drift-detect vs diffctx
drift-detect is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by agent-sh. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). diffctx is an MCP server published by nikolay-e. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-12. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  diffctx | |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 5.1.0 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 4 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.18.4 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 6 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | drift-detect | diffctx |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 4 (worse) | 6 (better) |
| Forks (GitHub) | 1 | 1 |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | On your machine (diffctx) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | stdio |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 3 | Not a bundle |
| Licence (differs) | MIT | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/agent-sh/drift-detect | github.com/nikolay-e/diffctx |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
drift-detect
Deep repository analysis to realign project plans with actual code reality. `/drift-detect` discovers drift between documented plans (CHANGELOG, ARCHITECTURE.md, design docs, README claims) and what the code actually does, then produces a prioritized reconstruction plan. Pure JavaScript collectors gather data fast (no LLM overhead) and a single Opus call performs the deep semantic analysis - 77% fewer tokens than multi-agent approaches. Tested on 1,000+ repositories. Outputs a ranked list of drift items with severity, evidence, and suggested resolution.
diffctx
Selects the minimum code an LLM needs to review a git diff
How to run each
drift-detect
No data for an automatic command: what its marketplaces declare does not say unambiguously how to connect it.
diffctx As a local MCP server: PyPI package
claude mcp add --transport stdio diffctx -- uvx diffctxCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: drift-detect · What it can do: diffctx · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.