Compare the current page state against the previously captured snapshot, showing a unified diff of what changed. Use when the user wants to verify the effect of an action (click, fill, navigation), check if dynamic content loaded, or see what changed on the page without re-reading the entire snap...
AI agents call pilot_snapshot_diff to retrieve information from Pilot without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
pilot_snapshot_diff performs purely observational analysis of DOM state changes. It captures and compares snapshots but neither executes code, modifies the page, deletes data, nor triggers external operations. The tool is designed to help verify prior actions taken by other tools, making it a straightforward Read category with low severity and blast radius.
From the tool's definition Tool compares and shows differences between page states using 'unified diff' output. Parameters are limited to 'selector' (scoping) and 'interactive_only' (filtering).
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access pilot_snapshot_diff gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and Pilot, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for pilot_snapshot_diff:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"pilot_snapshot_diff": {}
}
}pilot_snapshot_diff is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
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Compare the current page state against the previously captured snapshot, showing a unified diff of what changed. Use when the user wants to verify the effect of an action (click, fill, navigation), check if dynamic content loaded, or see what changed on the page without re-reading the entire snapshot. The first call stores a baseline; subsequent calls diff against it. Parameters: - selector: CSS selector to scope both snapshots to a specific subtree - interactive_only: Set to true to only diff interactive elements (buttons, links, inputs) Returns: Unified diff text showing added (+) and removed (-) lines between snapshots. Errors: -. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Pilot MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the Pilot MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for pilot_snapshot_diff: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Pilot. Nothing to install.
pilot_snapshot_diff is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the pilot_snapshot_diff rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for pilot_snapshot_diff. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
pilot_snapshot_diff is provided by the Pilot MCP server (tacosyhorchata/pilot). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 61 Pilot tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
61 Pilot tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 42,500+ MCP servers.