File Tracker

Log every file change (write, edit, delete) to a SQLite database for debugging, audit trails, and version history tracking. Works with any file operation system or code editor.

When to use

• Tracking file modifications during development
• Creating audit trails for file changes
• Debugging what files were modified and when
• Building version history without git
• User asks to track or review file changes

Required tools / APIs

• Python standard library (sqlite3, datetime, os)
• Any programming language with SQLite support

No external APIs or services required.

Database Schema

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS file_changes (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
  timestamp TEXT NOT NULL,
  action TEXT NOT NULL,              -- 'write', 'edit', 'delete', 'rename'
  file_path TEXT NOT NULL,
  old_content TEXT,                  -- for edits/deletes
  new_content TEXT,                  -- for writes/edits
  file_size INTEGER,                 -- size in bytes
  metadata TEXT,                     -- JSON: user, session_id, etc.
  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

CREATE INDEX idx_file_path ON file_changes(file_path);
CREATE INDEX idx_timestamp ON file_changes(timestamp);
CREATE INDEX idx_action ON file_changes(action);

-- Automatic purge: delete records older than 1 year
DELETE FROM file_changes WHERE created_at < datetime('now', '-1 year');

Fields:

• id - Auto-incrementing primary key
• timestamp - ISO 8601 timestamp of the change
• action - Type of operation: 'write', 'edit', 'delete', 'rename'
• file_path - Absolute or relative path to the file
• old_content - Previous content (for edits) or deleted content (for deletes)
• new_content - New content (for writes/edits)
• file_size - File size in bytes after operation
• metadata - JSON field for additional context (user, session, tools)
• created_at - Database insertion timestamp

Basic Implementation

Python

Initialize database:

import sqlite3
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path
import json
import os

# Configure database path (customize as needed)
DB_PATH = Path.home() / ".file_tracker" / "changes.db"

def init_db():
    """Initialize database and create tables."""
    DB_PATH.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
    conn = sqlite3.connect(str(DB_PATH))
    conn.execute("""
        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS file_changes (
            id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
            timestamp TEXT NOT NULL,
            action TEXT NOT NULL,
            file_path TEXT NOT NULL,
            old_content TEXT,
            new_content TEXT,
            file_size INTEGER,
            metadata TEXT,
            created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
        )
    """)
    conn.execute("CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_file_path ON file_changes(file_path)")
    conn.execute("CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_timestamp ON file_changes(timestamp)")
    conn.execute("CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_action ON file_changes(action)")
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()

def purge_old_changes():
    """Delete file change records older than 1 year to keep the database size sane."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(str(DB_PATH))
    conn.execute("DELETE FROM file_changes WHERE created_at < datetime('now', '-1 year')")
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()

# Initialize on import and purge old records
init_db()
purge_old_changes()

Log file changes:

def log_file_change(
    action: str,
    file_path: str,
    old_content: str = None,
    new_content: str = None,
    metadata: dict = None
):
    """Log a file change to the database."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(str(DB_PATH))
    try:
        # Get file size if file exists
        file_size = None
        if os.path.exists(file_path) and action != "delete":
            file_size = os.path.getsize(file_path)

        conn.execute(
            """INSERT INTO file_changes
               (timestamp, action, file_path, old_content, new_content, file_size, metadata)
               VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)""",
            (
                datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
                action,
                file_path,
                old_content[:5000] if old_content else None,  # Truncate large content
                new_content[:5000] if new_content else None,
                file_size,
                json.dumps(metadata) if metadata else None
            )
        )
        conn.commit()
    finally:
        conn.close()

# Usage examples
log_file_change("write", "/path/to/file.py", new_content="print('Hello')")
log_file_change("edit", "/path/to/file.py", old_content="print('Hello')", new_content="print('Hi')")
log_file_change("delete", "/path/to/file.py", old_content="print('Hi')")
log_file_change("write", "/path/to/config.json", new_content='{"key": "value"}',
                metadata={"user": "john", "session": "sess_123"})

Tracked file operations:

def tracked_write(file_path: str, content: str, metadata: dict = None):
    """Write file and log the change."""
    with open(file_path, 'w') as f:
        f.write(content)
    log_file_change("write", file_path, new_content=content, metadata=metadata)

def tracked_edit(file_path: str, old_content: str, new_content: str, metadata: dict = None):
    """Edit file and log the change."""
    with open(file_path, 'w') as f:
        f.write(new_content)
    log_file_change("edit", file_path, old_content=old_content,
                    new_content=new_content, metadata=metadata)

def tracked_delete(file_path: str, metadata: dict = None):
    """Delete file and log the change."""
    with open(file_path, 'r') as f:
        old_content = f.read()
    os.remove(file_path)
    log_file_change("delete", file_path, old_content=old_content, metadata=metadata)

