Skill versions and restore

Every change to a skill keeps the version before it, and a restore can itself be undone. This page covers the History dialog on the Skills page: what the version list shows, viewing and comparing a version, and restoring an earlier one. The Skills page is part of the desktop app and the VS Code extension; the rest of that page is covered in Skills in Settings.

Open a skill's history

In Settings > Skills, find the skill in the list.
Open the skill's menu (More actions for /{name}) and choose History. The menu is on your own skills, the ones you can edit.
For a deleted skill, choose History on its row under Recently deleted instead.

The dialog is titled History of {name} and opens with the rule it works by: Every change to this skill keeps the version before it, including edits made in the skills folder. Restoring a version saves the current one first, so a restore can be undone too.

What the version list shows

The versions are listed newest first, and each row carries:

The time the version was saved, in your local date and time, down to the second.
A facts line in the form <source> · <size> · N files, for example Edited in the skills folder · 2.0KB · 2 files or Changed in a chat · 1.0KB · 1 file.
The Current tag on the version that matches the content the skill has now.
View and Restore. Restore is left off the current version, because there is nothing to go back to on that row.

What saved a version is one of six labels:

Label	What saved that version
Changed in a chat	A chat changed the skill, for example when Oda created or updated it for you.
Changed in Settings	A change you saved in the skill's form in Settings.
Imported	An import wrote the skill's files.
Restored	A restore saved this version.
Edited in the skills folder	The skill changed in the skills folder, outside the app.
Existing version	The first version Oda found when it met the skill on this computer.

The app keeps a limited number of versions for each skill, and the oldest drop out as new ones are saved, so a version you remember may no longer be listed.

While the dialog reads the versions it shows Loading versions…. When nothing is saved for the skill, the list says No saved versions yet.; for a deleted skill it says This skill is deleted. Restore a version to bring it back.

View or compare a version

Choose View on a row. The dialog opens Version saved {time}, with the version's facts, its Files list (path (size) on each line, starting with SKILL.md) and the version's SKILL.md text.
On What to show, switch between SKILL.md and Compare with current.
Compare with current sets the version's SKILL.md beside the skill's present one. The line above the comparison explains the marks: Lines marked − are in the current version and lines marked + in this version. A comparison shows up to 80 lines at once; when there are more, they fold away behind … {count} more lines, and Collapse folds them back. The footer counts the added and removed lines, and Copy, which becomes Copied, copies the comparison to the clipboard.
Nothing is written while you view. Back returns to the list, and Close closes the dialog.

If the version's SKILL.md is the same as the current one, the comparison says SKILL.md of this version is the same as the current one. For a deleted skill there is nothing to compare against: The skill is deleted, so there is no current version to compare with.

Restore an earlier version

Find the version in the list, or open it with View.
Choose Restore. While the restore runs, the dialog's buttons wait, and in the version view the button reads Restoring….
The dialog returns to the list, reads the versions again, and reports Restored the version saved {time}. The version you restored is now the skill's content.

A restore keeps the state it replaced, so you can undo it by restoring the version that was current before.
For a deleted skill, restoring a version brings the skill back into your skills folder.

When the history cannot be read

If the list of versions cannot be read, the dialog reports Could not load the skills: <message>. Close the dialog and open it again; if the message returns, keep it for your DataMind OS administrator.
If one version cannot be read, the dialog shows the reason as an alert. When the app could not read the saved version at all, the message is The saved version could not be read. Try opening it again from the list.

Questions, answered

Where do I open a skill's earlier versions?

In Settings > Skills, choose History from the skill's menu; a deleted skill has History on its row under Recently deleted. The dialog lists the saved versions, newest first.

How do I read the line under each version?

It names what saved the version, its size and its file count, for example Edited in the skills folder · 2.0KB · 2 files. The Current tag marks the version that matches the skill's content now.

What do labels like `Changed in a chat` and `Imported` mean?

They name what saved that version: a chat, a change saved in Settings, an import, a restore, an edit made in the skills folder outside the app, or the first version Oda found on this computer. The table above pairs each label with its meaning.

Can I view an older version without restoring it?

Yes. View only reads the version, and nothing is written until you choose Restore. You can switch between its SKILL.md and a comparison with the current version while you decide.

What do the minus and plus lines in `Compare with current` mean?

The line above the comparison explains the marks: Lines marked − are in the current version and lines marked + in this version. A minus line belongs to the current version, and a plus line comes from the version you opened.

Why is `Restore` missing on the version marked `Current`?

The current version already matches the skill's content, so there is nothing to put back on that row. Open another version to get its Restore button.

I restored a version by mistake. How do I undo it?

Restore the version that was current before. A restore keeps the state it replaced, so that state stays in the list and you can put it back the same way.

The dialog says `This skill is deleted. Restore a version to bring it back.` What does that mean?

The skill is gone from your skills folder, but its versions are kept. Choose Restore on any version to write it back into your skills folder, and the skill appears in the list again.

What does `SKILL.md of this version is the same as the current one.` mean?

The version's SKILL.md and the skill's present SKILL.md are identical, so the comparison has nothing to show.

Why is a version I had before no longer in the list?

The app keeps a limited number of versions for each skill: as new ones are saved, the oldest drop out of the list. If an old state matters to you, restore it while it is still listed.

The version list did not load. What do I do?

It shows Could not load the skills: <message>, with the reason after the colon. Close the dialog and open it again; if the message returns, keep it for your DataMind OS administrator.