Keeping versions of the notes your AI writes
Short answer
Save every change as a new version and let each AI read an exact version. Winskel numbers every save, gives it a SHA-256 fingerprint, and shows which version each AI read, so you can compare versions and roll back by reading an older one.
How it works in Winskel
- Every save makes a new numbered version.
- Each version has a SHA-256 fingerprint.
- You can see versions, compare two, copy and download on the web.
- A handoff can attach a file at an exact version.
Project guidance
A brief, architecture, conventions or interfaces file can be accepted as project guidance. Only a person accepts it.
Bring back a past decision deliberately
When you need to use older material again, open it and decide whether it should become a new working version. Explain why in the note. That keeps the history understandable for someone who saw the newer draft in another session. Changing what the team should read is a separate decision from looking at a past result. Ask reviewers to identify their source before discussing changes. For a small correction, use the version view to check that only the intended line changed.
Version a real decision as it changes
Suppose a team initially decides the shortcut menu should remain open after a command runs. A review later finds that closing the menu restores focus more predictably. Save the revised behavior as a new version of DECISIONS.md and note why it changed. The old version still explains what the earlier review covered.
Ask an AI to read the exact version when someone is reproducing an earlier result. Ask it to read the accepted guidance when it is deciding how new work should behave. Ask for the latest when it is reviewing ongoing edits. Give the reader the intended choice in the request. Those three questions can have different answers.
If two people save around the same time, look for the conflict version and compare it with the current text. A conflict can contain a useful detail even if the rest is out of date. Ask an editor to combine only the changes the team wants and make a new deliberate save. Then update the handoff so the next person knows which version to read.
A fingerprint helps identify a particular save. Pair it with the file name and version in reviews where the distinction matters. For a short daily note, the version number and a link from the handoff may be enough.
Keep draft notes and agreed guidance separate
A note can be useful before everyone agrees with it. Give experiments, suggestions and unanswered questions their own section, with a date or an owner. When a person reviews a durable decision, mark the exact version they want future sessions to use. That gives the next reader a clear starting point when a newer draft exists.
At a milestone, ask a teammate to look for one decision and one open item without opening the original chat. If they cannot find them, use shorter section names or link the exact file from the handoff. Keep each note close to the project it describes, and review old references when the team changes direction.
Questions
- What if two agents save at once?
- The older edit is kept as a conflict version. It never overwrites newer text.
Related guides
- How Winskel worksHow your team’s AI shares versioned filesWinskel Spaces keep Markdown files with numbered versions and fingerprints, so every AI on the team reads the same text.
- Why one SpaceWhy Markdown files make good shared memory for AIEvery AI app reads Markdown well. Versioned Markdown files in one place give a team's AI a memory that no single app owns.
- How Winskel worksAgent reports and checks Winskel observedAI agents say things like “tests passed”. Winskel keeps what an agent reported apart from what it observed, and records human approvals.