Cipher Files

This release adds brv search - a pure BM25 retrieval command that ranks context-tree results with zero LLM calls, zero provider config, and zero token cost - plus a long-requested --timeout flag for brv curate and brv query so slow local models can finish their work. A handful of legacy-sync papercuts get cleaned up along the way.

🌟 Highlights

🔎 brv search - zero-cost BM25 over the context tree

A new command that ranks files in your context tree using pure BM25 retrieval - no LLM, no provider config, no token budget to watch. It complements brv query for cases where you want structured results with paths, scores, and excerpts rather than a synthesized answer. Flags: --limit <n> (1–50), --scope <prefix> to restrict search to a subdirectory, and --format json for scripting. Rule of thumb: use brv search when you need the raw hits, brv query when you want an answer.

⏱ --timeout on brv curate and brv query

Override the previous hard-coded 5-minute limit so slower local models (Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp) can finish long-running operations. Accepts a value in seconds, defaults to 300, caps at 3600. No effect when combined with --detach.

🧹 Cleaner brv vc experience for legacy-sync users

Three fixes that make brv vc quieter and less confusing for projects migrating off the old space-sync flow: brv push / brv pull now show a clear deprecation pointing at brv vc init, brv status no longer litters the project with a stray .snapshot.json, and adaptive *.abstract.md / *.overview.md artifacts are excluded from the context-tree .gitignore so they stop showing up in brv vc diffs.

What's Changed

✨ Features

• Add brv search BM25 context-tree retrieval command by @danhdoan in [#358]
• Add --timeout flag to brv curate and brv query by @andreivladmatei in [#342]

🐛 Fixes

• Replace misleading "no space configured" error on brv push / brv pull with a deprecation notice linking to brv vc init by @bao-byterover in [#361]
• Stop brv status from auto-creating .snapshot.json on VC-managed projects; now reports "Managed by Byterover version control" by @bao-byterover in [#362]
• Exclude adaptive *.abstract.md / *.overview.md artifacts from the context-tree .gitignore so they stop polluting brv vc diffs by @bao-byterover in [#363]

📚 Docs & Chores

• Updated CHANGELOG.md and CLAUDE.md for the 3.3.0 release by @bao-byterover

🙏 Contributors

Thanks to everyone who shipped this release: @danhdoan, @andreivladmatei, and @bao-byterover.

After upgrading, run brv restart to reload the daemon.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/campfirein/byterover-cli/compare/v3.2.0...v3.3.0