README

jvcs2git — JEDI VCS to Git exporter

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jvcs2git migrates projects from JEDI VCS 2.5 (the successor of FreeVCS) to Git, with the full history: every revision, author, date and check-in comment, and JEDI VCS labels as Git tags. It talks to the JEDI VCS application server with its own protocol (no database client needed: Firebird, MSSQL, Oracle or MySQL archives work the same way) and builds the repositories with git fast-import: no working tree, no git add loop, no case problems. Written in Delphi 13, on top of the JEDI VCS client units.

• One Git repository per JEDI VCS project (shared modules appear in each project that uses them).
• Check-ins of the same user with the same comment are grouped into one commit (-group 10, or -nogroup).
• Real check-in time from the server log; dates in UTC (or -localtime).
• Binary .dfm converted to text; family members (.pas + .dfm) in the same commit.
• Labels exported as annotated tags; author map login=Name <email>.
• Report of everything that was left out (encrypted revisions, CRC errors, missing blobs) in Markdown and JSON.
• Window for the archive administrator (jvcs2git.exe) and console for scripts and AI agents (jvcs2git-cli.exe, JSON output and exit codes), plus a Claude Code skill.

It only reads the JEDI VCS server: it never changes projects, modules or revisions and never checks anything out.

Requirements

• Windows; Git 2.x on the PATH (tested with 2.54; no specific version required).
• fvcscrypt.dll next to the executables (it comes in the zip).
• A JEDI VCS 2.5 server and a user with Archive Admin rights.
• Close the JEDI VCS window and do not run the AI wrapper (jvcs-ai.ps1) or its hooks during the export: on a server without branching a new login of the same user drops the previous session.

Quick start

Save the login in the JEDI VCS client (Server Login → Store Password with identity) and use it with -identity (the password is read from the saved identity, never from the command line):

jvcs2git-cli -identity DEFAULT -list -json < NUL
jvcs2git-cli -identity DEFAULT -project myapp.dpr -out D:\git -dryrun -json < NUL
rem  fill in D:\git\autores.txt  (login=Full Name <email>)
jvcs2git-cli -identity DEFAULT -project myapp.dpr -out D:\git -json < NUL

Without a saved identity: jvcs2git-cli myserver:2106 -user admin -project myapp.dpr -out D:\git asks for the password (no echo) or reads it from the first line of a redirected stdin. There is no -password option.

Output in <out>:

Recommended flow

1. -list -json: find the exact project name or ID.
2. -dryrun: commit plan without downloading contents; creates autores.txt and lists unmappedAuthors.
3. Fill in autores.txt. Git cannot fix authors later without rewriting the history.
4. Export.
5. Validate: git log --stat, git tag -n, jvcs2git-relatorio.md (skipped members, substituted dates, warnings) and a build of the project from the checkout. Keep the JEDI VCS backup.

Exit codes

With -json stdout has only one JSON line (ok, command, exitCode, message, projects[] with skipped[] and warnings[], ...); messages go to stderr. See doc/en/Usage.md.

Limitations

• Renamed or moved modules: the server keeps only the current name and folder; the whole history uses the current path.
• Modules removed from the project do not appear (the server does not list them for the project).
• Branches: only the selected JEDI VCS branch (HEAD by default) is exported.
• Dates: the server keeps the real check-in time only in its log; without the log (-nolog, log disabled) the commit date is the file time on the workstation. Invalid dates (zero, before 1980, future) are replaced and listed in the report; the committer date is monotonic so git log --since works.
• Labels: a label marks one revision per module; the tag points to the commit with the most recent of them ("approximate tag" in the report when the state differs).
• Case: the file name spelling is fixed per module (from the most recent revision); folders come in lower case; modules that differ only by case are renamed and reported.
• Encrypted revisions need the Blowfish key (client registry or -encodekey-file); without it they are skipped and reported.
• Contents are copied byte by byte; only names and comments are converted from cp1252 to UTF-8.

More in doc/en/Limitations.md.

How it works

For each project: read modules, revisions, per-module history, labels and the server log (read-only requests GET_*, never a checkout); sort revisions by revision ID; group them into commits; download each member with GET_SINGLE_BLOB (unzip or decrypt, check the CRC, convert binary .dfm, cache on disk); write a git fast-import stream; then git init, git fast-import and git checkout. Details in doc/en/How-it-works.md.

Building

Delphi 13 (Win32) with JCL, ICS 9 and Abbrevia from GetIt. The JEDI VCS units come from the submodule external/JEDI_VCS, pinned at tag v2.5.0.2026-beta6-build2063 (65908e1):

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/edmarfrazao/jvcs2git
cd jvcs2git
tools\compilar.bat            rem all Release -> bin\Win32\jvcs2git.exe, jvcs2git-cli.exe, fvcscrypt.dll
tools\compilar.bat cli Debug

The .dproj files in src\ open in the IDE (tools\msbuild\jvcs2git.props). JVCS_ROOT may point to a local JEDI VCS checkout for development only, at the same tag as the submodule. See doc/pt/Como-compilar.md (Portuguese) and doc/en/Building.md.

Tests against a test server: tests\executar.bat (tests/teste-jvcs2git.ps1).

Prior work

Two earlier exporters (2018, unmaintained) were studied:

• DGH2112/JEDIVCSToGit by David Hoyle — reads the database with FireDAC/MSSQL and commits each revision with git add + git commit --date.
• hbannw/JcvsToGit — FreeVCS/DBISAM era; generates a git fast-import stream, groups check-ins by day and user and converts binary .dfm.

jvcs2git keeps their good ideas (fast-import, grouping, author map, .dfm as text) and adds server-protocol access (any database), UTC dates from the server log, labels as tags, a report of what was left out, resume, and a CLI for automation and AI.

License

Code in this repository: Mozilla Public License 1.1. The executables also contain MPL 1.1 units from JEDI VCS (submodule external/JEDI_VCS, see external/JEDI_VCS/doc/original/license.txt) and MidWare by François Piette (freeware for non-commercial use only; modified version).

This product is based on MidWare. Freeware source code is available at http://www.overbyte.bee

Disclaimer

jvcs2git is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. Back up the JEDI VCS server and validate every generated repository before retiring the archive. See DISCLAIMER.md.