Plannotator saves a local version when a plan arrives or a nonempty local file opens directly in annotation mode. A local file selected from a folder also receives history when it is Markdown, MDX, text, or one of the supported plain-text config and data formats. If the content matches the latest version, Plannotator reuses that version instead of writing a duplicate.
Web URLs, agent messages, converted content, ordinary linked documents, and rendered HTML selected from a folder do not create folder-session history. A local HTML file opened directly keeps its existing HTML version-history workflow.
Compare revisions
When an earlier version exists, the review UI shows an added and removed line count. Open it to compare the current content with the previous version.
For Markdown, choose between:
- Rendered, which marks added, removed, and modified blocks in the rendered document
- Raw, which shows a Git-style Markdown diff
You can annotate a changed block in the rendered view. The exported feedback marks it as diff content.
For rendered HTML, Show changes displays the current page with inline insertion and deletion highlights. See Review HTML.
Choose an older base version
Open the left sidebar and select the Version Browser. Choose any saved version to use as the comparison base. Plan review and document annotation use the same browser.
Where history is stored
History lives under the active data directory:
See Configuration for the default, PLANNOTATOR_DATA_DIR, and XDG resolution.
Plans are grouped by project, the first Markdown heading, and the date. A revised plan with the same heading on the same day joins the same history. Annotated files are grouped by their file path, so the history stays together when headings or content change.
If history copies are not acceptable, disable document annotation history before you open a sensitive file. History stores changed-file copies under the Plannotator data directory.
Disable document annotation history
Set the environment variable:
Or add this to <data-directory>/config.json:
The environment variable takes precedence. With annotation history disabled, Plannotator does not write new document copies and the document version diff is unavailable. Disabling history does not delete existing copies. Plan submission history remains part of the plan review flow.
History and the archive are different
Version history records successive plan and document content for comparisons. The optional plan-save setting records approved or denied decision snapshots separately under <data-directory>/plans/. Run plannotator archive to browse those saved decisions in a read-only view.
Last verified against Plannotator OSS v0.25.0 on July 27, 2026. Maintained by the Plannotator project. 