01
Open a repo.
Browse its files and read the code in a calm view built for reading, not editing.
Understand the code you didn't write.
Including the code your AI wrote. Gitscrolls is a reading app for desktop and phone: walk through a repo, ask why, and keep what you learn as notes pinned to the exact lines.
Coming with v3.0.0 · macOS, iOS and Android. Not available yet.
Follow the build on X See how it works ↓Code-linked notesv3.0 mobile preview
01 / Why now
Could you explain it on a whiteboard?
More of the code you ship is written by someone else: a teammate, a library, an agent. It runs. The tests pass. But when it breaks, or someone asks why it works that way, you're the one who has to answer.
In a randomized study by Anthropic, developers learning a new library with AI help scored 50% on a comprehension quiz. Those who coded by hand scored 67%.
The difference was how they used it. AI users who asked questions to understand the code averaged 65% or higher. Those who handed the work to the AI averaged under 40%.
Source: Anthropic, “How AI assistance impacts the formation of coding skills”AI isn't the problem. Skipping the understanding is. Gitscrolls is built for the asking kind.
02 / How it works
Turn a repository
into something you know.
A scroll is an ordered collection of notes for a code walkthrough, investigation, or explanation you can return to. Think of it as a guided tour of the code, written by you.
02
Ask why.
Trace a bug, follow a request through the code, or review what your agent wrote. Go beyond “it works” to “I know why.”
03
Leave yourself a trail.
Pin notes to the lines that matter and put them in order as a scroll. Next week, you replay the walkthrough instead of starting over.
03 / Features
What you get
Your explanation sits next to the code it explains.
Not in a doc that drifts out of date somewhere else.
Turn a reading session into a walkthrough.
Put notes in order so you, or a teammate, can follow the logic step by step.
Nothing to build, nothing to break.
Read a repo on the train or at your desk. Keep writing code in your editor.
Start at your desk, pick it up on your phone.
Notes and scrolls follow you between devices.
v3.0.0 · PaidChat about a repo, or get a walkthrough.
Ask questions like you would any assistant. When an answer needs a walkthrough, it becomes an AI scroll you can check against the lines.
v3.0.0 · Your key or a local modelSee what a repo does before you read a single file.
Group the code into subsystems with plain names, instead of folder names.
Coming laterShare a walkthrough with your team or the world.
Publish a scroll so others can follow it.
Coming laterGenerated docs explain the code to you. Gitscrolls helps you explain it to yourself, and keeps the proof.
On understanding
You're still the one who has to understand it.
Developers whose work you probably use, on knowing the code you ship.
No affiliation or endorsement. The people quoted below have no relationship with Gitscrolls. They have not used the product and do not endorse it.
The "whiteboard defense:" I should be able to pull you aside at any moment and ask you to explain any customer-facing system you've shipped. You should be able to clearly explain how it works and defend the decisions you made. This is my benchmark for responsible AI usage.
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it" — Upton Sinclair I think this quote explains a lot of the coping that's going on, but I also think it's wrong! The failure to understand is what'll erase the paycheck.
We'll be spending a lot more time trying to understand the outputs of language models. … As LLMs get better, they will do more and more of the legwork autonomously, and a lot more of our work will rise up the abstractions into oversight and understanding.
Reject non-understanding. … I want AI in the service of understanding the universe and enhancing human cognition and creativity.
Hot take: I think it's still important to understand the code that our agents write!
Short musings on "cognitive debt" - I'm seeing this in my own work, where excessive unreviewed AI-generated code leads me to lose a firm mental model of what I've built, which then makes it harder to confidently make future decisions
It’s not “your own” if you don’t understand it
The "should you read code" debate is dumb because the real decision isn't binary, it's a scale: 1. Reading every line of every diff 2. Scanning every diff, reviewing important lines 3. Ignoring diffs but understanding the 'why' of every PR 4. Spot checking PR's instead of reading every one 5. Ignoring PR's, but doing regular spot checks on the codebase 6. Ignoring the code, but spot checking agent traces to help improve the system 7. Ignoring both the code and the system, let models handle everything Where are you on the scale?
You are responsible for whatever clanker generates for you. This is why YOU READ THE CODE.
04 / AI, on your terms
A helping hand.
Not a substitute for you.
With v3.0.0, you can chat about a repo or have AI draft a scroll. Treat it as a first pass. You decide what's right and what goes in your notes.
Your key, or your own machine.
Use your own API key or run a local model. Your provider bills you directly.
05 / Pricing
Different screen.
Same train of thought.
Dig into a codebase at your desk. Pick up your notes on your phone. The subscription keeps your devices in sync, so you never start over.
Desktop + mobile Sync planned for v3.0.0
Gitscrolls Sync
Your notes and scrolls, on every device.
- ✓ Sync notes and scrolls between desktop and phone (at launch)
- ✓ Publishing scrolls (coming later)
Pricing announced with v3.0.0.
AI works with your own key or a local model, and is billed by your provider, not by us.
Next chapter / v3.0.0
One workspace.
Wherever you’re reading.
New mobile apps. Our first desktop app. Sync between them. Download links go live at release.
In development · Not available yetWhen can I download it?
With v3.0.0. The new mobile apps, the desktop app, sync and AI scrolls aren't released yet. Follow the build on X to hear the day they are.
What platforms does it run on?
At launch: macOS, iOS and Android. Windows and Linux are coming shortly after.
Is this another code editor?
No. Gitscrolls is a workspace for reading, annotating, and understanding code. Keep writing in your editor; bring your investigations and explanations here.
What is a scroll?
A scroll is an ordered collection of notes: a walkthrough, an investigation, or an explanation you want to return to. It gives your reading a thread instead of leaving you with disconnected snippets.
How is this different from auto-generated docs or asking a chatbot?
Those explain the code to you once. Gitscrolls is where you work through it yourself, check it against the real lines, and keep what you learned for next time. Use AI to get started. The understanding stays yours.
What is the subscription for?
Syncing your notes and scrolls between desktop and phone. Publishing scrolls comes later. Pricing is announced with v3.0.0.
Is AI included in the subscription?
No. You bring your own API key or run a local model, and your provider bills you.
Can I use a local model?
Yes. With a local model, your questions and the code you send it stay on your machine.
AI writes the code. Make it yours.
Gitscrolls v3.0.0 is coming to macOS, iOS and Android.