CRAFT Tutorials · Advanced
Version control quietly keeps a full history of your project, so you can look back at any earlier version — or undo a change cleanly. It’s the local foundation that checkpoints, “undo,” and GitHub backup all build on, and Claude can switch it on for you in one step.
What you’ll do: 2 steps · about 5 minutes · once.
Why turn it on?
Version control (the tool underneath is called Git) keeps a running history of your project. Every time you save a version, that point is remembered — so you can review what changed, and roll back to a known-good state if something goes wrong.
- It’s the safety foundation. CRAFT’s checkpoints and “undo a mistake” both rely on this history.
- It’s required for GitHub backup. Saving your project offsite to GitHub builds directly on version control.
- You won’t manage it by hand. Claude does the Git work for you — you just ask.
Step 1 — Make sure Git is installed
Git may already be on your Mac — and if it isn’t, macOS will offer to install it the first time you ask. To check, open Terminal (in Applications → Utilities) and run:
git --versionIf you see a version number (like git version 2.39.0), you’re set — skip to Step 2. If your Mac instead offers to install the “command line developer tools,” click Install and let it finish, then run the command again.
✓ You’ll know it worked when git --version prints a version number.
Step 2 — Ask Claude to turn it on
Open your project in Cowork and ask:
Claude turns on version control for the folder and saves your first version — no Git commands for you to learn or run.
✓ You’ll know it worked when Claude confirms version control is on and your first version is saved. From now on, your work can be checkpointed and rolled back.
That’s version control: a quiet history that makes the rest of CRAFT’s safety net possible. A good next step: Save checkpoints and restore points — or, to add an offsite backup, Set up GitHub to back up your CRAFT project.