noGIT

Local snapshots for any workspace. No Git required. Works as an undo button for AI coding agents.

What it does

noGIT copies files you change into a .nogit/ folder at a regular interval. You can open, diff, or restore any version from a timeline panel. Named checkpoints capture the full workspace and survive automatic pruning.

When many files change at once (like during an AI agent run), noGIT auto-captures a labeled checkpoint so you always have a clean rollback point.

Install

code --install-extension yashanil98.nogit

Or from source:

git clone https://github.com/yashanil98/noGIT.git
cd noGIT && npm install && npm run build

MCP server (for AI agents without VS Code)

noGIT ships an MCP server so terminal agents (Claude Code, etc.) can checkpoint and restore without VS Code running. Same .nogit/ store format -- snapshots from the server show up in the VS Code timeline and vice versa.

Setup

# Register with Claude Code (after npm publish, use npx)
claude mcp add nogit-mcp -- npx nogit-mcp

# Or from a local clone
cd mcp && npm install && npm run build
claude mcp add nogit-mcp -- node /path/to/noGIT/mcp/dist/src/server.js

Or add to .mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nogit": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/noGIT/mcp/dist/src/server.js", "--root", "."]
    }
  }
}

CLI flags

--root <path>           Workspace root (default: cwd)
--exclude <pattern>     Glob pattern to exclude (can be repeated)
--max-file-size <bytes> Max file size in bytes (default: 5000000)
--watch                 Auto-checkpoint when many files change at once
--burst-min-files <N>   Files needed to trigger auto-checkpoint (default: 10)

Example with watch mode and custom excludes:

claude mcp add nogit-mcp -- node /path/to/noGIT/mcp/dist/src/server.js --watch --exclude "*.log" --exclude "**/build/**"

Tools

Tool	What it does
nogit_status	Show workspace root, snapshot count, and latest checkpoint
nogit_checkpoint	Snapshot the entire workspace with a label (protected from pruning)
nogit_snapshot_now	Snapshot all workspace files right now
nogit_list_snapshots	List snapshots newest-first (timestamp, label, file count)
nogit_snapshot_files	List the files inside a specific snapshot
nogit_read_file	Read a file's content from a snapshot without restoring
nogit_diff	Unified diff between a snapshot version and the current file
nogit_diff_summary	Summary of all modified/added/deleted files since a snapshot
nogit_restore_file	Restore one file from a snapshot
nogit_restore_snapshot	Restore all files from a snapshot (additive, keeps new files)
nogit_restore_checkpoint_exact	Hard restore: match checkpoint exactly, delete files added since
nogit_undo	Undo the last restore operation (one click, no args needed)
nogit_latest_checkpoint	Get the most recent named checkpoint
nogit_delete_snapshot	Permanently delete a snapshot (irreversible)

All tools accept checkpoint labels in place of timestamps. Omitting the timestamp defaults to the latest checkpoint. Every restore backs up current state first and reports a backup timestamp for undo.

Typical agent workflow

1. nogit_checkpoint("before refactor")
2. ... agent does work ...
3. nogit_diff_summary()                 -- see what changed at a glance
4. nogit_diff(path: "src/app.ts")       -- inspect a specific file
5. nogit_restore_checkpoint_exact()     -- undo everything if needed
6. nogit_undo()                         -- changed your mind? undo the undo

VS Code usage

Open a folder. noGIT activates automatically.

Commands (Ctrl+Shift+P):

• noGIT: Snapshot Now -- capture modified files
• noGIT: Show Timeline -- browse all snapshots
• noGIT: Create Checkpoint -- named full-workspace snapshot
• noGIT: Restore Latest Checkpoint -- roll back to most recent checkpoint
• noGIT: Restore Latest Checkpoint (Exact) -- hard rollback, deletes added files

Extension API

Other extensions can drive noGIT programmatically:

const ext = vscode.extensions.getExtension('yashanil98.nogit');
const api = ext?.exports;

await api?.checkpoint('before agent run');
const cp = await api?.latestCheckpoint();
if (cp) await api?.restoreSnapshot(cp.timestamp);

Configuration

{
  "nogit.enable": true,
  "nogit.snapshotIntervalMinutes": 10,
  "nogit.maxSnapshots": 48,
  "nogit.maxFileSizeBytes": 5000000,
  "nogit.autoCheckpointOnBurst": true,
  "nogit.burstMinFiles": 10,
  "nogit.excludePatterns": [
    "**/.git/**", "**/.nogit/**", "**/node_modules/**", "**/dist/**", "**/out/**"
  ]
}

Store format

your-project/
  .nogit/
    snapshots/
      20260611-143022/
        src/app.ts        -- file copy
        meta.json         -- { timestamp, files, label?, auto? }

The .nogit/ folder is auto-gitignored.

For AI agents (AGENTS.md)

If you drop noGIT into a project, AI agents that read AGENTS.md will automatically know to checkpoint before risky operations and how to roll back. See AGENTS.md for the full instructions agents receive.

Development

npm install && npm run build    # extension
npm test                        # 128 unit tests
cd mcp && npm install && npm run build && npm test   # MCP server (82 tests)

License

MIT