ivaldi seal

Create a commit (seal) with staged files.

Synopsis

ivaldi seal <message>
ivaldi seal -m <message>

Description

The seal command creates a commit from the currently staged files. Each seal receives:

• Unique BLAKE3 hash - Content identifier
• Memorable name - Human-friendly identifier like “swift-eagle-flies-high-447abe9b”
• Message - Your commit description
• Author - From configuration
• Timestamp - When created
• Parent(s) - Links to previous seal(s)

Arguments

• <message> - Commit message describing the changes

Options

• -m <message> - Specify message (alternative syntax)

Examples

Basic Seal

ivaldi seal "Add login feature"

Output:

Created seal: swift-eagle-flies-high-447abe9b (447abe9b)

With -m Flag

ivaldi seal -m "Fix authentication bug"

Multi-line Message

ivaldi seal "Add user authentication

Implemented JWT-based authentication with:
- Login endpoint
- Token refresh
- Session management"

Seal Names

Every seal gets a unique memorable name:

swift-eagle-flies-high-447abe9b
│     │     │    │    │
│     │     │    │    └─── Short hash (8 chars)
│     │     │    └─────── Adjective
│     │     └────────────── Verb
│     └────────────────────── Adjective
└──────────────────────────── Noun

Benefits:

• Easier to remember than hashes
• Unique identifier for each commit
• Can reference by full name, partial name, or hash

Workflow

Complete seal workflow:

# 1. Make changes
echo "new code" >> src/main.go

# 2. Check status
ivaldi status

# 3. Stage files
ivaldi gather src/main.go

# 4. Create seal
ivaldi seal "Add new feature"

# 5. Verify
ivaldi log --limit 1

Viewing Seals

List All Seals

ivaldi seals list

Show Seal Details

ivaldi seals show swift-eagle-flies-high-447abe9b

View History

ivaldi log
ivaldi log --oneline

Common Workflows

Quick Commit

ivaldi gather .
ivaldi seal "Quick fix"

Feature Commit

# Stage related files
ivaldi gather src/auth/ tests/auth/

# Create descriptive seal
ivaldi seal "Add OAuth2 authentication

- Implemented OAuth2 flow
- Added Google and GitHub providers
- Updated user model
- Added integration tests"

WIP Commit

ivaldi gather src/
ivaldi seal "WIP: Refactoring authentication"

Best Practices

Write Clear Messages

Good:

ivaldi seal "Fix null pointer in user login handler"

Bad:

ivaldi seal "fix"

Commit Often

# Small, focused seals are better
ivaldi seal "Add login endpoint"
ivaldi seal "Add logout endpoint"
ivaldi seal "Add session management"

Use Meaningful Names

The first line should be a concise summary:

ivaldi seal "Add user authentication feature

Detailed explanation here...
"

Related Commands

• gather - Stage files before sealing
• status - Check what’s staged
• log - View seal history
• reset - Undo changes before sealing

Comparison with Git

Git	Ivaldi
git commit -m "msg"	ivaldi seal "msg"
Uses SHA-1 hash	Uses BLAKE3 hash
Hash only	Hash + memorable name
git commit --amend	(use travel to modify history)

Troubleshooting

Nothing to Seal

Error: no changes staged for seal

Solution:

ivaldi gather .
ivaldi seal "Your message"

No Message Provided

Error: seal message required

Solution:

ivaldi seal "Add your message here"

Author Not Configured

Error: user.name not configured

Solution:

ivaldi config --set user.name "Your Name"
ivaldi config --set user.email "you@example.com"