Ivaldi VCS

Modern version control for the modern developer

Ivaldi is a next-generation version control system designed as a Git alternative with enhanced features like timeline-based branching, content-addressable storage, and seamless GitHub integration.

Why Ivaldi?

• Intuitive Commands: Clear, descriptive command names (forge, gather, seal)
• Timeline-Based Branching: Enhanced branch management with auto-shelving
• Butterfly Timelines: Experimental sandboxes with bidirectional sync and auto-conflict resolution
• Human-Friendly Commits: Memorable seal names like “swift-eagle-flies-high-447abe9b”
• Never Lose Work: Auto-shelving preserves changes when switching timelines
• Clean History: Interactive commit squashing with safety confirmations
• Selective Sync: Download only the branches you need
• Modern Cryptography: BLAKE3 hashing for security and performance
• GitHub Integration: First-class GitHub support built-in
• Submodule Support: Automatic Git submodule conversion with dual-hash tracking
• Interactive Time Travel: Browse and navigate commits with arrow keys

Quick Example

# Initialize repository
ivaldi forge

# Stage and commit
ivaldi gather README.md
ivaldi seal "Initial commit"
# Created seal: swift-eagle-flies-high-447abe9b

# Create experimental timeline (butterfly)
ivaldi timeline butterfly experiment
# Make changes, test safely
ivaldi timeline butterfly up  # Merge back to parent

# Clean up commits before pushing
ivaldi shift --last 3
# Squash into one clean commit

# Create and switch timelines
ivaldi timeline create feature-auth
ivaldi timeline switch main

# Connect to GitHub
ivaldi portal add owner/repo
ivaldi upload

Documentation

Getting Started

• Installation & Quick Start
• Core Concepts
• Git to Ivaldi Migration Guide

Command Reference

• All Commands Overview
• Repository: forge • status • whereami • config
• Files: gather • seal • reset • exclude
• History: log • diff • travel • shift
• Timelines: timeline • butterfly • fuse
• Remote: portal • download • upload • sync • scout • harvest
• Submodules: submodule

Guides

• Basic Workflow
• Timeline Branching
• Team Collaboration
• GitHub Integration
• Git Migration with Submodules
• Git History Migration

Reference

• Comparison with Git
• Architecture

Feature Highlights

Timelines Instead of Branches

Timelines are Ivaldi’s enhanced version of Git branches:

• Auto-shelving: Changes are automatically preserved when switching
• Workspace isolation: Each timeline maintains its own state
• Efficient storage: Shared content via content-addressable storage

Butterfly Timelines

Experimental sandboxes for safe development:

• Lightweight branching: Create experimental timelines from any parent
• Bidirectional sync: Merge changes up to parent or pull parent changes down
• Nested butterflies: Chain butterflies for complex feature development
• Auto-conflict resolution: Fast-forward merge strategy handles conflicts automatically

  ivaldi timeline butterfly experiment
  # Work safely in isolated sandbox
  ivaldi timeline butterfly up  # Merge to parent when ready
  

Human-Friendly Seal Names

Every commit gets a memorable name:

swift-eagle-flies-high-447abe9b

Much easier to remember than 447abe9b1234567890abcdef!

Interactive Commit Squashing

Clean up your history before pushing:

ivaldi shift --last 5
# Interactive arrow-key selection
# Safe multi-step confirmation
# Clean single commit result

Interactive Time Travel

Browse commits with arrow keys and create branches from any point:

ivaldi travel
# Navigate with Up/Down arrows
# Press Enter to diverge or overwrite

Intelligent Merging

Chunk-level conflict resolution without polluting your workspace:

ivaldi fuse feature-auth to main
# No conflict markers in files!
# Clean interactive resolution

Automatic Submodule Support

Seamless Git submodule conversion:

• Auto-detection: Automatically finds and converts Git submodules
• Dual-hash tracking: BLAKE3 for Ivaldi, Git SHA-1 for GitHub compatibility
• Timeline-aware: Submodules track per-timeline state

  ivaldi download owner/repo-with-submodules
  # Automatically clones and converts all submodules
  

Quick Reference

Git Command	Ivaldi Command
git init	ivaldi forge
git add	ivaldi gather
git commit	ivaldi seal
git branch	ivaldi timeline create
git checkout	ivaldi timeline switch
git merge	ivaldi fuse
git rebase -i	ivaldi shift
git clone	ivaldi download
git push	ivaldi upload
git pull	ivaldi sync
git fetch	ivaldi harvest
git status	ivaldi status
git log	ivaldi log
git submodule	ivaldi submodule (auto)

Get Started

Ready to try Ivaldi? Head to the Getting Started Guide to begin.

Repository

View the source code and contribute on GitHub.