TimeAgent for VS Code

TimeAgent is an independent safety and rollback layer for coding agents. It preserves pre-existing uncommitted work and can undo filesystem changes made during protected sessions directly from VS Code.

TimeAgent is experimental. It is not a sandbox. Only sessions launched through TimeAgent are currently protected.

Quick Start

1. Install TimeAgent for VS Code.
2. Open TimeAgent from the VS Code Activity Bar.
3. Select Start Protected Session.
4. Choose Codex, Claude Code, or a custom command.
5. When the session ends, use Review Changes, Undo Last Session, or View External Actions.

TimeAgent Core is bundled with the extension. VS Code users do not need to install the TimeAgent CLI globally. Codex, Claude Code, or another selected agent must still be installed separately.

Using TimeAgent from the terminal

The standalone CLI remains available for terminal-only workflows:

npm install -g timeagent
timeagent run codex

Installing the global CLI is optional for VS Code users. The extension always uses its bundled Core and ignores globally installed TimeAgent versions.

Features

• Review Changes opens a native, read-only before/after diff for created, modified, and deleted text files.
• Undo Last Session restores the exact pre-session TimeAgent checkpoint after explicit confirmation.
• External Actions shows commands observed by TimeAgent's experimental PATH-based interception layer.
• Policy decisions appear in the native Actions view as Allowed, Asked, or Denied when Core recorded policy metadata.
• Open Policy File opens the repository-local .timeagent/policy.json, offering to create a minimal starter file when needed.
• Recovery exposes current changes and restoration when an interrupted checkpoint is available.

Binary files and text files larger than 1 MiB are identified without attempting to display their contents.

Requirements

• VS Code 1.95 or newer
• An open Git repository
• Codex, Claude Code, or another command to run in a protected session

The extension includes TimeAgent Core 0.2.9 and does not install or modify global npm packages.

Protection scope

The Protection setting is workspace UI state. A session is protected only when it is launched with TimeAgent: Start Protected Session. The extension does not monitor or automatically protect unrelated terminals or coding-agent processes.

Extension-launched agents run directly in the user's native VS Code integrated shell, preserving keyboard input, Ctrl+C, colors, prompts, and resizing. The extension uses its embedded Core to prepare the checkpoint before launch and to finalize it after normal completion. Terminal interruption or VS Code shutdown preserves an interrupted checkpoint for recovery. The sidebar refreshes when the protected command ends; TimeAgent: Refresh remains available as a manual fallback. The extension does not poll continuously.

External-action monitoring is a limited, PATH-based signal rather than a complete sandbox. It can be bypassed, and effects outside the repository filesystem are not automatically reversible.

Policy evaluation remains entirely in TimeAgent Core. See the repository README for the policy schema and matching semantics.

Before/after contents are held only in memory behind opaque virtual-document URIs. Refreshing, starting another session, or completing Undo invalidates that cache.

Local development

cd vscode-extension
npm install
npm run build
npm test

Open vscode-extension/ as the VS Code workspace and press F5 to launch an Extension Development Host.

This extension is not affiliated with OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, or VS Code.