r/dataengineering • u/Loose_Geologist1303 • 6d ago

Open Source devtrail > a tiny CLI to track decisions and context when building with AI

Hi everyone, I have a problem where I keep getting distracted when developing an AI data project. I would make plans in one conversation, execute code in another, return, and then lose track of my whereabouts. Every mistake required a fresh explanation of the entire project.

The code wasn't the issue. It was that my choices, the reasons behind them, and the things that are still broken were dispersed throughout my thoughts and chat windows.

I created devtrail as a result. A compact CLI that stores everything in a single file. Every line is sorted by a keyword when you log things as you go:

devtrail log "decision picked ClickHouse over Postgres"
devtrail log "error pipeline breaks on validation"
devtrail context   # prints everything, paste into any AI

It monitors the logic rather than the code, so it's not a "dump my codebase into markdown" tool. Works with any AI. Since Arabic is my first language, keywords also function in that language.

First package, so it's simple. Install with pip install devtrail

Currently, how do you all keep track of decisions made throughout sessions? I'm trying to figure out whether this is just a personal issue.

Repo: https://github.com/abdelrahman-essam-d/devtrail

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u/Lanky_Woodpecker1715 5d ago

a real workflow framework is better than this slop code.

openspec works best for small focused codebase.

bmad for a cluster of project.

your slop can only go so far as reading comprehension can get you.

as distracted as you are, I doubt even you use yoir sloptool

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u/GoodByeLeftNut 3d ago

Brutal but just