History

Everything in a workspace is plain files in a git repository on its runner: notes as Markdown, uploads as they are, and the layout of the canvas. Every change is saved there, so you can always look back and go back.

Everything is git

The workspace's history covers its canvas, its notes, its uploaded files and its groups. Changes made by people and by agents end up in the same history, each entry with an author and a message.

Repositories are separate. Their code lives on GitHub and in each project's own branch; see repositories and git.

Saving happens by itself

You never have to save the canvas. Yard collects your changes and saves them as one history entry 20 seconds after you stop editing. While changes are waiting, the footer shows an amber ● N unsaved chip.

Saving by hand

Click ● N unsaved to open Save to history. It lists what changed. Add an optional description and press Save (or Enter). Use this when you want a named point to come back to, such as "Before the redesign".

Viewers cannot save. While the runner is offline, Save explains that the changes are kept and can be saved once it is back.

Looking back

The footer's left end shows the current entry, for example a1b2c3d · main ▾. Click it to open Workspace history: the latest entries, each with its short id, message and age. Click an entry to see what it changed, file by file.

Reverting

Every entry except the current one has Revert. Yard asks first, then puts the canvas back to how it was at that entry. The revert is saved as a new entry, so nothing in the history is lost, and you can revert the revert.

Viewers cannot revert, and history is not available while the runner is offline.

Undo reaches into history

Undo on the canvas (⌘/Ctrl+Z) first takes back your own steps in this session. Keep going and it reaches saved entries made by others or by agents, undoing each as a new entry. A message names what was undone, and Redo puts it back. Typing inside a note has the note's own Undo while the cursor is in it.

Changes made while the runner was away

If the runner goes offline while edits are on their way, they are kept, and the footer shows ● N changes waiting for the runner. When the runner is back, Yard first saves an entry called "Before changes made while the runner was away", then applies the edits. A message says how many were applied, with Undo to return to that entry.

Two changes to one file

When two people or agents change the same file, Yard merges the changes when it can. When it cannot, the file keeps its current version, the other is kept aside, and the footer shows N conflicts. Open it to compare the versions and keep one, the other, or both.

Keeping a copy elsewhere

A workspace owner can push every history entry to a GitHub repository, as a backup or to read it elsewhere. Open Workspace settings → General, and under History remote click Choose repository. The list shows the repositories of your organization's GitHub connection that your own GitHub account can see; search it, pick one, and click Save. Entries go to the branch yard/ followed by the workspace's name. Click Remove and save to stop.

If the list is not offered, GitHub is not connected yet: follow the link to the organization's Repositories settings and connect it there (see repositories and git).

A workspace that was given another git address before repositories were picked from a list shows it as Custom remote. It keeps working, and it can be removed but not edited.

Deleted and archived work is also kept for a while, as your organization's storage settings decide.