Reinstate frequently asked questions

Reinstate answers common continuity questions with one present-scope rule: supported Claude Code and Codex sessions resume in the same vendor. Structured handoff continues the same task in a new Claude Code or Codex session. Cross-agent transcript translation and universal configuration remain later roadmap work.

What is Reinstate?

Reinstate is an open-source continuity layer for coding-agent work. Phase 1 implements encrypted, bring-your-own-storage sync for same-vendor Claude Code and Codex sessions. Phase 2 adds configless local indexing, literal search, metadata inspection, a TTY switcher, and same-vendor native resume/fork. Stable v0.3.0 adds verified resume after dual-platform tagged-artifact acceptance PASS. Stable v0.4.0 added explicit structured handoff into a new Claude Code or Codex session. Stable v0.5.1 adds universal agent coverage: a catalog of eighteen agents, session discovery for eleven, and structured handoff from five. Cross-harness configuration remains a later phase.

See What is Reinstate? for current product facts, non-goals, roadmap boundaries, and maintainer information.

What is a coding-agent session?

A coding-agent session is the vendor-native record of an ongoing agent task, including its session identifier, conversation events, tool activity, working directory, and enough tool-specific state for that same agent to resume it. Reinstate preserves supported native session artifacts; it does not convert a Claude Code transcript into a Codex rollout or vice versa. See adapter internals.

Is Reinstate free and open source?

Yes. Reinstate is available under the Apache-2.0 license and the CLI does not require a Reinstate account. You provide your own S3-compatible storage and are responsible for any storage-provider charges.

See the open-source project page for the repository, license, governance, security policy, and contribution paths.

What is rein vs reinstate?

Same tool.

rein version
reinstate version   # identical behavior

Config and data live under ~/.reinstate/ either way.

Why not just use git?

Git stores source history; it does not store the complete vendor-native coding-agent session. Reinstate handles session context while Git remains the source of truth for commits, branches, and repository collaboration.

See Reinstate compared with Git for the distinct roles of source history and coding-agent session continuity.

Why not copy the session files manually?

Manual copying can work for a narrow same-machine experiment, but it does not provide Reinstate’s canonical project identity, structural macOS ↔ Windows path remapping, client-side encryption, credential exclusions, immutable snapshots, conflict checks, or atomic restore backup. Reinstate remains same-vendor: those safeguards do not translate one agent’s transcript into another format. See the architecture.

Can I restore a session without copying the whole repository?

Yes. Reinstate transfers supported session artifacts, not the repository itself. The destination still needs an appropriate checkout of the source repository, branch, and dependencies through Git or the developer’s normal workflow. Map that local checkout to the same canonical project ID before restoring the session. See installation and sync.

Will this resume a Claude session inside Codex?

Native resume: no — same-vendor only. Stable v0.5.1 structured handoff starts a new destination session with a visible, lossy projection. It does not translate native history.

Do I need two computers?

No. Multi-device sync is the first release wedge, while Phase 2 local index/search/resume helps developers manage fragmented sessions and agents on one computer without a remote-storage dependency.

Is Reinstate a cloud IDE or coding-agent harness?

No. Claude Code, Codex, and other coding agents execute the work. Reinstate finds, verifies, restores, hands off, and syncs continuity state around those tools; it does not provide an editor, terminal emulator, or agent scheduler.

Is Reinstate a remote desktop or live terminal mirror?

No. Remote desktop streams or controls another machine’s live environment. Reinstate transfers supported encrypted session state into the destination agent’s native local layout so work can continue on that device. It does not stream a screen, terminal, process, or active agent. Review the work-and-personal-computer use case.

Is Reinstate a general backup tool?

No. Reinstate creates encrypted, immutable snapshots of supported coding-agent session artifacts, but it is not a whole-computer, repository, credential, or general file backup system. Keep independent backups and use Git for source history. The security model explains what is deliberately excluded.

Will Reinstate configure the same MCP server in every harness?

That is planned after Phase 1. The target is to define an MCP server once, preview the native changes, and apply it across Claude Code, Codex, and future verified adapters. The model also covers skills/instructions, hooks/loops, plugins, marketplaces, and safe settings.

See Universal agent configuration.

Will MCP authentication also carry across tools and devices?

Reinstate should report authentication state and coordinate supported official login flows. Raw API keys, OAuth tokens, cookies, and vendor credential stores will not be synced. Safe reuse is possible only where the protocol, provider, or harness explicitly supports it; otherwise a target may still require its own login.

Is my data sent to Reinstate servers?

No. The open-source CLI sends ciphertext to the S3-compatible bucket you configure, such as Cloudflare R2 or Amazon S3. Reinstate does not operate a required storage service.

What if I lose my passphrase?

You cannot decrypt remote data. That is intentional (zero-knowledge). Keep the passphrase in a password manager.

Does this work offline?

Session files remain local. Phase 2 sessions, search, and inspect work offline without sync configuration. The status, diff, push, and pull commands still read the remote manifest and need access to your storage backend.

Does Reinstate support Windows and macOS?

Windows ↔ macOS is the primary design target, and the structural path-remapping implementation shipped in v0.1.0, and v0.2.0 physical acceptance passed on Apple Silicon macOS and native Windows x64. Intel macOS, WSL2, and other POSIX packages are preview and unverified; check the roadmap.

What happens when Claude Code or Codex changes its session format?

Reinstate adapters validate known formats and tested agent-version ranges. An unknown or untested layout fails closed for writes instead of guessing. Maintainers update fixtures, adapter logic, compatibility evidence, and release notes before expanding the supported range. Check the compatibility matrix and changelog before syncing after an agent upgrade.

Is this affiliated with Anthropic / OpenAI / Google / xAI?

No. Independent Apache-2.0 project by Harjot Singh Rana.

Production ready?

v0.5.1 is the current pre-1.0 stable release on Apple Silicon macOS and native Windows x64. It includes encrypted sync, local search, verified resume, structured handoff, and universal agent coverage across the support-tier catalog. Public installers currently pin the newest release candidate, whose tagged-artifact acceptance is pending on native Windows x64 (Apple Silicon macOS is deferred until that hardware returns); the changelog names it exactly. Intel macOS, WSL2, and other POSIX packages are optional and unverified. See the roadmap and changelog, use it with backups, and report bugs through GitHub Issues.

How do I contribute?

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

How do I report a security issue?

See SECURITY.md — private disclosure only.