By name: claude-vigil description: Use when about to make risky changes — refactors, migrations, destructive bash commands, schema changes, or experimental approaches that might need reverting. Checkpoint project state for safe rollback.
Claude Vigil
Checkpoint project state before risky work. Restore if things break.
When to Use
- Before refactors, migrations, or large code changes
- Before destructive operations (file deletions, schema changes)
- Before experimenting with approaches you might revert
- Before
rm,mv,sed -i,git checkout,git reset - When the user asks to "save state" or "checkpoint"
Quick Reference
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
vigil_save |
Create named checkpoint — background, returns in <5ms |
vigil_list |
Show all checkpoints with disk usage |
vigil_diff |
Compare current state to a checkpoint |
vigil_restore |
Revert to checkpoint — quicksaves current state first, preserves displaced files |
vigil_delete |
Remove a checkpoint and reclaim space |
Workflow
vigil_save(name: "before-refactor")— first save auto-detects derived dirs from.gitignore- Make the risky changes
vigil_diff(name: "before-refactor")— check what changed- If broken:
vigil_restore(name: "before-refactor")— then rebuild derived dirs - If good:
vigil_delete(name: "before-refactor")— reclaim space
After Restore
Vigil skips derived directories (node_modules, dist, target, venv). Read the output — it lists what needs rebuilding. Run the project's install and build commands.
Slot Management
Default: 3 checkpoint slots. When full, delete old checkpoints or increase capacity via max_checkpoints parameter.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Forgetting to rebuild after restore | Read vigil's output — it lists what needs rebuilding |
| Restoring without checking diff first | Use vigil_diff to see what will change |
| Not saving before destructive bash | Save before rm, mv, sed -i, git checkout, git reset |