DeadVault

Snapshot-based version history for any folder. No Git required on the watched folder.

Watches project folders in the background, creates snapshots on file change, and stores them in a hidden internal Git repo. Includes an MCP server so AI tools can create versions, query diffs, and roll back with full attribution metadata.

Components

Component	What it does
DeadVault.UI	Desktop app. Add projects, browse timeline, restore versions.
DeadVault.Agent	Background watcher. Auto-snapshots on file change.
DeadVault.McpServer	MCP stdio server. Exposes tools to AI clients.
DeadVault.Core	Snapshot, diff, restore, attribution logic.
DeadVault.Store	JSON persistence layer.

Features

• Auto-snapshot on file change (configurable debounce)
• Manual snapshot with version bump (patch / minor / major / dev / custom)
• One-click restore with automatic pre-restore backup
• Diff view per commit with per-file line counts
• Attribution tracking: human vs AI per snapshot and per file
• dvwm1- watermark written to .deadvault.attribution.json per changed text file
• Query snapshots by author kind (human, ai, mixed)
• MCP server with full tool surface for AI clients

Requirements

• Windows
• .NET 9 SDK

Build and run

# build everything
.\scripts\build.ps1

# run the desktop UI
dotnet run --project src\DeadVault.UI\DeadVault.UI.csproj

# run the background watcher separately
dotnet run --project src\DeadVault.Agent\DeadVault.Agent.csproj

# run the MCP server
dotnet run --project src\DeadVault.McpServer\DeadVault.McpServer.csproj

Quick start

1. Open DeadVault, click Add Project, pick a folder.
2. Edit files in the folder. DeadVault snapshots automatically.
3. Click Create Version to tag a snapshot manually.
4. Open Timeline to diff, restore, or export.

MCP setup (Claude Desktop)

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deadvault": {
      "command": "C:\\path\\to\\DeadVault\\artifacts\\publish\\DeadVault.McpServer\\DeadVault.McpServer.exe"
    }
  }
}

Or using dotnet run (slower startup, no build required):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deadvault": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--project",
        "C:\\path\\to\\DeadVault\\src\\DeadVault.McpServer\\DeadVault.McpServer.csproj"
      ]
    }
  }
}

MCP tools

Tool	Read-only	Description
list_projects	yes	List all registered projects
register_project	no	Register a folder and start watching it
list_versions	yes	List snapshots for a project
get_diff	yes	Get full diff and attribution for a commit
query_changes	yes	Filter snapshots by author kind
rollback	no	Restore project to a prior snapshot
create_version	no	Create a tagged snapshot with bump kind and attribution

Attribution metadata on create_version

authorKind      "ai" | "human" | "mixed"
model           model name string (e.g. "claude-opus-4-5")
modelFamily     "claude" | "gpt" | "gemini" | "cursor" | etc.
clientName      MCP client identifier

DeadVault writes these into the Git commit trailer and the attribution manifest. Query later with query_changes(author: "ai").

Attribution

Snapshots default to human when created from the UI. MCP clients should pass explicit author metadata. Changed text files get a SHA256 watermark stored in .deadvault.attribution.json.

Publish a release

.\scripts\publish-release.ps1

Outputs to artifacts\publish\DeadVault.UI, DeadVault.Agent, and DeadVault.McpServer.

Verify

dotnet build DeadVault.sln -m:1 -p:BuildInParallel=false
dotnet test DeadVault.sln -m:1 -p:BuildInParallel=false

Roadmap

v1.1

• VS Code extension with timeline sidebar
• CLI: dvault snapshot, dvault diff, dvault restore
• Cursor integration

v1.2

• Per-line human/AI attribution in diff view

v1.3

• Linux and macOS support
• Web dashboard

v2.0

• Multi-user shared server
• GitHub/GitLab sync

License

MIT. See LICENSE.