PatchArc documentation

The loop in one minute

Initialize once per repository, start an Arc, work, stop to seal, verify. Sharing is a separate, optional step that needs a sign-in.

$ patcharc init
✓ Initialised PatchArc in ~/src/your-repo
$ patcharc start --detach "My first Arc"
✓ Arc arc_3c9d1e started on main @ 7f2a91c
# make commits; note decisions and risks as you go
$ patcharc stop
✓ Arc sealed: .patcharc/capsules/arc_3c9d1e.parc
$ patcharc verify .patcharc/capsules/arc_3c9d1e.parc
✓ arc_3c9d1e is valid (7 files, 21944 bytes, signed by 9c41e0b2a7f3…)

Read the quickstart

Find your way

Getting started

• InstallationInstall the patcharc CLI on macOS, Linux, or Windows, check the environment, and keep it updated.
• QuickstartFive minutes from install to a sealed, offline-verifiable capsule, then a shareable ArcLink.

Guides

• Recording an ArcWhat the observer captures, how notes, decisions, risks, and checkpoints work, and what happens across branches, rewrites, and worktrees.
• Sharing and ArcLinksSign in with the device flow, upload a sealed capsule, get a server-verified ArcLink, and revoke or rotate it.
• Monorepo scopesHow PatchArc maps a change to the packages it touched, the ten workspace layouts it detects, and how to declare scopes yourself.
• Verifying capsules in CIUse patcharc verify as a non-interactive gate, attach capsules to builds, and what is and is not supported for automation in 0.2.0.
• AI summaries and BYOKWhat the review does without AI, how provider keys are stored for bring-your-own-key, what the API supports today, and what is still planned.
• Working with AI coding agentsHow to record Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or any agent's work as an Arc, what is captured today, and a handoff pattern that works.

Concepts

• What is in a capsuleThe .parc format as written by patcharc 0.2.0: ZIP layout, manifest fields, the Ed25519 signature, and every verification check.
• The six review sectionsHow each section of the deterministic review is derived from evidence, and what each one can and cannot tell a reviewer in 0.2.0.
• RedactionThe redaction engine that ships with PatchArc, its thirteen detectors and rules, and the honest status of automatic redaction in 0.2.0.
• Trust modelWhat a PatchArc capsule proves, what it does not, and how verification works on your machine and in the cloud.

Cloud

• Accounts and sessionsSign-in with GitHub or Google, where the CLI stores credentials, token lifetimes, logging out, and what account management exists today.
• Cloud APIThe HTTP API behind patcharc share: authentication, upload sessions, capsules, shares, AI connections, and billing, with what is live in 0.2.0.

Reference

• CLI referenceEvery patcharc command in 0.2.0 with its flags, arguments, what it prints, and whether it needs an initialized repo, an active Arc, or a login.
• ConfigurationEvery key in .patcharc/config.yaml, its default, and whether the 0.2.0 CLI reads it.
• Exit codes and outputHow patcharc signals success and failure, the shape of its output, and how to consume results from scripts.

Help

• TroubleshootingSymptoms, causes, and fixes for the observer, sealing, verification, login, and sharing.
• FAQShort answers to the questions people ask before and after installing PatchArc.