Belay is a free, open-source CLI tool that automatically captures every file change between git commits. It provides instant recovery for AI-assisted coding workflows, so when an AI agent goes sideways, you can restore any file to any previous state in one command.

Belay uses filesystem watching (fsnotify) to journal every file write the instant it happens. Changes are stored in a content-addressable SHA-256 store with session attribution, so you can see exactly which AI session made each change and restore any version instantly.

Yes, Belay is completely free and open source. All data stays local on your machine. No cloud accounts, no subscriptions, no usage limits.

What AI coding tools does Belay work with?

Belay currently supports Claude Code with built-in hook-based session detection. Support for Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Windsurf is in progress. Belay works passively alongside any tool. It never modifies your AI tools or their settings.

How is Belay different from git?

Git captures snapshots when you commit. Belay captures every file change continuously between commits. When an AI agent makes dozens of edits before you commit, git can't help you recover intermediate states, but Belay can restore any file to any point in time.

Belay: Your safety system for agentic coding

Belay is a free, open-source CLI tool that automatically captures every file change between git commits. When an AI agent goes sideways, restore any file to any previous state in one command.

Features

Continuous file capture: every write journaled instantly
Session attribution: changes tagged to the AI session that made them
Conflict detection: real-time alerts for multi-session file conflicts
Instant recovery: restore any file to any previous state in one command
Zero intrusion: passively observes, never modifies your tools
Zero config: point at a directory, it works. Data stays local.

Get Started

Run belay init in your project
Code with AI agents. Belay watches silently
Run belay restore to recover any file