case.dev Redline Comparison

AI-powered document comparison that goes beyond visual diffs. Upload two versions of a contract or legal document, get a structured analysis of what changed, what it means, and what to watch out for.

Requires the casedev CLI. See setup skill for installation and auth.

Quick Start

# Compare two local files
casedev redline compare ./contract-v1.pdf ./contract-v2.docx --json

# Compare two vault objects
casedev redline compare \
  --vault VAULT_ID \
  --base OBJECT_ID_V1 \
  --target OBJECT_ID_V2 \
  --json

Compare Documents

Local files

casedev redline compare ./old-version.pdf ./new-version.docx --json

Accepts PDF, DOCX, DOC, and TXT. Mixed formats supported (e.g., PDF vs DOCX).

Vault objects

casedev redline compare \
  --vault VAULT_ID \
  --base OBJECT_ID \
  --target OBJECT_ID \
  --json

URL sources

casedev redline compare \
  --base-url "https://example.com/v1.pdf" \
  --target-url "https://example.com/v2.pdf" \
  --json

Output Structure

The default JSON output contains:

{
  "summary": "Plain-English narrative of key changes",
  "riskFlags": [
    {
      "severity": "high",
      "clause": "Indemnification (Section 8.2)",
      "change": "Cap reduced from $5M to $1M",
      "impact": "Significantly increases exposure for indemnifying party"
    }
  ],
  "changes": [
    {
      "section": "Section 3.1 — Payment Terms",
      "type": "modified",
      "before": "Net 30 from invoice date",
      "after": "Net 60 from invoice date",
      "significance": "medium"
    }
  ],
  "stats": {
    "sectionsModified": 12,
    "sectionsAdded": 2,
    "sectionsRemoved": 1,
    "riskFlagsHigh": 1,
    "riskFlagsMedium": 3
  }
}

Options

Flag	Description
--format	Output format: json (default), markdown, text
--detail	Detail level: summary, standard (default), detailed
--focus	Comma-separated clause types to prioritize (e.g., indemnification,termination,liability)
--perspective	Analysis perspective: neutral (default), drafter, reviewer
--json	Shorthand for --format json

Detail levels

• summary — Executive overview only. Key changes and high-severity risk flags. Fast.
• standard — Full clause-by-clause breakdown with all risk flags. Default.
• detailed — Everything in standard plus original/modified text excerpts, suggested responses, and negotiation context.

Perspective

• neutral — Objective analysis of changes.
• drafter — Flags changes that weaken your position (you drafted the original).
• reviewer — Flags changes you should push back on (you're reviewing incoming edits).

Common Workflows

Quick contract review

A partner sends back a marked-up contract. See what changed and whether to worry:

casedev redline compare ./our-draft.docx ./their-markup.docx \
  --perspective reviewer \
  --detail summary \
  --json

Deep-dive on specific clauses

Focus analysis on the clauses that matter most:

casedev redline compare ./v3.pdf ./v4.pdf \
  --focus "indemnification,limitation-of-liability,termination,governing-law" \
  --detail detailed \
  --json

Vault-based comparison

Compare two versions already stored in a vault:

casedev redline compare \
  --vault VAULT_ID \
  --base OBJECT_ID_V1 \
  --target OBJECT_ID_V2 \
  --format markdown

Multi-version negotiation tracking

Compare across multiple rounds to see the negotiation arc:

# Compare each consecutive pair
casedev redline compare --vault VAULT_ID --base V1_ID --target V2_ID --json > round1.json
casedev redline compare --vault VAULT_ID --base V2_ID --target V3_ID --json > round2.json
casedev redline compare --vault VAULT_ID --base V3_ID --target V4_ID --json > round3.json

Supported Formats

Format	Input	Notes
PDF	✅	OCR applied automatically for scanned documents
DOCX	✅	Preserves section/heading structure
DOC	✅	Converted to DOCX internally
TXT	✅	Plain text comparison

Cross-format comparison is supported (e.g., compare a PDF against a DOCX).

Troubleshooting

"Unable to extract text": Document may be a scanned image without OCR text layer. Re-upload to a vault (automatic OCR) or use casedev ocr process first.

Large documents timeout: Documents over 200 pages may need --detail summary for faster processing.

"No significant changes found": Documents may be identical or near-identical. Check you're comparing the right versions.

Risk flags seem off: Use --perspective to align analysis with your role in the negotiation. Default neutral perspective doesn't assume a side.