Compare Lists
What it does
Section titled “What it does”Compare Lists takes any two public lists or Starter Packs, yours or anyone’s, and splits their members into three groups:
- In both: accounts on A and on B.
- Only in A: accounts on A that are not on B.
- Only in B: accounts on B that are not on A.
You can mix kinds: a list against a Starter Pack works the same as two lists. Each account counts once, even if it was added to a list twice. You can export the group you are looking at, or save it as a new list.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- You do not need to sign in to compare. Every list and Starter Pack is public.
- Have the two links ready. Each can be a bsky.app list link, a bsky.app Starter Pack link, a
go.bsky.appshort link, or anat://address of a list or Starter Pack. - Signed in, you can also pick one of your own lists by typing part of its name.
- Save as a list writes to your account, so it needs you to sign in in the converter.
Step by step
Section titled “Step by step”- Open Compare Lists.
- In List or pack A, paste the first link. Signed in, you can instead type part of the name of one of your lists and pick it under Your lists.
- In List or pack B, paste or pick the second one.
- Choose Compare. A bar shows each side loading.
- Both sides appear under A and B: the name (linked to Bluesky), List or Starter Pack, its creator, and how many accounts it holds.
- Under Show, choose In both, Only in A, or Only in B. Each choice carries its count, and the line below says what the group means, such as 55 accounts in “Rust and Rustaceans” and not in “Rustaceans”.
- To keep the group, choose Export and then CSV or JSON, or choose Save as a list.
- To start over, choose Clear. Both boxes and the result empty.
Options
Section titled “Options”The two boxes
Section titled “The two boxes”List or pack A and List or pack B each take one link, as typed. Signed in, typing a name
(any text without a /) suggests up to eight of your lists that contain it, with their kind and
size. The Clear button inside a box empties only that box.
| Group | Who is in it | Order |
|---|---|---|
| In both (default) | Accounts on A and on B | A’s order |
| Only in A | Accounts on A and not on B | A’s order |
| Only in B | Accounts on B and not on A | B’s order |
Every new comparison opens on In both.
Export
Section titled “Export”Export downloads the group shown, everyone in it, as compare-both, compare-onlyA, or
compare-onlyB with the .csv or .json extension. Both files hold did, handle, the display
name, and group: In both, or Only in followed by the list’s name. Export is unavailable
when the group is empty.
Save as a list
Section titled “Save as a list”Save as a list opens the Starter Pack Converter with the list or pack that holds the group: A for In both and Only in A, B for Only in B. Only the group’s members start ticked, and New list is chosen. Name the list there and start the run. Nothing is written until you do.
Clear (shown once there is something to clear) empties both boxes and the result, and puts you back in the first box.
What gets changed
Section titled “What gets changed”Nothing: Compare Lists only reads. Your browser reads both lists from Bluesky’s public API
(AppView), a Starter Pack through the list that holds its members. A short link is first looked up at
go.bsky.app.
The result stays only in the open tab. If you move to another BskyKit page and come back, the links and the result are still there; a reload or closing the tab clears them. Save as a list writes only when you start the converter’s run.
Nothing to undo: it only reads. A list you make with Save as a list is a converter run, which you can undo from History. See History & Undo.
Limits
Section titled “Limits”- Members load from Bluesky 100 at a time, A first and then B, so large lists take longer. The bar shows how many have loaded of each list’s total.
- Accounts are matched by their DID, so an account that changed its handle still matches.
- A Starter Pack is compared by the members of its list. Packs hold at most 150 accounts.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”“The first link is not a Bluesky list or Starter Pack link.”
Section titled ““The first link is not a Bluesky list or Starter Pack link.””The text in List or pack A is not a link Compare Lists can read (the message says “second link”
for B). Paste the address from the list or Starter Pack page on bsky.app, such as
https://bsky.app/profile/alice.bsky.social/lists/3k…, or a go.bsky.app link. Profile links and
post links do not work.
“Could not compare” with “List not found” or a similar message
Section titled ““Could not compare” with “List not found” or a similar message”The list or Starter Pack was deleted, or the link has a typo. Open the link on bsky.app to check it still exists.
“Short link … does not exist”
Section titled ““Short link … does not exist””The go.bsky.app short link is wrong or expired. Open the Starter Pack on Bluesky and copy its full
link instead.
Typing a name suggests nothing
Section titled “Typing a name suggests nothing”Name suggestions only show your own lists, and only while you are signed in. For anyone else’s list, paste its link.
“Could not hand the accounts to the converter”
Section titled ““Could not hand the accounts to the converter””Save as a list passes the group to the converter through this tab’s storage, and the browser refused it, as some private browsing modes do. Allow site data for bskykit.app and try again.