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John Wick
John Wick

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Local File History for VS Code: Git-Style Snapshots Without Git

#vscode #productivity #versioncontrol #devtools

| Named checkpoints, automatic snapshots on save, split-diff comparison, and one-click restore, per file, entirely local.

Sometimes you don't need a repo. You need a quick way to say "take me back to how this file looked an hour ago."

SavePoint Diff includes snapshot history for exactly that.

How snapshots work

Manual checkpoints:

SavePoint Diff: Save Snapshot
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Automatic snapshots: by default, a snapshot is captured every time you save a file.

Browse and restore:

SavePoint Diff: View & Restore Snapshot...
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This opens the timeline for the active file. Pick any snapshot and you can:

  • open a split diff of that snapshot against your current buffer
  • revert the entire file to it with one click

Tuning it

Add these to settings.json:

{
  "savepointDiff.snapshots.enabled": true,
  "savepointDiff.snapshots.maxSnapshots": 10,
  "savepointDiff.snapshots.autoSnapshotOnSave": true
}
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The defaults keep up to 10 snapshots per file, so history stays small. Raise the number if you want a longer timeline, or turn off auto-snapshots and only create named ones when it matters.

When this is handy

  • Experimenting in a scratch folder with no version control
  • Editing config files you'd rather not commit
  • Hand-tweaking generated code
  • Working in a repo but wanting finer-grained undo than commits give you

Keep expectations realistic

This is per-file local history, not a replacement for Git. There's no branching, merging, or remote. It's a lightweight safety net for the moments Git doesn't cover.

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