or reaches the state under test.

4. Parameters

Provide udid and exactly one input for the baseline side and exactly one input for the current side:

• Common UI regression flow: saved baseline plus live current -> baselinePath, captureCurrent: true, udid, outputDir.
• Both screenshots already saved -> baselinePath, currentPath, udid, outputDir.
• Rare fixture flow: live baseline plus saved current -> captureBaseline: true, currentPath, udid, outputDir.
• Do not combine captureBaseline: true with captureCurrent: true, or provide both a path and live capture flag for the same side.

5. Deterministic Flow

1. Navigate to the known-good state.
2. Capture a baseline PNG with screenshot using scale: 1.0 and includeImageInContext: false; keep the returned path.
3. Perform the interaction, apply the code change and navigate to the state under test.
4. Call screenshot-diff with the saved baselinePath, captureCurrent: true, udid, and outputDir.
5. Inspect the summary and artifact paths, then combine the diff with normal visual inspection and any structural/runtime evidence needed for the assertion.

jsonCopy code
{
  "baselinePath": "/tmp/baseline.png",
  "captureCurrent": true,
  "udid": "<UDID>",
  "outputDir": "/tmp/argent-diff"
}

If both images are already saved, use file paths for both sides:

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{
  "baselinePath": "/tmp/baseline.png",
  "currentPath": "/tmp/current.png",
  "udid": "<UDID>",
  "outputDir": "/tmp/argent-diff"
}