bindiff

BinDiff

Overview

Use BinDiff after both sides are exported cleanly. BinDiff is the comparison engine; it is not the exporter. Always produce BinExport artifacts from both binaries first.

Quick Workflow

1. Export both analysis databases with $binexport.
2. Confirm you are comparing like-for-like builds (same architecture, similar loader assumptions, clean imports if possible).
3. Run bindiff on the two exports.
4. Review the changed and unmatched functions first; capture stable function identities and offsets.
5. Feed the highest-value deltas back into signature work, decompiler cleanup, or gameplay/runtime investigation.

Common Mistakes

• Running BinDiff before producing clean exports from both sides.
• Comparing mismatched loader states or heavily broken imports without noting the distortion.
• Treating every unmatched function as meaningful without checking export quality first.

Reference Map

Read references/upstream.md for the local install location and the companion BinExport workflow.