Like Saving a Video Game
In a video game, you save before the boss fight. If it goes badly, you load your save and try again.
A commit is exactly that, for your project:
A commit is a save point: a snapshot of your whole project at one moment, plus a short note about what changed.
What a Commit Holds
Every commit keeps three things:
- A snapshot of every file in your project, exactly as they were.
- A message, like “Add photo gallery” or “Fix the menu on phones”.
- Who and when: your name, your email, and the date. (That’s why you set your name and email in the install note.)
Line them up, and you get your project’s history: a list of every save point, oldest to newest.
The Golden Habit
There’s one rule that saves people again and again:
Every time something works, make a save point.
Not at the end of the day. Not “after I finish everything.” Every time a small step works.
Why? Because the next change might break things. And you can only go back to a save point that exists.
Just Ask Claude
You never type the commands. You just say what you want, in plain words:
| You say | What Claude does |
|---|---|
| “Save a checkpoint” | Makes a commit with a clear message |
| “Save a checkpoint called ‘new colors’” | Makes a commit with your message |
| “What did we change since the last checkpoint?” | Shows you the differences |
| “Show me the history” | Lists your save points |
| “Undo my last change” | Goes back to the last save point |
| “Go back to how it was before the gallery” | Finds that save point and restores it |
Tip: add “Save a checkpoint after every change that works” to your
CLAUDE.md. Then Claude does it without being asked.
Esc Esc vs Commits
You already know one undo: Esc Esc rewinds inside a chat. So what’s the difference?
| Esc Esc (rewind) | Commits | |
|---|---|---|
| Lasts | Just this chat | Forever |
| Made | Automatically, every message | When you ask (or your notebook says so) |
| Has a note | No | Yes, a message for every save point |
| Best for | “Oops, undo that last bit” | “Go back to the version from last Tuesday” |
Use both. Esc Esc for quick oops moments, commits for the real history of your project.
Try it
In your project folder, make a small change, then ask Claude to save a checkpoint. Then ask to see the history.
See an example prompt
Add a file called notes.txt with a list of three things I want on my website. Then save a checkpoint.Then:
Show me the history of this project.You should see your save point, with its message and the date. That’s your first commit.