> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://repr.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started with repr

> Scan your repos and generate your first stories

You've been shipping code for weeks (months? years?), but when someone asks "what have you been working on lately?"—you draw a blank. You know you built *something* important, but the details are fuzzy.

That's where repr comes in. It reads your git history and turns your commits into professional narratives. Here's how to get your first stories generated in about 5 minutes.

## What You'll Need

* The repr CLI installed (see [Installation](/installation) if you haven't yet)
* A folder with some git repositories (like `~/code` or `~/projects`)
* (Optional) [Ollama](https://ollama.com) running locally if you want 100% offline generation

Let's go.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Scan your repos">
    Point repr at your code directory and let it discover what you've been working on.

    ```bash theme={null}
    repr init ~/code
    ```

    Repr will scan for git repositories and show you what it found:

    ```text theme={null}
    Found 12 repositories
    ✓ myproject (143 commits) [Python]
    ✓ frontend-app (87 commits) [TypeScript]
    ✓ api-gateway (56 commits) [Go]
    ✓ docs-site (22 commits) [Markdown]
    ...

    Track these repositories? [Y/n]
    ```

    Hit enter to confirm. Your repos are now tracked, but **nothing has left your machine yet**—this is all local.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Take a quick look around">
    Before generating anything, let's see what you've been up to this week.

    ```bash theme={null}
    repr commits --days 7
    ```

    You'll get a quick summary like:

    ```text theme={null}
    Commits (last 7 days) — 20 total

    myproject:
      abc1234  Add OAuth2 integration        • 3 days ago
      def5678  Implement Redis caching       • 2 days ago
      ghi9012  Fix race condition in auth    • yesterday

    frontend-app:
      jkl3456  Redesign settings page        • 4 days ago
      mno7890  Add dark mode toggle          • today
    ```

    This is just a preview—nothing saved yet. But it gives you a sense of what repr will work with.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate your first stories">
    Now for the magic. Let's turn those commits into professional narratives.

    ```bash theme={null}
    repr generate --local
    ```

    <Tip>
      If you don't have a local LLM installed, repr will guide you through setting up Ollama or adding an API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc). Your choice.
    </Tip>

    You'll see repr processing your work:

    ```text theme={null}
    Generating stories (local LLM: llama3.2)...

    myproject
      • Built OAuth2 integration with Google and GitHub providers
      • Implemented Redis caching layer for session management
      • Fixed race condition in user authentication flow

    frontend-app
      • Redesigned settings page with improved UX
      • Added dark mode toggle with system preference detection

    Generated 5 stories
    Stories saved to: ~/.repr/stories
    ```

    That's it. You've got professional summaries of your work, stored locally as JSON files.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check out your stories">
    See what got generated.

    ```bash theme={null}
    repr stories
    ```

    You'll get a list with IDs, dates, and titles:

    ```text theme={null}
    01JAXK... Built OAuth2 integration with Google/GitHub    Jan 5, 2026
    01JAXL... Implemented Redis caching for sessions          Jan 5, 2026
    01JAXM... Fixed race condition in auth flow               Jan 4, 2026
    01JAXN... Redesigned settings page with improved UX       Jan 3, 2026
    01JAXO... Added dark mode with system detection           Jan 2, 2026
    ```

    Want to see the full story? Pick an ID and view it:

    ```bash theme={null}
    repr story view 01JAXK...
    ```

    You'll see a markdown-formatted story with context, technologies used, and impact.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What Just Happened?

You just turned your messy git history into clean, professional narratives. Here's what repr did:

1. **Scanned your commits** - Read commit messages, diffs, and file changes
2. **Grouped related work** - Identified logical units (features, fixes, refactors)
3. **Generated context** - Used an LLM to write professional summaries
4. **Saved locally** - Everything lives in `~/.repr/stories` on your machine

**Nothing was uploaded anywhere.** Your code stays on your machine. The only network call was to your local LLM (if you used `--local`) or to your API provider (if you used your own key).

## What's Next?

Now that you've got stories, here's what you can do:

* **Automate it**: Set up [Daily Usage](/guides/daily-usage) with git hooks so stories generate automatically
* **Customize it**: [Configure different LLMs](/configuration/llm-setup) or templates for different use cases
* **Share it**: (Optional) [Publish your profile](/guides/publishing) to repr.dev to showcase your work
* **Review weekly**: Use [Weekly Reflection](/guides/weekly-reflection) to curate and export summaries

The power move? Set up git hooks and let repr track everything automatically. Then, once a week, review and publish your best work. Five minutes a week to maintain a living portfolio of what you've actually built.