# Usage
tracked_write("example.txt", "Hello, World!")
tracked_edit("example.txt", "Hello, World!", "Hello, Python!")
tracked_delete("example.txt")

Query file history:

def get_file_history(file_path: str, limit: int = 20):
    """Get change history for a specific file."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(str(DB_PATH))
    conn.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
    cursor = conn.execute(
        """SELECT timestamp, action, old_content, new_content, file_size
           FROM file_changes
           WHERE file_path = ?
           ORDER BY timestamp DESC
           LIMIT ?""",
        (file_path, limit)
    )
    results = cursor.fetchall()
    conn.close()
    return results

def get_recent_changes(limit: int = 50):
    """Get recent file changes across all files."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(str(DB_PATH))
    conn.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
    cursor = conn.execute(
        """SELECT timestamp, action, file_path, file_size
           FROM file_changes
           ORDER BY timestamp DESC
           LIMIT ?""",
        (limit,)
    )
    results = cursor.fetchall()
    conn.close()
    return results

def search_file_changes(pattern: str):
    """Search for files matching a pattern."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(str(DB_PATH))
    conn.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
    cursor = conn.execute(
        """SELECT timestamp, action, file_path
           FROM file_changes
           WHERE file_path LIKE ?
           ORDER BY timestamp DESC""",
        (f"%{pattern}%",)
    )
    results = cursor.fetchall()
    conn.close()
    return results

def get_changes_by_action(action: str, limit: int = 50):
    """Get all changes of a specific type (write, edit, delete)."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(str(DB_PATH))
    conn.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
    cursor = conn.execute(
        """SELECT timestamp, file_path, file_size
           FROM file_changes
           WHERE action = ?
           ORDER BY timestamp DESC
           LIMIT ?""",
        (action, limit)
    )
    results = cursor.fetchall()
    conn.close()
    return results

# Usage
history = get_file_history("/path/to/file.py")
for change in history:
    print(f"[{change['timestamp']}] {change['action']}: {change['file_size']} bytes")

recent = get_recent_changes(10)
print(f"Last {len(recent)} file changes")

edits = get_changes_by_action("edit", limit=20)
print(f"Found {len(edits)} file edits")

Node.js

import sqlite3 from "sqlite3";
import { promisify } from "util";
import path from "path";
import os from "os";
import fs from "fs/promises";

const DB_PATH = path.join(os.homedir(), ".file_tracker", "changes.db");

// Initialize database
const db = new sqlite3.Database(DB_PATH);
const run = promisify(db.run.bind(db));
const all = promisify(db.all.bind(db));

await run(`
  CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS file_changes (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    timestamp TEXT NOT NULL,
    action TEXT NOT NULL,
    file_path TEXT NOT NULL,
    old_content TEXT,
    new_content TEXT,
    file_size INTEGER,
    metadata TEXT,
    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
  )
`);

// Log file change
async function logFileChange(action, filePath, oldContent = null, newContent = null, metadata = null) {
  let fileSize = null;
  try {
    if (action !== "delete") {
      const stats = await fs.stat(filePath);
      fileSize = stats.size;
    }
  } catch (err) {
    // File might not exist
  }

  await run(
    `INSERT INTO file_changes (timestamp, action, file_path, old_content, new_content, file_size, metadata)
     VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`,
    [
      new Date().toISOString(),
      action,
      filePath,
      oldContent,
      newContent,
      fileSize,
      metadata ? JSON.stringify(metadata) : null,
    ]
  );
}

// Tracked file operations
async function trackedWrite(filePath, content, metadata = null) {
  await fs.writeFile(filePath, content);
  await logFileChange("write", filePath, null, content, metadata);
}

async function trackedEdit(filePath, oldContent, newContent, metadata = null) {
  await fs.writeFile(filePath, newContent);
  await logFileChange("edit", filePath, oldContent, newContent, metadata);
}

// Query history
async function getFileHistory(filePath, limit = 20) {
  return await all(
    `SELECT timestamp, action, old_content, new_content, file_size
     FROM file_changes
     WHERE file_path = ?
     ORDER BY timestamp DESC
     LIMIT ?`,
    [filePath, limit]
  );
}

// Usage
await trackedWrite("example.txt", "Hello, World!");
const history = await getFileHistory("example.txt");
console.log(history);

Bash Quick Queries

# View recent file changes
sqlite3 ~/.file_tracker/changes.db "SELECT timestamp, action, file_path FROM file_changes ORDER BY timestamp DESC LIMIT 20"

