Adhikarana -- Workspace Governance & Access

Adhikarana protects the files that shouldn't change. You mark files as locked (edits are blocked) or review (you're warned when you save them) using glob patterns, and Adhikarana enforces those rules live as you work. It's built for student teams and coursework, where one accidental edit to package.json or a config file can break everyone's build.

What it does

• Locked files -- files matching your locked patterns are protected. In strict mode, any edit is undone automatically; in soft mode you get a warning. Configure via adhikarana.lockedFiles.
• Review files -- files matching your review patterns raise a prompt when you save them, so sensitive files get a second look. Configure via adhikarana.warningFiles.
• Status bar -- the active file's governance state is always visible: Locked, Review, or Governed (editable). Click it for a full report.
• Dashboard -- a panel listing every rule and the current file's status.

Everything is real: matching is glob-based against the workspace-relative path, rules reload the moment you change settings, and in strict mode a locked file is genuinely reverted -- not just flagged.

Usage

Settings

• adhikarana.enabled -- turn governance on/off (default: on)
• adhikarana.lockedFiles -- glob patterns for protected files (default: **/package.json, **/tsconfig.json, **/vitest.config.ts)
• adhikarana.warningFiles -- glob patterns that warn on save (default: **/extension.ts)
• adhikarana.strictMode -- when on, edits to locked files are reverted automatically; when off, they're only warned (default: off)

Example

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "adhikarana.strictMode": true,
  "adhikarana.lockedFiles": [
    "**/package.json",
    "**/*.lock",
    "**/.github/workflows/*.yml"
  ],
  "adhikarana.warningFiles": [
    "**/src/config/**"
  ]
}

With this, teammates can't accidentally edit lockfiles or CI workflows, and any save under src/config/ prompts a review.

How it works

Adhikarana listens to onDidChangeTextDocument and onWillSaveTextDocument. When a locked file changes in strict mode, it runs VS Code's revert to restore the file, guarding against re-triggering itself during the undo. Glob matching uses minimatch. No file contents ever leave your machine.

License

MIT (c) Kanak Prabhakar