CRAFT Tutorials · Advanced
As you work, you can save your progress at any moment — and make a safe restore point before a big change — so you can always get back to a version you trust. It’s all done by asking, in plain language.
Before you start: checkpoints save into your project’s history, so this works best once your project is under version control. If you haven’t done that yet, see Put your project under version control first.
Save your progress any time
You don’t have to wait until the end of a session to be safe. At any point, ask Claude to capture where things stand:
This is a quick, lightweight save — good before a break, or just for peace of mind. (You might also say “Checkpoint this.”)
✓ You’ll know it worked when Claude confirms it saved your current progress as a restore point you can return to.
Make a restore point before a big change
About to reorganize files or try something you’re unsure about? Take a safety snapshot first:
Claude makes a safe copy first, so if the change doesn’t work out, the earlier version is still there.
Checkpoint vs. handoff — what’s the difference?
- Checkpoint / “save my work” — a quick save any time during a session, for safety.
- Handoff / “save a handoff” — the save you do at the end of a session; it also writes the note that lets next time pick up where you left off.
Use checkpoints freely as you go; use a handoff when you’re wrapping up. (Handoffs are covered in the Getting Started series.)
That’s checkpoints and restore points: save progress whenever you like, and snapshot before anything risky — so you’re never more than one step from a version you trust. A good next step: Undo a mistake: recover your project.