# Get history for a specific file
sqlite3 ~/.file_tracker/changes.db "SELECT timestamp, action FROM file_changes WHERE file_path='/path/to/file' ORDER BY timestamp DESC"

# Count changes by action type
sqlite3 ~/.file_tracker/changes.db "SELECT action, COUNT(*) as count FROM file_changes GROUP BY action"

# Find all Python file changes
sqlite3 ~/.file_tracker/changes.db "SELECT timestamp, action, file_path FROM file_changes WHERE file_path LIKE '%.py' ORDER BY timestamp DESC"

# Export file history to JSON
sqlite3 -json ~/.file_tracker/changes.db "SELECT * FROM file_changes WHERE file_path='/path/to/file' ORDER BY timestamp ASC" > file_history.json

Integration Examples

Context Manager Pattern

class FileChangeTracker:
    """Context manager to automatically track file changes."""

    def __init__(self, file_path: str, action: str = "edit", metadata: dict = None):
        self.file_path = file_path
        self.action = action
        self.metadata = metadata
        self.old_content = None

    def __enter__(self):
        if os.path.exists(self.file_path):
            with open(self.file_path, 'r') as f:
                self.old_content = f.read()
        return self

    def __exit__(self, exc_type, exc_val, exc_tb):
        if exc_type is None:  # No exception
            new_content = None
            if os.path.exists(self.file_path):
                with open(self.file_path, 'r') as f:
                    new_content = f.read()

            log_file_change(
                self.action,
                self.file_path,
                old_content=self.old_content,
                new_content=new_content,
                metadata=self.metadata
            )

# Usage
with FileChangeTracker("config.json", action="edit"):
    # Modify file
    with open("config.json", 'w') as f:
        f.write('{"updated": true}')
# Change is automatically logged on exit

Decorator Pattern

def track_file_operation(action: str):
    """Decorator to track file operations."""
    def decorator(func):
        def wrapper(file_path, *args, **kwargs):
            # Read old content if file exists
            old_content = None
            if os.path.exists(file_path) and action in ["edit", "delete"]:
                with open(file_path, 'r') as f:
                    old_content = f.read()

            # Execute operation
            result = func(file_path, *args, **kwargs)

            # Read new content
            new_content = None
            if os.path.exists(file_path) and action in ["write", "edit"]:
                with open(file_path, 'r') as f:
                    new_content = f.read()

            # Log change
            log_file_change(action, file_path, old_content, new_content)

            return result
        return wrapper
    return decorator

# Usage
@track_file_operation("write")
def create_file(path, content):
    with open(path, 'w') as f:
        f.write(content)

@track_file_operation("edit")
def update_file(path, new_content):
    with open(path, 'w') as f:
        f.write(new_content)

Agent Prompt

You have file change tracking capability. All file operations are logged to a SQLite database.

When user asks to:
- Review file change history
- Track what files were modified
- Find when a file was changed
- Audit file operations

Use the SQLite database at ~/.file_tracker/changes.db with this schema:
- file_changes table (id, timestamp, action, file_path, old_content, new_content, file_size, metadata)

After performing file operations (write, edit, delete), always log them:
- Write: log_file_change("write", file_path, new_content=content)
- Edit: log_file_change("edit", file_path, old_content=old, new_content=new)
- Delete: log_file_change("delete", file_path, old_content=content)

Query examples:
1. File history: SELECT * FROM file_changes WHERE file_path = ? ORDER BY timestamp DESC
2. Recent changes: SELECT * FROM file_changes ORDER BY timestamp DESC LIMIT 50
3. Search files: SELECT * FROM file_changes WHERE file_path LIKE '%pattern%'

Always log file operations for audit trail and debugging purposes.

Best Practices

1. Truncate large content (e.g., 5000 chars) to avoid database bloat
2. Use indexes on file_path, timestamp, and action for fast queries
3. Store full paths for clarity and uniqueness
4. Log metadata (user, session) for context
5. Regular cleanup of old entries to manage database size
6. Privacy: avoid storing sensitive file content
7. Compression: consider compressing old_content/new_content for large text files

Troubleshooting

Database getting too large:

• Truncate old entries: DELETE FROM file_changes WHERE timestamp < '2024-01-01'
• Run VACUUM: sqlite3 changes.db "VACUUM"
• Limit content stored (already truncated to 5000 chars)

Missing file changes:

• Ensure log_file_change() is called after every file operation
• Check file permissions for database writes
• Verify DB_PATH is accessible

Query performance slow:

• Ensure indexes exist (file_path, timestamp, action)
• Use LIMIT on queries
• Consider archiving old entries

See also

• ../chat-logger/SKILL.md — Log chat messages
• ../generate-report/SKILL.md — Generate HTML reports