# what you can ask

Plain words, cli syntax, or anything in between. A completion menu drops down wherever a branch, tag, pr number, or log row belongs.

url: https://getwh.dev/docs/web/asks

`explain`, `summarize`, `show me`, and `what changed in` work as leading verbs. A trailing `?` is fine. cli-style input (`wh explain HEAD~3..`) works verbatim.

<Tbl kind="asks" head="false">
  | ask                     | examples                                                                                                                  |
  | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
  | a diff range            | `diff main..release` · `compare v1.1..v1.2` · `main..` (to the default tip)                                               |
  | the last n commits      | `explain the last 5 commits` · `last 3 on feat/auth` · `HEAD~3..`                                                         |
  | a pull request          | `what changed in pr #42` · `pr 42` · `#42`                                                                                |
  | a branch vs the default | `what changed in feat/auth`                                                                                               |
  | one commit              | `explain <sha>`                                                                                                           |
  | the graph               | `log` · `log 100` · `log on feat/auth` · `log since monday by me`                                                         |
  | a row of the log        | `explain 3` · `explain 2..5` (row 5's parent to row 2)                                                                    |
  | time and people         | `since yesterday` · `this week` · `since v1.2 by alice` · `what did i do this week` · `standup`                           |
  | release notes           | `changelog v1.1..v1.2` · `changelog since v1.2` · `release notes for pr #42` · `changelog` (since the newest tag)         |
  | a pr draft              | `describe pr #42` · `describe feat/auth` · `draft a pr for feat/auth` · `describe main..dev`                              |
  | a rebase plan           | `rebase feat/auth` · `rebase main..feat/auth` · `rebase pr #42` · `rebase last 5 on feat/auth` · `rebase 2..5` (log rows) |
  | a cherry-pick plan      | `pick 3 5 onto release/1.x` · `backport pr #42 to release/1.x`                                                            |
  | a file's story          | `history src/git.rs` · `history src/ on feat/auth`                                                                        |
  | a line or a span        | `why src/git.rs:42` · `why src/git.rs:13-17` · `why line 42 of src/git.rs on v1.2`                                        |
  | who knows a file        | `who src/git.rs` · `who knows src/ on dev` · `who touched src/`                                                           |
  | read a file             | `view src/git.rs:42` · `cat` works too; click a line number to ask why                                                    |
  | a listing               | `ls` · `ls src on dev`                                                                                                    |
  | hotspots                | `churn` · `churn since v1.2 in src/` · `hotspots on dev`                                                                  |
  | the repo's pulse        | `activity` · `activity since this week`                                                                                   |
  | cut to a path           | any explain plus `in <path>`: `explain the last 5 commits in src/` · `changelog of pr 42 in docs/`                        |
  | lists                   | `branches` · `tags` · `prs` · `closed prs` · `my prs` · `stale` (quiet branches) · `stale 12w`                            |
  | follow-ups              | plain words after an explain: `why is that risky?` · `which files touch auth?`                                            |
</Tbl>

## periods and people [#periods-and-people]

* Periods are plain words: `today`, `yesterday`, `this week`, `last week`, `this month`, `last month`, `this year`, `last year`
* `since` takes a weekday (`since monday`), a count (`since 3 days ago`, `since 12 weeks`, `since 12w`), a date (`since 2026-08-20`), or any ref (`since v1.2`)
* `by <login>` keeps one person's commits, `by me` yours; `standup` is your commits since the last working day
* Days follow your browser's clock; an empty window says `nothing since yesterday` and costs no model call

## changelog and describe [#changelog-and-describe]

`changelog` and `describe` wrap any diff command and share the cli's output contracts: the same four sections, the same `title` / `description` / `testing` draft. `describe pr #42` sees the pr's current title and body and keeps their intent where the diff still supports it. `/copy` puts the draft on your clipboard.

## limits [#limits]

* `log` draws 40 rows by default, up to 200; `last N` stops at 250
* A `since` window covers the latest 100 commits; `by <login>` fetches up to 20 of that person's commits, past which the answer covers the whole span and says so
* `stale` means no commits in 8 weeks unless you say otherwise
* `base..head` uses github's three-dot compare: changes on head since it diverged from base
* Ahead/behind counts cover the first 15 branches; tag dates the newest 15
* Plans stop at 30 commits and refuse merge commits
* A range needs a base: `main..` is fine, `..dev` is not