Repo
Intent lives with your code.
Decisions versioned alongside your source — consumable by humans and agents, diffable across releases, searchable forever. Your project's reasoning travels with it.
Get startedyour-project/
├── src/
├── tests/
├── intent/
│ ├── decisions/
│ │ ├── 2026-01-12-auth-system.md
│ │ ├── 2026-01-10-db-choice.md
│ │ └── 2026-01-08-api-design.md
│ └── intent.yaml
├── package.json
└── README.md
Why intent belongs in the repo.
Today
DocumentationDrifts from reality
Chat logsDisappear after 90 days
WikisGo stale, nobody updates
Meeting notesLost in someone's folder
With Intent
VersionedEvery decision tracked
Co-locatedLives with the code it describes
SearchableFind any decision, anytime
Source of truthNever falls out of sync
History
Replay how it came to be.
Travel back through decisions. See what was decided, when, by whom, and why. Click any decision to see the full record.
Decision history
intent/decisions/2026-01-12-auth-system.md
## Decision: Use OAuth instead of custom auth
**Context:** Cursor session, 2026-01-12
**Participants:** @sarah, claude-3
**Summary:**
Chose OAuth over custom authentication to reduce security surface area and leverage existing identity providers.
**Alternatives considered:**
• Custom JWT auth — more control but requires password handling, reset flows, security audits
• NextAuth with OAuth — recommended for faster implementation and reduced security risk
**Rationale:**
OAuth delegates credential management to trusted providers (Google, GitHub), eliminating password storage vulnerabilities. Can add enterprise SSO later if needed.
**Commits:** a4f2d1, b8e3c9
**Files:** src/auth/providers.ts, src/app/api/auth/[...nextauth]/route.ts
When history matters.
See how Intent transforms critical moments across your development lifecycle.
Alex, Day 3
New engineer assigned to fix auth bug
Without Intent
- 1.Searches Slack for "auth" — 847 results
- 2.Finds year-old PR with cryptic description
- 3.Asks teammate who wasn't on the project
- 4.Spends 2 days guessing original constraints
Result
Breaks something the design intentionally avoided.
With Intent
Opens intent/decisions/auth-*.md- Sees OAuth chosen over JWT for security
- Finds note: "Enterprise SSO deferred — add when needed"
- Understands constraints before touching code
Result
Makes informed changes that respect original intent.