git-brain

Treat LLM conversations as a versioned, branching Git repository.

Every prompt and response is committed as a node. You can branch mid-conversation to explore different directions, then merge the insights back together — with the LLM acting as the merge tool.

How it works

Each session lives in a directory with a real Git repo under the hood. Conversations are stored in a CONTEXT.md file (the "living document"). Every exchange is a commit, so the full history of your thinking is preserved and diffable.

• Branch to explore a different angle without losing your current thread
• Merge branches back together — the LLM performs a three-way semantic merge, synthesizing insights from both lines of thought
• Checkout any branch to resume that conversation thread

Install

pip install git-brain

Or from source:

git clone https://github.com/youruser/git-brain
cd git-brain
pip install -e .

Requires Python 3.10+.

Configuration

git-brain uses LiteLLM internally, so it works with any major provider. Set two environment variables (or put them in a .env file):

Variable	Purpose
GITBRAIN_MODEL	LiteLLM model string (default: claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022)
<PROVIDER>_API_KEY	API key for the chosen provider
GITBRAIN_API_BASE	Optional custom endpoint (for OpenAI-compatible APIs)

Provider examples

# Anthropic (default)
GITBRAIN_MODEL=claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# OpenAI
GITBRAIN_MODEL=gpt-4o
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# Groq (fast, free tier available)
GITBRAIN_MODEL=groq/llama-3.3-70b-versatile
GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...

# Ollama (local, no key needed)
GITBRAIN_MODEL=ollama/llama3.1

# Google Gemini
GITBRAIN_MODEL=gemini/gemini-1.5-pro
GEMINI_API_KEY=...

# OpenRouter
GITBRAIN_MODEL=openrouter/google/gemini-flash-1.5
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...

# Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (e.g. Venice AI)
GITBRAIN_MODEL=openai/google/gemma-3-27b-it
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-vca_...
GITBRAIN_API_BASE=https://api.venice.ai/api/v1

Usage

Start a session

mkdir my-research && cd my-research
git-brain init "Distributed systems study"

Send a prompt

git-brain prompt "What are the key trade-offs in consensus algorithms?"

Responses stream to the terminal. Each exchange is committed as a node.

Explore a branch

# Branch off to explore a different angle
git-brain branch -b raft-deep-dive
git-brain prompt "Explain Raft's leader election in detail"

# Meanwhile, main stays where it was
git-brain checkout main
git-brain prompt "How does Paxos handle network partitions?"

Merge branches

# Back on main, merge the Raft research in
git-brain merge raft-deep-dive

The LLM performs a three-way merge (base → ours, base → theirs), integrates unique insights, resolves conflicting conclusions, and appends a ## Merge Synthesis section summarizing what came from each branch.

Preview without committing:

git-brain merge raft-deep-dive --dry-run

Other commands

git-brain status          # current branch, node count, last commit
git-brain log             # commit history table
git-brain log -n 50       # show more commits
git-brain show            # display latest node
git-brain show 3          # display node 3
git-brain branch          # list all branches
git-brain checkout main   # switch branch
git-brain edit            # open CONTEXT.md in $EDITOR

The living document

All conversation history lives in CONTEXT.md in the session directory. Each node looks like:

## Node 3 · 2026-04-25 14:32

**>** What are the key trade-offs in consensus algorithms?

**Claude:**

The fundamental trade-offs in consensus algorithms center around...

---

Because it's plain Markdown in a Git repo, you can git diff, git log -p, and navigate history with any standard Git tooling alongside the git-brain commands.

Commands reference

Command	Description
git-brain init [title]	Initialize a new session
git-brain prompt <text>	Send a prompt, stream response, commit node
git-brain branch	List branches
git-brain branch -b <name>	Create and switch to a new branch
git-brain checkout <name>	Switch to a branch
git-brain checkout -b <name>	Create and switch to a new branch
git-brain merge <branch>	LLM-assisted merge into current branch
git-brain merge <branch> --dry-run	Preview merge without committing
git-brain log [-n N]	Show commit history
git-brain status	Show branch, node count, last commit
git-brain show [node]	Display a node (default: latest)
git-brain edit	Open living document in $EDITOR