PatchArc: the verified story behind every change

1. Install

Pick your platform. Each installer puts a signed patcharc binary on your PATH.

$ brew install patcharc

Homebrew. Signed universal binary for Apple silicon and Intel.

Install script

$ curl -fsSL https://patcharc.dev/install.sh | sh

Then check the environment. patcharc doctor reports Git, write access, and whether an Arc is active.

check

$ patcharc doctor
ok  git 2.45  go runtime  write access to ~/.patcharc
no active arc in this directory

2. Record and seal your first Arc

Everything happens in .patcharc/ inside your repo. The observer watches Git plumbing, so rewrites and worktree hops are part of the record, not just the final diff.

~/src/your-repo

$ patcharc init
initialized .patcharc/  signing key created
$ patcharc start "My first Arc"
observer recording (detached, pid file in .patcharc/)
# make commits, run tests, take notes
$ patcharc note 'switching to WAL mode'
$ patcharc stop
sealed .patcharc/capsules/<arc_id>.parc
$ patcharc verify && patcharc inspect
ok  signature valid  manifest consistent  hashes match

Login uses the device flow: the CLI opens the approval page, you sign in with GitHub or Google, and the CLI receives its token. Sharing uploads the sealed capsule; the cloud re-verifies it before publishing. Visibilities: public, private, team, capability.

cloud

$ patcharc login
open https://patcharc.dev/device and approve with GitHub or Google
$ patcharc share --visibility team
server verify ok  pipeline 15/15
https://patcharc.dev/a/<slug>

Command reference

The everyday loop is six commands. The rest are there when you need them.

Command	What it does
patcharc init	Initialize .patcharc/ in the current Git repository (signing key, session store, config).
patcharc start "goal"	Start an Arc; a detached observer begins recording Git events, file changes, and test runs.
patcharc note\|decision\|risk <text>	Attach a note, decision, or risk to the active Arc.
patcharc checkpoint	Create a working-tree checkpoint inside the active Arc.
patcharc stop	Stop the Arc, build the deterministic summary, redact secrets, seal the .parc.
patcharc verify	Verify a capsule offline: signature, manifest, per-file hashes.
patcharc inspect	Print a human-readable summary of a .parc file.
patcharc serve	Serve the local review UI for a capsule in your browser.
patcharc open	Open the most recently sealed .parc in the local viewer.
patcharc preview	Show what would be uploaded for the active Arc. No network.
patcharc redact	Run the redaction engine against the working tree and report what would be withheld.
patcharc scopes	List discovered ArcScopes (monorepo packages) for this repository.
patcharc login	Authenticate with PatchArc Cloud via the browser device flow (GitHub or Google).
patcharc logout	Remove stored PatchArc Cloud credentials.
patcharc share [--visibility ...]	Upload the latest capsule and print its ArcLink. public, private, team, or capability.
patcharc revoke <share>	Revoke a share; the ArcLink stops resolving.
patcharc status	Show the active Arc's status.
patcharc doctor	Diagnose the local environment.
patcharc ai:*later	Configure local AI providers (add, list, use, test, usage).
patcharc updatelater	Self-update the CLI.

1. Install

2. Record and seal your first Arc

3. Share when you are ready

Command reference