Git to Ivaldi Migration Guide

Transition from Git to Ivaldi with confidence.

Quick Translation

Common Commands

Git	Ivaldi
git init	ivaldi forge
git add file.txt	ivaldi gather file.txt
git add .	ivaldi gather .
git commit -m "msg"	ivaldi seal "msg"
git status	ivaldi status
git log	ivaldi log
git log --oneline	ivaldi log --oneline
git diff	ivaldi diff
git diff --staged	ivaldi diff --staged
git reset file	ivaldi reset file
git reset --hard	ivaldi reset --hard
git branch new	ivaldi timeline create new
git checkout branch	ivaldi timeline switch branch
git branch	ivaldi timeline list
git branch -d branch	ivaldi timeline remove branch
git merge branch	ivaldi fuse branch to main
git clone url	ivaldi download owner/repo
git push	ivaldi upload
git fetch	ivaldi scout + ivaldi harvest
git pull	ivaldi harvest --update
git remote add	ivaldi portal add owner/repo
git config	ivaldi config

Workflow Translation

Git Workflow

# Git workflow
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
cd repo
git checkout -b feature
vim file.txt
git add file.txt
git commit -m "Add feature"
git push -u origin feature
git checkout main
git merge feature
git push

Ivaldi Equivalent

# Ivaldi workflow
ivaldi download user/repo
cd repo
ivaldi timeline create feature
vim file.txt
ivaldi gather file.txt
ivaldi seal "Add feature"
ivaldi upload
ivaldi timeline switch main
ivaldi fuse feature to main
ivaldi upload

Key Differences

1. Branches vs Timelines

Git:

• Branches share working directory
• Must manually stash changes when switching

Ivaldi:

• Timelines have isolated workspaces
• Auto-shelving preserves changes automatically

Example:

# Git
git checkout feature
# Work...
git stash  # Manual stash required
git checkout main

# Ivaldi
ivaldi timeline switch feature
# Work...
ivaldi timeline switch main  # Auto-shelved!

2. Commits vs Seals

Git:

• Commits identified by SHA-1 hash only
• a1b2c3d4567890...

Ivaldi:

• Seals get memorable names + BLAKE3 hash
• swift-eagle-flies-high-447abe9b

Example:

# Git
git log --oneline
a1b2c3d Add feature

# Ivaldi
ivaldi log --oneline
447abe9b swift-eagle-flies-high-447abe9b Add feature

3. Remote Operations

Git:

• Downloads all branches
• git fetch gets everything

Ivaldi:

• Selective downloading
• Choose specific branches

Example:

# Git
git fetch origin  # Downloads all branches

# Ivaldi
ivaldi scout  # See what's available
ivaldi harvest feature-auth  # Download only this

4. Merging

Git:

• Conflict markers written to files
• Manual editing required

Ivaldi:

• Multiple merge strategies
• Workspace stays clean
• No conflict markers in files

Example:

# Git
git merge feature
# Conflict! Now file.txt has <<<<<<< markers

# Ivaldi
ivaldi fuse feature to main
# Conflict! Workspace stays clean
ivaldi fuse --strategy=theirs feature to main
# Or manually resolve without markers

Migrating Existing Repository

Option 1: Automatic Import

cd existing-git-repo
ivaldi forge
# Automatically imports Git history!

ivaldi log  # See all commits
ivaldi timeline list  # See all branches as timelines

Option 2: Fresh Start

# Create new Ivaldi repo
mkdir new-project
cd new-project
ivaldi forge

# Copy files from Git repo
cp -r ../old-git-repo/* .

# Start fresh
ivaldi gather .
ivaldi seal "Import from Git"

Side-by-Side Usage

You can use Git and Ivaldi together:

cd my-repo

# Git commands work
git status
git log

# Ivaldi commands work
ivaldi status
ivaldi log

# Both manage the same repository!

Concept Mapping

Git Concepts → Ivaldi Concepts

Git Concept	Ivaldi Concept
Repository	Repository
Branch	Timeline
Commit	Seal
SHA-1 hash	BLAKE3 hash + memorable name
Staging area	Staging area (same)
Working directory	Workspace
Remote	Portal
Clone	Download
Push	Upload
Fetch	Scout + Harvest
Merge	Fuse
Stash	Auto-shelving
HEAD	Current timeline pointer
Index	Workspace index

