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RelayContext: A CLI Tool for AI Coding Context Persistence

Node.jsCLI DevelopmentGit IntegrationDeveloper Productivity
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Introduction

RelayContext is a Node.js-based CLI tool that captures and persists structured AI coding context — reasoning, decisions, and task state — alongside Git branches. It enables seamless continuation of AI-assisted development across sessions, IDEs, and devices without re-explaining project architecture or progress.

The Problem

When working with AI coding assistants, context is everything. Every time you start a new session, you lose:

  • The reasoning behind architectural decisions
  • The current state of your task
  • What approaches were tried and why they failed
  • Project-specific conventions the AI had learned

This leads to repetitive re-explaining and inconsistent AI assistance across sessions.

The Solution

RelayContext solves this by providing a simple CLI that:

  1. Captures context — Saves structured snapshots of AI coding sessions
  2. Persists alongside Git — Context travels with your branches
  3. Enables seamless resumption — Pick up exactly where you left off
  4. Works across tools — IDE and device agnostic

Key Features

  • Branch-aware storage — Context is linked to Git branches automatically
  • Structured format — Reasoning, decisions, and state stored in clean JSON
  • CLI-first design — Fast, scriptable, and easy to integrate into workflows
  • Diff support — Compare context snapshots across sessions
  • Handoff & sharing — Generate shareable context summaries for team collaboration

Commands Overview

RelayContext provides 7 core commands:

bash
$ relay init      # Initialize context tracking in a repository
$ relay save      # Capture and save current AI context
$ relay resume    # Restore context for the current branch
$ relay log       # View context history
$ relay diff      # Compare context between snapshots
$ relay handoff   # Generate handoff summaries
$ relay share     # Export context for sharing

Installation

bash
# Install globally from npm
npm install -g relaycontext

# Initialize in your project
cd your-project
relay init

Usage Example

bash
# Save context after a productive AI session
$ relay save
? What task were you working on? Implementing auth middleware
? Key decisions made? JWT with refresh tokens, httpOnly cookies
? Current status? Auth routes done, need to add RBAC

✓ Context saved to .relay/contexts/feature-auth/ctx_1708523400.json

# Later, resume where you left off
$ relay resume
Branch: feature/auth
Last session: 2 hours ago
Task: Implementing auth middleware
Status: Auth routes done, need to add RBAC
Decisions: JWT with refresh tokens, httpOnly cookies

Technical Stack

The project is built with:

  • Runtime: Node.js
  • Language: TypeScript
  • Distribution: NPM package (global CLI)
  • Storage: JSON-based local persistence
  • Integration: Git CLI for branch detection

Lessons Learned

  1. CLI UX matters — Interactive prompts make saving context frictionless
  2. Git integration is powerful — Leveraging branches for context scoping feels natural
  3. JSON is sufficient — No need for a database when context is project-scoped
  4. Developer productivity tools need to be fast — Every millisecond counts in CLI tools

Conclusion

RelayContext bridges the gap between ephemeral AI sessions and persistent development workflows. By capturing and organizing AI coding context alongside your Git branches, it eliminates the friction of context-switching and enables truly continuous AI-assisted development.

Check out the project on GitHub to get started!