Sona Receipt Explorer: Execution Audit Trail

A Visual Studio Code extension for visualizing, comparing, and managing Sona execution receipts. Part of the Sona cognitive accessibility ecosystem.

Every Sona execution can generate a deterministic receipt — this extension makes them explorable.

Overview

Sona 0.10.1 introduced Execution Receipts — JSON files that capture:

Script path and arguments
Start/end timestamps with duration
Exit code and status
Environment snapshot
Output capture (optional)

The Receipt Explorer brings these receipts into VS Code with a visual tree view, rich detail panels, and diff comparison.

Key Features

Date Grouping — receipts organized by Today, Yesterday, This Week, Older
Status Icons — ✓ success, ✗ failure, ⚠ warning at a glance
Click to Open — instant navigation to receipt details

Rich Detail Panel

Execution Summary — script, args, duration, exit code
Environment Snapshot — Python version, working directory, env vars
Output Viewer — stdout/stderr with syntax highlighting
Timing Breakdown — parse, execute, cleanup phases

Comparison Tools

Diff Two Receipts — side-by-side comparison of any two executions
Highlight Changes — spot differences in output, timing, or environment
Track Regressions — compare before/after when debugging

Workflow Integration

Re-Run from Receipt — execute the same command with one click
Copy Command — get the exact CLI invocation
Export as Markdown — document execution history
Delete Old Receipts — clean up with confirmation

Commands

Command	Description
Refresh Receipts	Reload receipt list from workspace
Open Receipt	View receipt in detail panel
Compare Receipts	Diff two selected receipts
Re-Run from Receipt	Execute the recorded command
Copy Command	Copy CLI command to clipboard
Delete Receipt	Remove with confirmation
Export as Markdown	Generate documentation

Settings

{
  "receiptExplorer.receiptDirectory": ".sona-receipts",
  "receiptExplorer.autoRefresh": true,
  "receiptExplorer.maxReceiptsShown": 100,
  "receiptExplorer.groupByDate": true
}

Receipt Format

Receipts are JSON files generated by sona --receipt:

{
  "version": "0.1",
  "script": "demo.sona",
  "args": ["--verbose"],
  "timestamp": "2025-01-20T10:30:00Z",
  "duration_ms": 142,
  "exit_code": 0,
  "status": "success",
  "environment": {
    "python_version": "3.12.0",
    "sona_version": "0.10.1",
    "working_dir": "/project"
  }
}

Use Cases

Debugging

"What changed between yesterday's run and today's?"

Compare receipts to spot environment or output differences.

CI/CD Verification

"Did the nightly build produce the same output?"

Receipts provide deterministic proof of execution.

Audit Trail

"When was this script last run successfully?"

Browse execution history with timestamps and status.

Reproducibility

"I need to run exactly what worked before"

Re-run from receipt with the exact same parameters.

Part of the Sona Ecosystem

Receipt Explorer integrates with Sona's execution model:

sona --receipt — generate receipts on every run
sona --receipt-env — include environment snapshot
Deterministic Execution — same input → same receipt

Requirements

VS Code 1.74.0 or higher
Sona 0.10.1 or higher (for receipt generation)

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

Built with 🧾 by WayCore Inc.

Sona Receipt Explorer

Waycore inc.