Git Workflows → Ivaldi Workflows

Feature Branch (Git):

git checkout -b feature
# work
git add .
git commit -m "msg"
git push
git checkout main
git merge feature

Feature Timeline (Ivaldi):

ivaldi timeline create feature
# work
ivaldi gather .
ivaldi seal "msg"
ivaldi upload
ivaldi timeline switch main
ivaldi fuse feature to main

Hotfix (Git):

git checkout main
git checkout -b hotfix
# fix
git add .
git commit -m "fix"
git checkout main
git merge hotfix
git push

Hotfix (Ivaldi):

ivaldi timeline switch main
ivaldi timeline create hotfix
# fix
ivaldi gather .
ivaldi seal "fix"
ivaldi timeline switch main
ivaldi fuse hotfix to main
ivaldi upload

Advanced Features

Git Rebase → Ivaldi Time Travel

Git:

git rebase -i HEAD~3
# Interactive rebase

Ivaldi:

ivaldi travel
# Navigate to desired commit
# Select "Diverge" to create new timeline

Git Cherry-Pick → Ivaldi Diverge

Git:

git cherry-pick abc123

Ivaldi:

ivaldi travel
# Select commit to cherry-pick
# Diverge to new timeline
# Fuse into target

Git Stash → Auto-Shelving

Git:

git stash
git checkout other-branch
git checkout original-branch
git stash pop

Ivaldi:

ivaldi timeline switch other-branch
ivaldi timeline switch original-branch
# Changes automatically restored!

Common Gotchas

1. No git pull

Git:

git pull origin main

Ivaldi:

ivaldi harvest main --update
ivaldi fuse main to current-timeline

2. Different Merge Syntax

Git:

git merge feature-branch

Ivaldi:

ivaldi fuse feature-branch to main
# Note: Explicit target

3. No git add -A

Git:

git add -A

Ivaldi:

ivaldi gather .
# or
ivaldi gather

4. Branch vs Timeline

Git: “branch” Ivaldi: “timeline”

Remember to use “timeline” in commands.

Cheat Sheet

Daily Development

Task	Git	Ivaldi
Check status	git status	ivaldi status
Stage all	git add .	ivaldi gather .
Commit	git commit -m "msg"	ivaldi seal "msg"
Push	git push	ivaldi upload
View history	git log	ivaldi log

Branching

Task	Git	Ivaldi
Create branch	git checkout -b feature	ivaldi timeline create feature
Switch branch	git checkout main	ivaldi timeline switch main
List branches	git branch	ivaldi timeline list
Delete branch	git branch -d feature	ivaldi timeline remove feature
Merge	git merge feature	ivaldi fuse feature to main

Remote

Task	Git	Ivaldi
Clone	git clone url	ivaldi download owner/repo
Add remote	git remote add origin url	ivaldi portal add owner/repo
Push	git push	ivaldi upload
Fetch	git fetch	ivaldi scout then ivaldi harvest
Pull	git pull	ivaldi harvest --update + ivaldi fuse

Migration Checklist

• Install Ivaldi
• Configure user: ivaldi config
• Try on test repo first
• Import existing repo: ivaldi forge in Git repo
• Verify history: ivaldi log
• Practice basic workflow
• Learn timeline management
• Set up GitHub portal
• Test push/pull
• Migrate team if applicable

Learning Path

1. Start Small: Use Ivaldi on a personal project
2. Learn Basics: Master gather, seal, status, log
3. Explore Timelines: Practice creating and switching
4. Try Merging: Learn fuse command
5. GitHub Integration: Set up portals, upload/download
6. Advanced Features: Time travel, auto-shelving
7. Team Usage: Collaborate with others

Getting Help

Command Help

ivaldi <command> --help

Documentation

• Getting Started
• Core Concepts
• Command Reference

Community

• Report issues on GitHub
• Check README

Summary

Key Differences:

1. Timelines (not branches) with auto-shelving
2. Seals (not commits) with memorable names
3. Selective sync (not download everything)
4. Clean merge resolution (no conflict markers in files)

Same Concepts:

• Staging area
• Commit history
• Merging
• Remote repositories

You’ll Love:

• Auto-shelving when switching
• Memorable seal names
• Selective branch downloading
• Interactive time travel
• Clean conflict resolution

Welcome to Ivaldi!