Envisaged

Turn repository archaeology into something worth watching.

Render Git history, multi-repository comparisons, and Linux system timelines as polished Gource videos with a Nix-first CLI and web interface.

View on GitHub

Language: Python
License: MIT
Stars: 158
Forks: 22

What it fixes

Git logs are technically complete and spiritually unreadable. Envisaged turns years of commits—or a machine's journal—into a timeline humans can actually absorb.

Envisaged packages the ugly rendering pipeline so the result—not the command—gets the attention.

Gource and FFmpeg commands assembled by ritual sacrifice
Multi-repository timelines that drift out of sync
4K renders melting the laptop you still need for work
System logs that explain nothing at presentation speed

What it actually does

A useful product surface, not another README wearing a blazer.

Repository history

Render a single Git repository with titles, legends, templates, and sane defaults.

Multi-repo comparison

Synchronize several repositories into one comparable visual timeline.

System timelines

Convert journal, kernel, and authentication logs into service-focused animations.

Template families

Choose core, compare, split, relation, and themed layouts without rebuilding commands.

Web interface

Queue renders from a mobile-first UI when the terminal has had enough attention.

Reproducible builds

Run the CLI, web app, and container builds through a Nix flake.

Pick your poison

Run it the way that annoys you least.

Render this repository

nix run github:utensils/Envisaged -- -o history.mp4 -t "Repo History" .

Local Python development

uv sync
uv run envisaged --help

Plays well with the tools already causing trouble

Git
Gource
FFmpeg
Nix
journalctl
GitHub Actions
Docker
systemd

Under the hood

Simple enough to explain without a thirty-slide architecture deck.

01
Source timeline

Git repositories or structured system logs become timestamped events.
02
Envisaged templates

Python normalizes events, layout, timing, legends, and rendering options.
03
Gource and FFmpeg

The visualizer draws the history while FFmpeg handles production output.
04
Shareable video

Deliver an MP4 instead of asking everyone to appreciate your git log command.

Make the history visible

Your repository has a story. It deserves better than monospace archaeology.