Guides

Understand History

Git blame shows who changed a line. Driver changelogs explain the intent behind changes. Use this workflow before modifying unfamiliar code or when you need to understand how a system evolved over time.

Example Prompts

  • "How has the authentication system evolved?"
  • "What changed in the API layer last quarter?"
  • "Why was this module restructured?"
  • "What major changes happened in my-backend in January 2025?"

What Happens

The agent calls two Driver tools:

  1. get_changelog — Returns a high-level timeline of changes across the codebase, organized by year and month. The agent uses this to identify which time periods are relevant.
  2. get_detailed_changelog — Returns the full changelog for a specific month, including descriptions of what changed and why.

The agent reads the high-level timeline first, then fetches detailed entries for the months that matter to your question.

Tip: This workflow pairs well with code maps. Ask about history first to understand intent, then use code maps to inspect the current state of the files that were changed.