comparing-data-by-value-with-datastruct

A pattern for creating immutable data objects whose equality is based on their contents, using Effect-TS's `Data.struct`.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it for domain values, immutable records, and objects stored in sets or used as map keys.
Why use it?
JavaScript normally compares objects by reference, which can cause two objects with identical fields to be treated as different. Value-based equality avoids those comparison errors.

Cursor rule

Install

Getting it into your agent

One page per mod, every tool's command on it. A separate URL per tool would split the same page into five that compete with each other.

agentmods
npx agentmods add rules/pauljphilp/effectpatterns/comparing-data-by-value-with-datastruct
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/PaulJPhilp/EffectPatterns
Per session 286 This file is loaded in full into every session.
When invoked 286 The same file — it is already loaded in full.
Security scan A 0 findings. Scan, not verified.
Origin original No closer match found in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5 $0.00286 $0.00286
Opus 5 $0.00143 $0.00143
Sonnet 5 $0.00057 $0.00057
Haiku 4.5 $0.00029 $0.00029

Measured 2d ago against content hash a2e772801ca4, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-08-30, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

comparing-data-by-value-with-datastruct scanned grade A with 0 findings against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 2d ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Nothing flagged

None of the 26 patterns this scan looks for appear in this file: no shell pipes, no recursive deletes, no credential paths, no hidden text, no instruction-override or anti-refusal phrasing, no agent-config snooping. That is not a guarantee, it is the absence of the things that are checkable.

content/published/rules/cursor/comparing-data-by-value-with-datastruct.mdc · 34 lines

What it actually says

description: Use Data.struct to define objects whose equality is based on their contents, enabling safe and predictable comparisons. globs: "**/*.ts" alwaysApply: true

Comparing Data by Value with Data.struct

Rule: Use Data.struct to define objects whose equality is based on their contents, enabling safe and predictable comparisons.

Example

import { Data, Equal } from "effect";

// Create two structurally equal objects
const user1 = Data.struct({ id: 1, name: "Alice" });
const user2 = Data.struct({ id: 1, name: "Alice" });

// Compare by value, not reference
const areEqual = Equal.equals(user1, user2); // true

// Use in a HashSet or as keys in a Map
import { HashSet } from "effect";
const set = HashSet.make(user1);
console.log(HashSet.has(set, user2)); // true

Explanation:

  • Data.struct creates immutable objects with value-based equality.
  • Use for domain entities, value objects, and when storing objects in sets or as map keys.
  • Avoids bugs from reference-based comparison.

Explanation:
JavaScript objects are compared by reference, which can lead to subtle bugs when modeling value objects.
Data.struct ensures that two objects with the same contents are considered equal, supporting value-based logic and collections.

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 2d ago First seen · 34 lines · 286 tokens per session scan A a2e772801ca4

Subscribe to this mod's changes

comparing-data-by-value-with-datastruct is a cursor rule published in the GitHub repository PaulJPhilp/EffectPatterns (795 stars, last pushed 2mo ago), licensed MIT. It adds 286 tokens to every session, about $0.0014 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it A with 0 findings. No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-30.