Git uses commits for many jobs. A commit can mean “save my work”, “make CI run”, “tell reviewers this is ready”, “publish this change”, or “record a release.” That overload is one reason Git feels natural after years of use but strange to automate cleanly. Glyph splits these meanings apart.

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Definitions

ConceptMeaning
SnapshotA captured source state inside a work context.
CheckpointA named milestone snapshot with human or agent intent.
PublicationA visibility change that moves selected work into a realm.
Export commitA Git commit generated from a Glyph publication or compatibility operation.

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Why This Matters

An agent may make many useful intermediate edits while solving a task. Some are exploratory. Some are partial. Some are real milestones. Git asks you to package those states as commits early. Glyph lets the work breathe first.

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Snapshot

A snapshot is source capture. It answers “what did this work context look like at this point?” Prototype 0 exposes manual snapshots: 
glyph work snapshot docs-update --json
As Glyph grows, many snapshots can be automatic. The important part is that a snapshot does not have to become public history.

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Checkpoint

A checkpoint is a milestone. It carries intent. 
glyph checkpoint docs-update --message "docs ready for review" --json
Use checkpoints when a human or agent wants to say:
  • this is worth reviewing
  • tests pass here
  • this is the handoff point
  • this experiment produced something useful
  • preserve this point if we publish with history

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Publication

A publication is the decision to make selected work visible in a realm: 
glyph publish docs-update --to public --mode squash --json
Publication is closer to “merge this into the visible project” than “save my local work.” That distinction is the heart of Glyph.

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Squash Or Preserve

Use squash when readers only need the final coherent change. Use preserve when the path matters, such as security review, multi-agent handoff, or design work where the reasoning trail should stay visible.

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How Git Sees It

GitHub still needs Git commits. Glyph can export a publication as one or more Git commits depending on compatibility mode. That exported commit is not the source of truth; it is a projection of the source graph.