Prompt Management & Versioning

Prompt management in PromptBranch combines a modern markdown editor with Git-style sequential versioning and variation branches.

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The Editor Interface

PromptBranch features a CodeMirror 6 editor optimized for prompt authoring:

• Three view modes: Edit, Split, and Preview (a live, sanitized markdown rendering). Read-only historical versions always open in Preview.
• Formatting toolbar: One-click bold, italic, inline code, code fences, links, lists, and checklists.
• Dynamic variable detection: {{variable_name}} occurrences are highlighted, and each unique variable gets an input field in the run dialog.
• Autosaving drafts: In-progress edits are saved automatically as you type. This can be turned off in Settings → Editor; with autosave off, leaving the prompt discards uncommitted edits.

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Working with Drafts & Versions

PromptBranch prevents accidental commits while ensuring you never lose your work:

1. Live Drafts (draft_content)

• As you type, your text is automatically persisted to the prompt's draft.
• If you switch to another prompt, change tabs, or close the application, your uncommitted changes remain intact.
• The toolbar shows the current state: Unsaved changes… → Draft saved {time}, or No unsaved changes when the draft matches the committed version.

2. Committing a Version

When you reach a stable milestone, commit the version to the active branch:

1. Click Save as new version on the editor toolbar.
2. The Save as v dialog opens with the next sequential version number. Enter a change note describing your modification (e.g. "Added JSON schema output requirements").
3. Click Save version.
4. A new immutable version row is created and the version number increments sequentially (v1 → v2 → v3).

3. Returning to a Committed Version

Committed versions are immutable — the editor only ever edits the draft. To revisit or restore older content, pick a version from the version dropdown or the History tab; historical versions open read-only, and Duplicate as variation… copies any of them into a new editable branch.

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Variations (Branches)

Branches — called variations in the UI — let you test distinct versions of a prompt without touching your primary line.

Creating a Variation

1. Open the ⋯ (More actions) menu on the prompt toolbar and click Duplicate as variation…. The version dropdown and the History tab offer per-version Duplicate buttons that do the same from any starting version.
2. Enter a Variation name (e.g. few-shot-examples, json-mode, claude-3-7-opt) and an optional description.
3. Click Create variation.

PromptBranch creates the new branch and commits the selected content as that branch's starting v1, then opens the editor for further modifications. Version numbering is per-branch.

Switching Between Variations

The version dropdown on the toolbar lists versions grouped by branch. The prompt's one designated current version is marked (Current). Selecting any other version previews it read-only; duplicate it as a variation to continue editing from that point.

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Version History & Diffing

PromptBranch tracks every iteration with a per-version history and a visual diff viewer.

Browsing Version History

• The History tab groups every committed version by branch with author, timestamp, change note, and a Current badge on the designated version.
• Click any version to preview its exact content (read-only).
• The (Current) marker indicates which version is served to agents and integrations.

Visual Diff Viewer

Compare any two versions side-by-side or unified:

1. In the History tab, select two version checkboxes and click Compare versions.
2. Toggle between Side by side and Unified modes.
3. Added and removed text are highlighted line by line.

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Setting the "Current" Version

The Current Version pointer (current_version_id) controls what agents and external tools receive:

• In the History tab, select the version you want to make active and click Set as current (confirm when prompted).
• When previewing a non-current version, a Restore as current banner offers the same action.
• The current version is what get_prompt returns in MCP and promptbranch get prints in the CLI by default.

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Soft Delete, Recovery & Trash

Prompts are never deleted permanently by accident.

Soft Deleting a Prompt

• Open the ⋯ (More actions) menu on the prompt toolbar and choose Delete, then confirm Move to Trash.
• The prompt is timestamped with deleted_at and immediately hidden from standard search results, collections, and tag lists.

Viewing and Restoring from Trash

1. In the left navigation rail, click Trash.
2. Browse your soft-deleted prompts.
3. Click Restore to bring a prompt back to your active library with all branches, versions, notes, and run history completely intact, or Delete permanently to wipe it for good.

Emptying the Trash

In Settings → Data & Backup, the Danger zone offers Permanently empty Trash for all soft-deleted prompts at once.