Use case · Two computers
Sync Coding-Agent Sessions Between Work and Personal Computers
Reinstate can move a supported Claude Code or Codex session from a work computer to a personal computer through an encrypted artifact in your own S3-compatible bucket. The source computer can be offline when you pull, but both devices need the same profile, passphrase, project identity, and compatible agent version.
- Last verified
- Current release
- v0.1.0-rc.8
- Release status
- pre-1.0 release candidate
- Owner
- Harjot Singh Rana
What moves between the computers
Reinstate moves selected, supported vendor-native session artifacts plus the structural metadata needed to restore them. It maps the same repository to a canonical project ID so each device can keep a different local checkout path.
| Moves | Does not move |
|---|---|
| Supported Claude Code or Codex session artifacts | Your Git repository or working tree |
| Portable structural project-path identity | Vendor login credentials, API keys, or OAuth tokens |
| Encrypted manifest and artifact metadata | MCP servers, skills, plugins, hooks, or settings |
| Conflict-safe version of remote session state | A translated transcript for a different agent vendor |
Prerequisites on both devices
- The same pinned Reinstate release candidate.
- A supported version of the same agent vendor.
- A local checkout of the project at a configured path.
- Access to the same S3-compatible bucket and profile prefix.
- The same long encryption passphrase, entered locally.
- Separate vendor login on each device; Reinstate does not transfer it.
Confirm your employer's policy first.
“Bring your own storage” does not override employment, source-code, data-residency, or device policy. Do not move work transcripts to a personal account or computer unless you are explicitly authorized to do so. Use an approved bucket and device boundary.
A safe two-computer workflow
- Install RC8 on both machines and confirm the checksum-verified version with
rein version --json. - On the first device, initialize a profile and map the repository to a stable project ID such as
github.com/acme/app. - Join the same profile on the second device, mapping that project ID to its own absolute local checkout.
- Push the selected same-vendor sessions on the source. Encryption happens before the bucket receives the artifact.
- On the destination, run status and
rein pull --agent AGENT --session SESSION_ID --dry-run; inspect the exact planned restore. - Pull, confirm the native destination path, then resume using Claude Code or Codex itself.
Does the source computer need to stay on?
No. Reinstate uses stored synchronization rather than a live remote-control relay. After a push succeeds, the encrypted artifact is in your bucket and the source computer can be offline when the destination pulls it. The destination still needs network access to the bucket.
What if both computers changed the session?
Do not expect silent last-writer-wins behavior. Reinstate records divergent state as a conflict and can create conflict forks instead of overwriting one side without notice. Pull dry-runs and the conflict commands are part of the normal workflow, not only recovery tools.
Current limitations
- RC8 is not background automatic sync; pushes and pulls are explicit.
- Source code still moves through Git or your existing repository workflow.
- Vendor authentication must be configured independently on each device.
- Phase 1 supports only tested Claude Code and Codex same-vendor sessions.
- Stable native-device and two-device release certification is still in progress.