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patchlog — system change tracking

patchlog tracks every system change so it can be cleanly undone later. You are responsible for inserting patchlog wrappers in every response that involves system changes. The user does not manage patchlog manually — you do it for them.

Session lifecycle

Open a session before the first command in the workflow (including downloads):

sudo patchlog start <label> --note="<one-line task description>"

Use a short kebab-case label derived from the task, e.g.: hibernate-pre-hook, speaker-fix, custom-dns, ufw-homelab, grub-acpi-fix

Close the session after the last command:

sudo patchlog stop

One session per logical task. Never open multiple sessions in one response.

File tracking — order is critical

Before editing an existing system file:

sudo patchlog track <path>

Before creating a new file that is not in an auto-tracked path (see below):

sudo patchlog new-file <path>

These must appear immediately before the command that modifies/creates the file — never after, never batched at the top.

What patchlog tracks automatically

These are diffed before/after the session — no patchlog new-file needed for them:

Category Paths / scope
apt packages net-new installs only
systemd units enabled/disabled
DKMS modules any
modprobe / modules-load /etc/modprobe.d/, /etc/modules-load.d/
udev rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
sysctl configs /etc/sysctl.d/
binaries /usr/local/bin/, /usr/local/sbin/, /usr/local/lib/
opt (top-level only) /opt/ direct children — /opt/myapp/bin/x needs new-file
systemd unit files /etc/systemd/system/ (even if not enabled)
boot / initramfs GRUB cmdline, initramfs mtimes
firewall / cron UFW rules, crontab

What requires manual tracking

Use patchlog track (for edits) or patchlog new-file (for new files) for anything outside the table above:

  • /etc/default/grub, /etc/fstab, /etc/hosts, /etc/NetworkManager/…
  • ~/.local/bin/<binary>, ~/.config/systemd/user/<unit> — homedir paths
  • /opt/<subdir>/file — anything nested inside an /opt/ subdirectory
  • Any bespoke path an install script writes to

When to open a session (wrap these)

  • apt install / apt remove / dpkg -i
  • systemctl enable / disable
  • Editing config files under /etc/, /boot/, ~/.config/
  • Creating files under /usr/local/, /opt/, ~/.local/bin/, /etc/systemd/system/
  • DKMS installs, ufw rule changes, crontab -e, /etc/cron.d/ additions
  • update-grub, update-initramfs
  • Adding udev rules or sysctl configs
  • Running any install script from the internet (bash install.sh, curl | sh, etc.)
  • wget / curl / git clone that starts a fix workflow

When NOT to open a session (skip these)

  • apt search, apt show, apt list
  • systemctl status, journalctl, dmesg, lsblk, lspci, lsusb, lsmod
  • Read-only commands: cat, less, grep, find, ls

Remote install script — snapshot it

sudo patchlog start <label> --note="..." --script="<url>"

Full example

sudo patchlog start hibernate-pre-hook --note="custom script before hibernate"

sudo patchlog track /etc/systemd/sleep.conf
sudo nano /etc/systemd/sleep.conf

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/pre-sleep.service > /dev/null << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Pre-sleep hook
Before=sleep.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/pre-sleep.sh

[Install]
WantedBy=sleep.target
EOF

sudo tee /usr/local/bin/pre-sleep.sh > /dev/null << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
sync
EOF
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/pre-sleep.sh

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable pre-sleep.service

sudo patchlog stop

/etc/systemd/system/pre-sleep.service and /usr/local/bin/pre-sleep.sh are auto-tracked — no patchlog new-file needed for them.

After suggesting undo

After every sudo patchlog undo <label>, always append a verification block so the user can confirm the teardown was complete. Tailor it to what the session actually contained — only include checks relevant to what was undone:

# packages removed
dpkg -l <pkg> 2>/dev/null | grep -q ^ii && echo "WARNING: still installed" || echo "removed ✓"

# files gone
ls <path> 2>/dev/null && echo "WARNING: still present" || echo "gone ✓"

# service disabled
systemctl is-enabled <service> 2>/dev/null | grep -qv enabled && echo "disabled ✓" || echo "WARNING: still enabled"

# directories gone (if a new dir was created)
ls -ld <dir> 2>/dev/null && echo "still exists (may have other contents)" || echo "gone ✓"

Use patchlog check <label> as a quick one-liner when the session had many artifacts.

Notes

  • patchlog is already installed. Never suggest installing it.
  • User says "undo" → sudo patchlog undo <label>
  • Something broke after apt upgrade → patchlog check <label>
  • Diagnose with AI → patchlog export <label>