re_gent

Blame: which prompt wrote this line?

$ rgt blame src/handler.go:42

Line 42: func handleRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

Step:    a1b2c3d4e5f6
Session: claude-20260502-143021
Tool:    Edit
Prompt:  "Add error handling to the request handler"

Track multiple concurrent sessions

$ rgt sessions

Active Sessions:
claude-20260502-143021  |  3 steps  |  Last: 2 min ago
claude-20260502-091534  |  7 steps  |  Last: 2 hours ago

$ rgt log --session claude-20260502-143021
# Filter history by session

See full context for any change

$ rgt show a1b2c3d

Step a1b2c3d4e5f6
Parent: d4e5f6g7h8i9
Session: claude-20260502-143021
Time: 2026-05-02 14:30:21

Tool: Edit
File: src/handler.go

Changes:
+ func handleRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+     if r.Method != "GET" {
+         http.Error(w, "Method not allowed", 405)
+         return
+     }
- func handleRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

Conversation:
User: "Add error handling to reject non-GET requests"
Assistant: "I'll add method validation to the handler..."

Why This Exists

The problem: AI agents have no version control of their own.

You know this pain:

• "It was working five minutes ago"
• "Why did you change that file?"
• "Go back to before the refactor"
• /compact and pray
• Copy-pasting code into a fresh chat

The solution: Three primitives that should already exist:

• rgt log — what did this session do?
• rgt blame — which prompt wrote this line?
• rgt rewind — restore to any previous step (coming soon)

We gave agents write access to our codebases. We did not give ourselves git for it. re_gent fixes that.

How It Works

re_gent stores agent activity in .regent/ (like .git/):

.regent/
├── objects/     # Content-addressed blobs (BLAKE3)
├── refs/        # Session pointers (one per agent)
├── index.db     # SQLite query index
└── config.toml

Every tool call creates a Step:

Step {
  parent:      <previous-step-hash>
  tree:        <workspace-snapshot>
  transcript:  <conversation-delta>
  cause: {
    tool_name: "Edit"
    args:      <what-changed>
    result:    <tool-output>
  }
  session_id:  "claude-20260502-143021"
  timestamp:   "2026-05-02T14:30:21Z"
}

Steps form a DAG. Each session has its own branch. Common ancestors dedupe. You get git-level auditability for agent activity.

Technical details: See POC.md for the complete specification.

Installation

Via Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew tap regent-vcs/tap
brew install regent

This installs both regent and rgt commands (they're identical) and automatically sets up shell completions for bash, zsh, and fish.

Via Go Install

go install github.com/regent-vcs/regent/cmd/rgt@latest

This installs the rgt command.

Shell Completion (manual setup):

# Bash
rgt completion bash > /usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/rgt

# Zsh
rgt completion zsh > "${fpath[1]}/_rgt"

# Fish
rgt completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/rgt.fish

From Source

git clone https://github.com/regent-vcs/regent
cd regent
go build -o rgt ./cmd/rgt
sudo mv rgt /usr/local/bin/
# Optionally create a symlink: sudo ln -s /usr/local/bin/rgt /usr/local/bin/regent

For shell completion, follow the "Via Go Install" instructions above.

Binary Releases

Download pre-built binaries from GitHub Releases

Editor Integration

VSCode Extension

Get inline blame annotations directly in your editor:

Installation Options:

# 1. From VSIX (Recommended)
# Download the latest .vsix from:
# https://github.com/regent-vcs/vscode-regent/releases
# Then in VS Code: Extensions > ... > Install from VSIX...

# 2. From VS Code Marketplace (Coming Soon)
# Search for "re_gent Blame"

# 3. From source (Development)
git clone https://github.com/regent-vcs/vscode-regent
cd vscode-regent
npm install && npm run compile
# Press F5 in VS Code to launch Extension Development Host

Features:

• Inline blame annotations showing which step modified each line
• Hover tooltips with full step context (timestamp, tool name, arguments)
• Session timeline view in the sidebar
• One-click access to conversation history
• Direct SQLite integration—no subprocess overhead

Requirements: re_gent CLI must be installed and rgt init run in your project.

View Extension Docs →

Commands

Available Now:

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | rgt init | Initialize .regent/ in current directory | | rgt log | Show step history (supports --session, -n, --since) | | rgt sessions | List all active sessions | | rgt status | Show current repository state | | rgt show <step> | Display full context for a step (tool call + conversation) | | rgt blame <path>[:<line>] | Show per-line provenance for a file | | rgt cat <hash> | Inspect any object by hash (debug) | | rgt version | Print version information | | rgt completion | Generate shell completion scripts |

Coming Soon:

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | rgt rewind <step> | Non-destructive time-travel | | rgt gc | Garbage collection | | rgt fork <step> | Create a new session from a step |

Features

• Content-Addressed Storage — BLAKE3 hashing, automatic deduplication
• Fast Queries — SQLite index, sub-10ms lookups
• Per-Session DAG — Concurrent agents, no conflicts
• Conversation Tracking — Survives /compact and /clear
• Hook-Driven — Transparent Claude Code integration
• Concurrency-Safe — CAS refs, ACID transactions
• Gitignore-Compatible — .regentignore support

re_gent vs Git

| | Git | re_gent | |---|---|---| | Tracks code | ✅ | ✅ | | Tracks agent activity | ❌ | ✅ | | Blame with prompt | ❌ | ✅ | | Conversation history | ❌ | ✅ | | Concurrent sessions | ⚠️ conflicts | ✅ separate branches | | Purpose | Developer VCS | Agent audit trail |

re_gent complements git, doesn't replace it. Use both.

Status

Active Development

• ~7.8k LOC Go implementation
• Core functionality: init, log, sessions, status, show, blame — COMPLETE
• Hook integration (Claude Code) — COMPLETE
• Used daily by contributors
• Not yet v1.0

Honest assessment: Production-quality code at POC-level feature completeness. We're building in public.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! re_gent is built in public and we actively review PRs.

Quick Start:

• Read QUICK_START.md for a 5-minute setup guide
• Check good first issues
• Full guidelines: CONTRIBUTING.md

Before opening a PR:

• [ ] Tests pass: go test ./... and go test -race ./...
• [ ] Linter passes: golangci-lint run
• [ ] Code formatted: go fmt ./...
• [ ] PR template filled out

Important files:

• CONTRIBUTING.md — Full contribution guide
• SUPPORT.md — Support and help resources
• TESTING.md — Testing guide and strategy
• CLAUDE.md — Project context and architecture
• POC.md — Technical specification

Built With

• cobra — CLI framework
• blake3 — BLAKE3 hashing
• go-diff — Myers diff
• [modernc.org/sqlite