Quick start
Recover a captured file, keep the original conversation, and undo the rewind if you picked the wrong point. This tutorial uses the Web UI and dsh-filesnap 0.2.2.
Use the rewind control beside a message, or the redo/status actions in the conversation header.
Install the plugin#
Use Node.js ^22.19 or >=24 and a DSH Web UI profile. Linux, macOS and Windows on x64 or arm64 are supported by the package. The required components are included; you do not need a separate toolchain or a Git repository.
dsh plugin --profile web add dsh-filesnap
Restart the corresponding Web UI profile. Version 0.2.2 includes its bundle, so there is no loader entry to add by hand. To reproduce this version, install dsh-filesnap@0.2.2 instead.
Upgrading from an older manual installation? Remove the old hand-added id: filesnap entry from your profile's cordis.patch.yml before starting 0.2.2. Keep unrelated entries. See installation troubleshooting.
1. Create a recoverable state#
Start in a disposable workspace. In separate completed turns, ask the agent to create data.txt, change its contents, and then delete it. FileSnap must capture the earlier state before it can restore it; installing after a deletion cannot recover content that was never captured.
Hover a completed assistant turn to reveal its rewind control. Read the tooltip for the actual target and file coverage.
2. Rewind to the right point#
Use the button or list captured points in the conversation:
/rewind
Choose a point before the deletion. If your session lists turn 2 as that point, use:
/rewind 2
The number means before that explicit turn, not “go back two turns.” Wait for active agent work to finish before restoring.
The button opens the recovered conversation. A typed command reports a destination to open if the UI stays in the original. Check the restored file on disk.
Your original conversation remains available. Recovery changes the current workspace; opening the original conversation does not automatically switch the files back.
3. Undo the rewind with redo#
Before making more edits, enter this in the conversation opened by rewind:
/redo
This reverses the rewind. Follow the returned original conversation to continue.
In this deletion exercise, redo deletes the file again: it returns to the state immediately before rewind. Check both the file and the active conversation at each step.
Check coverage and storage#
/rewind status
Capture combines known paths, observed ctx.fs writes and edits, and a bounded scan of recent changes. Ignore rules, file-size limits and snapshot timing apply. It is not a full-disk backup or a guarantee that every shell edit was captured. Current status does not prove a particular historical point contains a file.
Read the capture architecture for the exact boundary, or the deduplication experiment for how identical content is reused.
Uninstalling and reopening sessions#
Uninstalling the plugin does not delete conversation logs or workspace files. Sessions containing plugin records currently require reinstalling before reopening in DSH. A source checkout started with pnpm dsh may hit the same registration issue; use a built or npm-installed CLI and consult troubleshooting.
Watch the full walkthrough#
The recorded demo shows the complete loop at 1.5× speed. The English version is 2:29; the Chinese version is 2:24. These are demonstrations, not performance benchmarks.
English walkthrough on YouTube · 中文演示 · Bilibili
Continue with the versioned plugin comparison or planned improvements.
Implementation details: How it works · UI and compatibility evidence.