How to roll back Claude Code or Codex changes¶

Q: How to roll back Claude Code or Codex changes

**Short answer:** in Claude Code, `/rewind` (or `Esc` twice) restores files Claude changed with its edit tools. Changes made only by shell commands are not tracked, and Codex CLI has no built-in undo since its experimental `/undo` was removed. To undo *any* step, including shell-made changes and untracked files, keelyard snapshots the project after every edit and shell command into a separate git directory, so you can run `keelyard rewind to `. ```bash pipx install keelyard cd your-project keelyard init # wires Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode hooks; takes a first snapshot # ... let the agent work ... keelyard rewind list # one step per edit or shell command keelyard rewind show 12 # the diff step 12 made keelyard rewind to 9 # files back to how they were after step 9 ```

Q: What are the options for undoing an AI coding agent's changes?

| Option | What it restores | Gaps | |---|---|---| | Claude Code `/rewind` (checkpoints) | Files Claude edited with its file tools, per prompt; also the conversation | Files changed only by Bash are not tracked; most subagent edits are not restored; Claude Code only ([docs](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/checkpointing)) | | Codex CLI `/undo` | Nothing today | Removed in 2026; Codex reports the feature as unavailable ([openai/codex#9203](https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/9203)) | | `git stash` / `git checkout` / `git reset` | The last commit | Work since the last commit is lost; untracked files need extra flags; easy to lose your own edits too | | Commit after every step | Anything committed | Noisy history, and agents do not reliably commit | | **keelyard rewind** | Project files after every edit or shell command, for Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode | Files only: databases, pushed commits, package installs and anything outside the project are not restored; files over 20 MB are skipped | Use Claude Code checkpoints for quick in-session undo, and git for real history. keelyard fills the gap between them.

Q: Does keelyard touch my git repository?

No. Snapshots go to `.keelyard/shadow.git`, a separate repository. Your `.git`, index, stash and branches are never touched. Snapshots follow `.gitignore`.

Q: Can I undo a rewind?

Yes. `keelyard rewind to` snapshots the current state first and prints its step number; rewind to that number to go back. Files created after the target step are removed, and files deleted since then are restored.

Q: Can I try a different approach from an earlier step?

`keelyard rewind fork 9 ../attempt-b` copies step 9 into another folder, so you can start a second agent there.

Short answer: in Claude Code, /rewind (or Esc twice) restores files Claude changed with its edit tools. Changes made only by shell commands are not tracked, and Codex CLI has no built-in undo since its experimental /undo was removed. To undo any step, including shell-made changes and untracked files, keelyard snapshots the project after every edit and shell command into a separate git directory, so you can run keelyard rewind to <step>.

pipx install keelyard
cd your-project
keelyard init                 # wires Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode hooks; takes a first snapshot
# ... let the agent work ...
keelyard rewind list          # one step per edit or shell command
keelyard rewind show 12       # the diff step 12 made
keelyard rewind to 9          # files back to how they were after step 9

What are the options for undoing an AI coding agent's changes?¶

Option	What it restores	Gaps
Claude Code `/rewind` (checkpoints)	Files Claude edited with its file tools, per prompt; also the conversation	Files changed only by Bash are not tracked; most subagent edits are not restored; Claude Code only (docs)
Codex CLI `/undo`	Nothing today	Removed in 2026; Codex reports the feature as unavailable (openai/codex#9203)
`git stash` / `git checkout` / `git reset`	The last commit	Work since the last commit is lost; untracked files need extra flags; easy to lose your own edits too
Commit after every step	Anything committed	Noisy history, and agents do not reliably commit
keelyard rewind	Project files after every edit or shell command, for Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode	Files only: databases, pushed commits, package installs and anything outside the project are not restored; files over 20 MB are skipped

Use Claude Code checkpoints for quick in-session undo, and git for real history. keelyard fills the gap between them.

Does keelyard touch my git repository?¶

No. Snapshots go to .keelyard/shadow.git, a separate repository. Your .git, index, stash and branches are never touched. Snapshots follow .gitignore.

Can I undo a rewind?¶

Yes. keelyard rewind to snapshots the current state first and prints its step number; rewind to that number to go back. Files created after the target step are removed, and files deleted since then are restored.

Can I try a different approach from an earlier step?¶

keelyard rewind fork 9 ../attempt-b copies step 9 into another folder, so you can start a second agent there.

How fast is it?¶

On a 7,083-file Django checkout, a snapshot after an edit took 88 ms (median); the first snapshot took 2.3 s because it hashes every file. See Rewind.