Archb

Archb automatically documents why you changed your code

While you code, Archb watches your files. When you are ready, it asks you one targeted question per logical change group. Your answers are transformed into professional changelogs for your development team and customers, release notes, and Q&A logs. All powered by ChatGPT, Claude, or a local Ollama model.

Coming soon: Archb Pro

The current version of Archb works with your own ChatGPT or Claude API key, or with a local Ollama model.

Archb Pro is coming soon and will include access to a dedicated AI model trained specifically for code documentation. It is fine-tuned on thousands of real code changes and produces higher quality questions and changelogs than general-purpose models.

No Ollama setup. No API key from a third party. Just plug in your Archb Pro key and go.

If you want early access, open an issue on GitHub with the title "Pro access request".

How it works

1. Activate Archb in the sidebar and it starts watching your files silently
2. Code as usual and Archb detects and groups your changes in the background, follow the logs live in the sidebar
3. Click "Save Session & Ask" and Archb asks you one short question per logical change group
4. Answer the questions which takes 10 to 30 seconds for a typical session
5. Your logs are ready as Q&A log, Technical Changelog, and Customer Release Notes

Features

AI-powered questions

Archb clusters your code changes by type (new function, value change, logic change, comment, layout) and asks a single targeted question per group. No noise, no repetition.

Three log types generated automatically

• Q&A Log: raw question and answer pairs, saved live after every answer

• Technical Changelog: professional developer-facing changelog grouped by file, with change type and timestamp per entry

• Customer Release Notes: plain-language release notes with no technical jargon, ready to share with non-technical stakeholders

Supports ChatGPT, Claude, and Ollama

ChatGPT → enter your OpenAI API key in AI Settings

Claude → enter your Anthropic API key in AI Settings

Ollama → runs fully locally, no API key needed (requires Ollama installed)

Claude takes priority over ChatGPT if both are set. If neither is set, Archb falls back to Ollama automatically.

GitHub Push with AI commit message

The GitHub Push button runs your Q&A session, then commits and pushes your changes with an AI-generated commit message that reflects what you actually changed and why.

Project snapshots

Every session creates a full snapshot ZIP of your project (excluding node_modules, .venv, build folders, and other large directories) so you always have a point-in-time backup.

Privacy-first option

Run Archb with a local Ollama model and your code never leaves your machine.

Requirements

Minimum

• VS Code 1.85 or later
• One of the following:
  • OpenAI API key (ChatGPT)
  • Anthropic API key (Claude)
  • Ollama installed locally

Optional

• Git and GitHub CLI (for the GitHub Push feature)

Installation

1. Install the extension

Search for Archb in the VS Code Extensions Marketplace (Ctrl+Shift+X) and click Install.

2. Set up your AI

Open the Archb sidebar (click the ship icon in the Activity Bar), then open AI Settings.

Option A: ChatGPT

1. Go to platform.openai.com/api-keys
2. Create a new API key
3. Paste it into the ChatGPT field in AI Settings
4. Click Save AI Settings

Option B: Claude

1. Go to console.anthropic.com
2. Create a new API key
3. Paste it into the Claude field in AI Settings
4. Click Save AI Settings

Option C: Ollama (local, free)

1. Install Ollama from ollama.com
2. Pull a model:

   ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:7b
   

3. Leave AI Settings empty and Archb detects Ollama automatically

Usage

Starting a session

1. Open a workspace folder in VS Code
2. Click Activate in the Archb sidebar
3. Code as usual and Archb watches your files automatically
4. When you are ready, click Save Session & Ask
5. A popup appears with one question per logical change group
6. Answer each question and press Enter (or click Submit)
7. Your logs are saved automatically in versions/v1.X/logs/

Reviewing and revising answers

Click any answered entry (marked with a checkmark) in the sidebar log to reopen it and revise your answer.

Generating changelogs

Technical and Customer logs are generated automatically when you click manually Deactivate Archb. If you activate it again, a new version folder appears and the logs start from zero. They appear in versions/v1.X/logs/ as:

v1.X_technical.md
v1.X_customer.md

GitHub Push

Step 1: Install Git

Download and install Git from git-scm.com. During installation, keep the default options.

Step 2: Install GitHub CLI

Open PowerShell and run:

winget install GitHub.cli

If winget is not available, download the installer directly from cli.github.com, run it, then open a new PowerShell window in VS Code, best in your project folder.

Step 3: Authenticate with GitHub

gh auth login

Follow the prompts:

• Where do you use GitHub? → GitHub.com
• What is your preferred protocol? → HTTPS
• Authenticate Git with your GitHub credentials? → Yes
• How would you like to authenticate? → Login with a web browser

A browser window opens. Click Authorize GitHub CLI and you are done.

Step 4: Create a GitHub repository

Go to github.com, create a new repository, and copy the HTTPS URL (for example https://github.com/yourname/yourrepo.git).

Step 5: Initialize Git in your project (if not done yet)

Open a terminal in your project folder and run:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourname/yourrepo.git
git push -u origin main

Step 6: Fill in Git Settings in Archb

Open the Archb sidebar, then open Git Settings:

• user.name → your name
• user.email → your GitHub email
• remote url → the HTTPS URL of your repository
• default branch → main

Click Save Git Settings.

Step 7: Use the GitHub Push button

Click GitHub Push in the Archb sidebar. Archb will run the Q&A session, generate a commit message, and push your changes automatically.

Where logs are saved

All logs are saved inside your workspace folder:

your-project/
└── versions/
    └── v1.1/
        ├── meta.json
        ├── snapshot/
        │   └── snapshot.zip
        └── logs/
            ├── v1.1_qna_live.md       (Q&A pairs, saved live)
            ├── v1.1_raw_live.md       (Raw diffs, updated in real-time)
            ├── v1.1_technical.md      (Technical changelog, on deactivate)
            └── v1.1_customer.md       (Customer release notes, on deactivate)

Each Activate/Deactivate cycle creates a new version (v1.2, v1.3, etc.).

AI Settings

Open the Archb sidebar and then open AI Settings.

Leave both empty to use Ollama. Claude takes priority if both are set. Tokens are validated on save and you get a clear error message if the format is wrong.

Git Settings

Open the Archb sidebar and then open Git Settings.

Required only for the GitHub Push feature

Known limitations

• Snapshot runs asynchronously and may take 10 to 30 seconds for large projects. You can keep coding while it runs.
• Technical and Customer logs are generated at Deactivate, not during the session.
• GitHub Push requires Git and GitHub CLI. See setup instructions above.
• Multi-root workspaces: only the first folder is tracked.
• Ollama must be running. Start it with ollama serve before activating Archb.

Troubleshooting

Archb is not asking any questions Make sure you clicked Activate first. The file watcher only runs when Archb is active (shown by the green dot in the sidebar).

No API key set but Ollama is not installed Either install Ollama from ollama.com or add a ChatGPT or Claude API key in AI Settings.

GitHub Push fails with 403 Run gh auth login in your terminal and follow the browser authentication flow.

GitHub Push fails with "rejected (fetch first)" Archb automatically runs git pull --rebase before pushing. If you still see this error, run the following manually:

git pull --rebase origin main
git push origin main

Technical and Customer logs are empty You need at least one answered Q&A entry. Answer the questions in Save Session & Ask, then click Deactivate to generate the logs.

License

MIT. See LICENSE for details.

Feedback

Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub.

Privacy note:

When using ChatGPT or Claude, code diffs and your answers are sent to the respective API provider (OpenAI or Anthropic). When using Ollama, everything stays local.