🛡️ Henching - Personal Utility Extension

"Undo for AI mistakes — without committing."

A multi-purpose VS Code extension tailored for developers who frequently paste AI-generated code and want instant rollback without using Git.

✨ Features

📦 Local Checkpoints

Create instant snapshots of your project that you can restore at any time. Perfect for:

Before pasting AI-generated code - Create a safety net before major changes
Quick experimentation - Try risky changes without fear
No Git required - Works independently of version control

📋 Angular Component Copying

Quickly copy Angular component files (TS, HTML, CSS) with a single click.

🚀 Quick Start

Create a checkpoint: Press Ctrl+Shift+S (or Cmd+Shift+S on Mac)
Quick checkpoint: Press Ctrl+Alt+S for an instant auto-labeled checkpoint
Restore a checkpoint: Press Ctrl+Shift+R and select a checkpoint
View all checkpoints: Check the "Henching" panel in the Activity Bar

📚 Commands

Command	Shortcut	Description
`Henching: Create Checkpoint`	`Ctrl+Shift+S`	Create a new checkpoint with optional label
`Henching: Quick Checkpoint`	`Ctrl+Alt+S`	Create an instant checkpoint with auto-label
`Henching: Restore Checkpoint`	`Ctrl+Shift+R`	Restore files from a checkpoint
`Henching: List All Checkpoints`	-	View all checkpoints in a markdown document
`Henching: Delete Checkpoint`	-	Delete a specific checkpoint
`Henching: Rename Checkpoint`	-	Rename a checkpoint's label
`Henching: Cleanup Old Checkpoints`	-	Remove old checkpoints beyond the max limit
`Henching: Manage Ignore Patterns`	-	UI to manage ignored files/folders

🎯 How It Differs From Git

Feature	Henching Checkpoints	Git
Purpose	Quick safety net	Full version control
Speed	Instant, no staging	Requires add & commit
Learning curve	Zero	Moderate
Commit messages	Optional labels	Required (best practice)
Storage	Local only (`.checkpoints/`)	Local + remote
History	Simple list	Complex DAG
Best for	Quick undo, experimentation	Long-term history

🤔 When To Use Checkpoints

✅ USE checkpoints when:

Pasting AI-generated code (ChatGPT, Copilot, etc.)
Trying experimental changes
Before major refactoring
Quick prototyping
You want instant undo without commits

❌ DON'T rely on checkpoints for:

Long-term version history
Collaboration with team
Production deployments
Replacing Git

⚙️ Configuration

Configure the extension in VS Code Settings:

{
  "henching.checkpoints.maxCount": 20,
  "henching.checkpoints.ignoreFolders": ["node_modules", ".git", ".checkpoints", "dist", "out"],
  "henching.checkpoints.ignoreFiles": ["*.log", "package-lock.json"]
}

Settings Explained

Setting	Default	Description
`maxCount`	20	Maximum checkpoints to keep
`ignoreFolders`	[...]	Folders to exclude from checkpoints
`ignoreFiles`	[...]	File patterns to exclude

📁 Checkpoint Storage

Checkpoints are stored in your workspace:

your-project/
├── .checkpoints/
│   ├── 2024-01-15_14-30-45/
│   │   ├── delta.json       # Compressed changes
│   │   ├── snapshot.json    # File state snapshot
│   │   └── meta.json        # Metadata
│   └── ...
└── src/
    └── app.ts

Checkpoints use delta storage to save space, only storing what changed + a snapshot.

🔒 Safety Features

Confirmation before restore - Always warns before overwriting files
Backup option - Can create a checkpoint before restoring another
Auto-cleanup - Keeps only the latest N checkpoints
No data loss - Files are copied, not moved
Git-aware - Reads branch info for reference (but doesn't modify Git)

🛠️ Development

Building the Extension

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Watch for changes
npm run watch

# Package the extension
npm run package

Project Structure

src/
├── extension.ts          # Main entry point
├── commands/             # Command handlers
│   ├── checkpointCommands.ts
│   └── angularCopyCommands.ts
├── services/             # Core business logic
│   ├── checkpointService.ts
│   ├── angularCopyService.ts
│   └── ignorePatternManager.ts
├── views/                # UI components
│   └── checkpointTreeProvider.ts
├── types/                # TypeScript interfaces
│   └── checkpoint.ts
└── utils/                # Helper functions
    ├── fileUtils.ts
    ├── dateUtils.ts
    ├── gitUtils.ts
    └── configUtils.ts

🤝 Contributing

This is a personal utility extension for friends and personal use. Feel free to fork and customize!

📄 License

MIT License - Use it however you want!

Made for developers who love experimenting without fear.

Henching

Dinesh G