Guide

Rollback

Envidence can turn a recorded case into a reversal plan. The default path is a dry run. Applying changes is a separate, confirmed action with a safety snapshot before the first mutation.

Preview first

Real rollback apply and undo change your machine. They have not been validated on a real machine for this release. Review the plan and test on a disposable machine before relying on rollback for important state.

Build a plan

shell

# Plan against the reference for a case.
evd rollback --case CASE-... --dry-run

# Plan against a run or a specific snapshot.
evd rollback --run RUN-... --dry-run
evd rollback --to SNAP-... --dry-run

# Restore one change signature.
evd rollback --change CHANGE-... --dry-run

# Limit the plan to selected categories.
evd rollback --case CASE-... --only env,path --dry-run

A plan lists typed actions, the current state each action expects, the target value, and any manual steps. If a change is not supported, it becomes a manual step rather than an unsafe command.

Write a script

You can ask for a PowerShell or POSIX script without changing the machine:

shell

evd rollback --case CASE-... --dry-run --script rollback.ps1

Review the script before running it. It is generated from the same plan and can be useful when a change needs an elevated shell or a manual review by another person.

Apply the plan

shell

evd rollback --case CASE-... --apply

Apply prints the plan, asks for the literal word rollback, and then checks the current machine against the plan's preconditions. If the state has drifted, it aborts before applying any actions.

Before mutation, Envidence takes a full snapshot with the pre_rollback trigger and pins it. It stores an audit record with the result of each action. It never reports an action as successful when it failed or was skipped.

--yes skips the interactive confirmation. It is intended for controlled automation, not for casual use. --fail-fast stops after the first failed action.

What can be reversed

Supported	Usually manual
Environment values and PATH entries.	Arbitrary installers and setup programs.
Selected global package versions from npm, pip, cargo, and dotnet.	Registry changes, Windows updates, and kernel or driver changes.
VS Code extensions.	Changes inside WSL distributions, VMs, or containers.
Config files that were stored without redaction.	Config files that were stored with redaction. Envidence will not write a placeholder over the real file.
Service state, startup entries, and scheduled-task enable or disable.	Tools Envidence does not have a typed action for.

Undo a rollback

shell

evd undo
evd undo ROLLBACK-...
evd undo --script undo.ps1

Undo inverts the actions recorded in an applied rollback. It asks for the literal word undo and takes a safety snapshot. It only works for an applied rollback that has not already been undone.

Undo is not time travel. Changes made by other processes or by hand after the rollback are not reversed.

Safety rules

Dry run is the default. You must pass --apply to mutate the machine.
The plan is checked against current state immediately before mutation.
A safety snapshot is pinned before actions run.
Machine-scope actions may need an elevated shell. Envidence does not auto-elevate.
Package actions can run lifecycle scripts and use the network.
The dashboard can preview and simulate a plan. Apply from the CLI for the supported flow.

For the server and confirmation controls, see Security. For unsupported cases and other limits, see Limitations.